The Bread & Grains Issue
Bread and I have a complicated relationship. Not being one to daintily dip it in olive oil, I cannot resist a warm nubbin slathered with creamy butter. I have baked family-pleasing tea cakes like banana bread or lemon-poppy, but feeding a “mother”—the living, fermenting heart of sourdough—brings on pure panic.
Doughphobes, be inspired: This Bread & Grains issue is filled with stories of passionate bakers and chefs whose creations are a feast for both nose and mouth.
Contributor Jesse Hirsch tantalizes us with pizzas from Beebe’s that are “markedly thin, yet soft from an extra-long fermentation.” It’s housed in LIC’s Boro Hotel, but booking a room isn’t necessary: Beebe’s is open to the public, though after imbibing some of their signature cocktails, checking in might be worth considering. When only a slice will do, be sure to dog-ear Sarah Zorn’s take on 10 iconic pizza joints.
Storyteller and TV personality Caroline Shin, of Cooking with Granny, shares a mouthwatering duck bun she found for this issue’s Food Spotting piece. The creation of Alan Gao, owner of You Garden in Flushing, these soft yet sturdy buns provide the perfect fold for crispy Peking duck and that oh-so-yummy sauce.
For our In the Kitchen with section, food writer Giulia Pines gets direct and personal with baker and author Sarah Owens, who discusses her knowledge of botanicals, her commitment to food justice and, naturally, her award-winning sourdough. Melissa Kravitz captures the lively Tracy Obolsky, another peninsula baker, who masterfully folds layers and layers of dough to create flaky croissants at Rockaway Beach Bakery.
After reading these and all the other stories in our Bread & Grains issue, I have decided to face my phobia of dough head-on. Scoops of Rise flour mixed with water are resting on my kitchen counter and I am waiting for its life to begin.
Boro Hotel | @borohotel
Beebe’s | @beebesnyc
Caroline Shin | @carolinestoriesnyc
Cooking with Granny | @cookingwgranny
You Garden Xiao Long Bao
Rockaway Beach Bakery | @rockawaybeachbakery
