Without Beatriz Echeverria (a baker and owner of Madrid's favorite artisan bread workshops and offices, Babette's oven) two of the movements that have most and best defined gastronomy in the world would not have been possible Spain of recent years: on the one hand, the tendency to vindicate and almost sacralize good bread that has marked the 21st century so much; on the other, the therapeutic homemade pastries that saved us from madness during confinement.
A bit of both, respect for the crumb and a didactic function, is what we find in the last book of Beatriz Echeverria, which is entitled The Elements of Bread and which has just been published by Libros con Miga. “The goal of The Elements of Bread is for you to make a bread at home that you do not believe is easy and good, and really learning the bread trade: why does one loaf come out squashed, and another with a wart, and why does a loaf come out big and golden today and the following week come out matte and tight”, Beatriz tells us about a title whose vocation is “to teach you to understand the bread, but without complications, without revolutionizing the kitchen, slowly, enjoying each experience, even when a churro comes out”.
According to Beatriz, even if you weren't able to tune in to your baking side even during confinement, there is still hope for you thanks to The Elements of Bread: "It's like when you learn to cook, or to drive, at first you go a little blind, and then soon you'll be alone. Well this book seeks to give you baker instinct when making bread at home.
the enjoyment is huge , the sensation of a dough that transforms under your hands, and that in the oven swells and breaks and browns, ufff, it's wonderful, and so simple! If you've already caught on to Beatriz's enthusiastic spirit, wait until you read her responses to our Traveler Quiz: You will fall in love with gastronomy again.
- What are the three best bakeries in Spain for you?
“It is impossible for me to tell you which are the three best… I can tell you among the ones I know some of The ones I like the most because they make great bread, because take care of processes because they take care of the work space, because they take care of the team and the way they deal with the client, such as Ecotahona del Ambroz in Plasencia, La Subirana in Murcia, Pan da Moa in Santiago, L'espiga d'or in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Bēkari in Vigo, Gure Ogia in Bilbao, Baluard in Barcelona, Mamia in Vitoria, Horno de San Bartolomé in Valencia... And now in Madrid there is a lot of quality, Panadario, Obrador de San Francisco, Madreamiga, 180 Obrador... and of course, Babette's oven, he he".
- Your "secret" gourmet shop.
“I love cheese and it is a pleasure to visit the La cabezuela store at Bravo Murillo 69, Madrid. They are very friendly, they explain everything very well and I discover fantastic cheeses. And on top of that they have La Virgen beer.
- A gourmet whim that can be confessed.
“I love rye bread, so every once in a while I make myself a full rye breakfast, with a slice of our Rugbrod bread which is a Danish bread seed curdling, super aromatic – we make it with giant rye from Despelta.
I roast it twice and spread it with a thin layer of goat butter and Urzapa forest honey. And I accompany it with another slice of our rye loaf, which roast only once, and I put a thin layer of mustard and fermented that I make at home with red cabbage and garlic, the garlic in very fine slices. Oh, what a delight."
- A gourmet whim that can NOT be confessed.
"The raw dough of our agustinas (our version of American cookie) is very good, Americans sell you raw cookie dough with the idea that you eat it like that, just like that, but I imagine they sell it pasteurized... it's better to eat it at home cooked. With our agustinas there is something that I love to do that It seems almost a sin but it is sublime: I give it a few seconds in the microwave, the chocolate melts and the pleasure multiplies”.
- Someone in the world of gastronomy (dead or alive, baker or not) who has inspired you.
"Thomas Teffri-Chambelland is a baker I greatly admire, in many ways. I like how seriously he does things, how he deepens his business philosophy, the execution of his projects, and how he teaches from his school in France, the International School of Boulangerie Such an amazing place, so well thought out. For me, the way he works is a source of inspiration.
I have also learned a lot from other fellow bakers who have been at this for much longer than me as Anna Bellsola, Guillermo Moscoso, Txema Pascual, Jesus Machi, Manuel Flecha, Jordi Morera, Xavi Barriga either Charles Mariel , and newer people, from my "panarra generation" like Juan Antonio Garcia, Fernando Bernaldo de Quiros, Iban Yarza either Pablo Perez Lorenzo. And from my editor, Lorenzo Mariani, of Books with Crumb!".
- Someone outside the world of gastronomy, but who has also inspired you.
“My partner who is a great guy. And my therapist!”
- The best advice for those who want to make bread at home.
“The best, the best is forget about the photos of perfect breads. The bread is made to enjoy the process and eat something delicious. When we seek perfection the process becomes very difficult because it takes time to gain mastery; After all, baking is a trade.
But learning is an enjoyment in itself because every time you make bread you acquire knowledge, and that is a wonderful stimulus. The system of The Elements of Bread seeks precisely that, to teach you to enjoy learning”.
- What can never be missing in your kitchen.
“Paprika and apple cider vinegar”.
- What is worth investing in if we are going to get serious.
"For me in thermometers, they are great for bread. The ovens do not tell us the truth, they tell you that they are at a certain temperature and they are not and an oven thermometer is great to know how your oven works, how long it takes to reach temperature, how much it drops when you open the door... and a meat thermometer helps you know if the bread is done, although you can find out by tapping it on the bottom to see if it sounds hollow, but it is also good to have it to know the point of meat and fish”.
- Recipes, better on paper, by instinct or on the mobile?
“For me, better on paper, but internet gives you so much for so little... At the touch of a keyboard you find lots of recipes, tips. You search, read, compare, experience strips and voilà!”.
- The restaurant or restaurants where you like everything (even the bread).
"Lakasa, Verdejo Tavern, La Tasquita de Enfrente, Don Lay and Benares".