Particular thanks to friends who tested this book’s recipes—the original, cumbersome versions and the final, hopefully-not-too-information-packed recipes you see in this book: Molly Wizenberg, Jenna Murray, John McCreary, Suzy Narducci, and Greg Higgins. Additional thanks to special friends who were there for guidance, editorial support, and technical Q & A: Shawna McKeown, Kat Merck, Eve Connell, Teri Wadsworth, and John Paul.
To Alan Weiner, a supremely gifted photojournalist who could make a loaf of bread look like a work of sculpture, and a field of wheat at sunset look like a slice of heaven.
Particular thanks to the editorial and creative staff at Ten Speed Press. My editor, Emily Timberlake, helped turn my web of scattershot ideas into an organized structure and guided me in ways that always had a sense of rightness to them. Designer Katy Brown turned the words and photos into a book with such a clean and beautiful aesthetic that I continue to be dazzled each time I gaze at it. I will be forever appreciative of their outstanding work.
To the gifted bakers and teachers who helped me learn my craft: Jean-Marc Berthomier, Didier Rosada, Philippe Le Corre, and Ian Duffy.
Most importantly, to the mentors who helped open my mind to baking at the highest level: Michel Suas of the San Francisco Baking Institute and TMB Baking, and Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt of San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery. Michel is someone I will always look up to, and he helps in so many ways, always with good humor and good advice, it’s impossible to list them all. If we are lucky in life we find the right teacher at the right moment. For me that happened when I met Chad and Liz in 1999. They readily shared with me their approach to baking, and I will always be thankful for their generosity. I learned much about levain and French country–style bread baking from Chad, as well as a way of thinking about food that agreed with me. His sharing of lessons learned unlocked many doors for me. A thousand thank-yous.
Jack London wrote, “I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot.… The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”
I had recently become friends with Jimi Brooks, a Willamette Valley winemaker, when he died suddenly in October 2004. Jimi lived large and fully. He wouldn’t take his days for granted or let his friends talk pipe dreams without prodding them to act on those dreams. Jimi’s memorial service brought friends and family together to appreciate his life and share his loss. Several people spoke, telling mostly funny stories that still made us want to cry. Somebody finished by reading this Jack London quote. It characterized the fire that burned inside Jimi’s frame, and these words rung around and around in my head: I shall use my time.