Bread Revolution Bay Area bakers changed how we think about our daily bread Karola Saekel Sunday, May 20, 2001 (c)2001 San Francisco Chronicle URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/05/20/CM230884.DTL Learn Your Loaves Here are brief definitions of some of the most common artisan breads produced by Bay Area bakeries. Baguette. Long, narrow yeasted French bread loaf with a crisp crust and slightly chewy interior punctuated by many air holes. Made in sourdough and sweet versions (sweet - as in not sour), sometimes studded with a mixture of seeds; its best eaten the day its baked. Batarde. Similar to a baguette but with a larger circumference and lower percentage of crust vs. interior. Brioche. (Not pictured.) A light-textured yeasted French bread rich in eggs and milk with a soft crust, traditionally made in individual loaves roughly the size of muffins, with a fluted base and topknot ball of dough. It can also be made in large loaves generally weighing 12 to 16 ounces. Brioche dough is often used to encase savory fillings. Challah. Traditional yeasted Jewish egg bread similar in texture to brioche. The classic challah is braided, glazed with egg white and often sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds. Ciabatta. A wide, rather flat yeasted Italian loaf so named because its shape supposedly resembles a slipper (ciabatta in Italian). It has a thin crust, dusted with flour, and an airy crumb. Focaccia. A relative of pizza, this flat Italian yeast bread usually incorporates olive oil, with more oil drizzled over its dimpled top. The bread is often topped with rosemary or other herbs, or sun-dried tomatoes. Focaccia has become a favorite for Mediterranean-style sandwiches. Levain. Made with natural fermentation, utilizing wild rather then commercial yeasts, pain au levain (its full name) comes in round or oval loaves with a rustic character - large, uneven holes and assertive grain flavor, partly due to small amounts of whole wheat or rye flours. Pain de mie. Virtually identical to a Pullman loaf, this yeasted bread often contains a small amount of sugar, butter and milk. It is baked in lidded pans, which result in perfectly square loaves with a dense crumb that can be sliced very thinly for dainty sandwiches or Melba toast. Panini. A sandwich roll of Italian-style yeasted bread. Panino means sandwich. Pugliese. Often incorporating olive oil, this rustic Italian loaf is similar to ciabatta, with large holes and good grain flavor. - K.S. (c)2001 San Francisco Chronicle From Reggie Dwork [email protected]