Results tagged “bread”

As a kid, mom's toast was always a staple, but I never salivated for it when I woke up. Even though I fought the carb-conscious craze, breakfast took a turn with less bread consumption as age took its toll. Supermarket-bought bread was always handy to have around, for sandwiches and whatnot, but other than that, it sat in the refrigerator for months at a time.

These days we're all a-Twitter about food on wheels. From comforting classics like ice cream novelties to tacos with an Korean twist, we seem to love the idea of finding food on our own two feet and the vendors' four wheels. But before Los Angeles was a tangle of freeways and cars getting food items from a truck was actually a way of life. While some of us may still live in neighborhoods frequented by produce and grocery trucks issuing familiar beckoning musical calls, beeps, and horn toots, once upon a time in L.A. our city's bread and other baked treats could be found driving around SoCal 'hoods in the form of the Helms Bakery Coaches.

We're guessing that when the South Beach Diet and other such carb-scoffing trends warped our eating habits, that one Dr. Steven Laurence Kaplan shook his erudite head and knew he could not align himself with such tomfoolery. Why? Because Dr. Kaplan is a Bread Historian, and later this month you can meet him and chew the fat grain with him at Century City's Breadbar. Here's how it all slices:

On Saturday, September 20, BREADBAR Century City welcomes Dr. Steven Laurence Kaplan, widely recognized as the world’s leading expert on French bread, for an exclusive bread tasting and discussion at the artisanal bakery-bistro. Dr. Kaplan will lead the intimate bread tasting and explore BREADBAR’s signature offerings including the Baguette, Rustic Millstone, Buckwheat, and Redwood Rye, among others. Guests will learn about the process of tasting, the criteria involved and the methods and techniques involved in creating exceptional breads. He will also speak about his book, “Good Bread is Back,” and share his extensive taste-testing expertise gained while exploring the bakeries in Paris.

You will chew with confidence, knowing that Dr. Kaplan is both Yale and Princeton educated, and that "His primary fields of expertise are the history of bread and French history." Perhaps you can discuss whether Marie Antoinette actually said "Let them eat cake!" (Or did she say "Let them eat bread!" instead? Hmmm...)

Any Angeleno who's ever done a road trip up to Mammoth Mountain or Tahoe knows the town of Bishop, California. It's one of the few pockets of civilization along an otherwise desolate (albeit beautiful) drive. And if you know Bishop, chances are you'll probably know Erick Schat's Bakkery as well: it's the perfect spot to refuel, relax, and most importantly, eat.

I was just in New York. I lived there for a few years in the late nineties. New York is full of great stuff, as is LA, but one of the things I miss most, on coming home, is the bread. In New York, you go to a market (usually little, individually owned markets), who get loads of delicious bread all the time. This bread is nearly anonymous, but always delicious and all different types – baguettes, challah, wheat. One of my favorites is a small, round Portuguese loaf, with four small points rising out of the center. It was great to buy a loaf and split it with cheese or hummus for an easy meal.

Following up on my last post, here are five favorites I return to time and time again. All are reliable sources for good eating!