Bread head Baking for the road less traveled

Constance Wu has always felt big feelings, which made life easier and harder in equal measure as she grew up. Acting gave her the ability to channel this abundance of emotion into social acceptance, via community theater; into a path forward, through performing-arts higher ed; and finally, into a career, starring in projects like Fresh off the Boat and Crazy Rich Asians. Wu writes much about her childhood as a bookworm with a wild imagination, and those early instincts translate into keen essay sensibilities as she wisely aligns poignant childhood anecdotes with new adult lessons. She brings the Richmond, Virginia, suburbs of her childhood to life in vivid detail; readers will leave the book tasting the bread Wu baked at her first job, and feeling the backstage excitement at a high-school theater audition. The author paints the characters and sites of her adulthood just as dexterously: New York City, Los Angeles, international movie sets, and visits back home. Generously sharing experiences of love, family, harassment, discrimination, and growth, Wu writes about others and her past self with the utmost respect. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Superstar Wu's fans will clamor for this gorgeously relatable portrait of a life guided by passion and art.

In this exceptional guide, Wade, head baker of Chicago¿s Publican Quality Bread, calls on his knowledge and good humor to show home bakers how to ¿increase the tools in your toolbox one by one.¿ As much as it refers to both his own career path¿no formal training¿and his urgings to use sustainably grown grains, Wade¿s ¿road less traveled¿ could also apply to his unorthodox yet appealing flavor pairings, as seen in an apple and peanut loaf, and a celery root¿rosemary pizza. The book sets itself apart by introducing flours, techniques, and simple recipes (heritage cornbread, oat dinner rolls) and then building upon that know-how with flair and flavor. Recipe ingredients are helpfully expressed in tables of weight, volume, and baker¿s percentages¿a thorough vetting of the latter is provided at the back of the book. Defending why his bread dough are often enough for two loaves, he debunks any notion of wastefulness: ¿When you¿re learning to make bread, it¿s helpful to repeat the process a second time.¿ With skills of both fermentation and attentiveness well in hand, readers are then tempted with more challenging recipes that call for baking in stages, ¿laminating,¿ and various fillings: marzipan stollen, buckwheat canelés, and a sorghum shortbread fig tart among them. This is sure to banish any remnants of sourdough fatigue.