In Search of the Perfect Loaf: A Home Baker’s Odyssey

　　2009年，記者山謬．佛瑪茲被賦予了一項特別的任務：到法國的麵包店工作，於是開啟了他手作麵包的生涯。他開始追尋從種子到餐桌，所有關於麵包的美味知識，而他自製的長棍麵包，更打敗所有專業麵包店，贏得D.C最佳法式長棍麵包頭銜。
 
　　接 下來的四年裡，山謬旅行的足跡遍布美國及歐洲。在加州，他遇到完美的酸麵包，在柏林，他吸收有關全穀粒黑麥麵包的知識，在南法，他學習到了全麥鄉村麵包的 製法。在這趟特別的旅途中，他遇到歷史學家、製粉業者以及其他所有了解麵包製作歷史的相關人士，而這一路上經歷的種種，讓山謬得以紀錄出包含食譜、製作技 巧等詳盡的麵包製作方式，當然，其中也包含了無數讓人看到就食指大動、美麗的麵包照片。
 
　　本書有趣且動人的內容，對想要進一步了解手工麵包看似樸實、卻又擁有深奧美味魅力的讀者來說，是不容錯過的一道經典小品。【文/ 博客來編譯】
 
 　　An irresistible account of bread, bread baking, and one home baker’s journey to master his craft

　　In 2009, journalist Samuel Fromartz was offered the assignment of a lifetime: to travel to France to work in a boulangerie. So began his quest to hone not just his homemade baguette—which later beat out professional bakeries to win the “Best Baguette of D.C.”—but his knowledge of bread, from seed to table.

　　For the next four years, Fromartz traveled across the United States and Europe, perfecting his sourdough in California, his whole grain rye in Berlin, and his country wheat in the South of France. Along the way, he met historians, millers, farmers, wheat geneticists, sourdough biochemists, and everyone in between, learning about the history of breadmaking, the science of fermentation, and more. The result is an informative yet personal account of bread and breadbaking, complete with detailed recipes, tips, and beautiful photographs.

　　Entertaining and inspiring, this book will be a touchstone for a new generation of bakers and a must-read for anyone who wants to take a deeper look at this deceptively ordinary, exceptionally delicious staple: handmade bread.