Hi Everyone,
I've been promising, so let's do it! If you are not currently an official tester and want to become one here is what you need to do (I will only be accepting new testers for the next week, till January 25th--after that the list closes again):
--Write to me at bestbreads@gmail.com and identify yourself as a new tester. I will send you a recipe response form (you will need to save it as a file and use it as a template each time you test a recipe). I will also send you the first recipe to test, which is the foundational bread for the new book-- a wet, short knead, overnight dough for French style breads. You will need to test this before I can send you other recipes.
--I will also send you the instructions for how to make a sourdough (wild yeast) starter from scratch. If you already have a starter that you like, you can use it and do not have to make this from scratch unless you want to. You do not have to write a response for the sourdough starter unless you have a suggestion or question.
--After you've tested the first recipe you can request any recipe from the list below. Please request only one recipe at a time--there is plenty of time to test many of them before we go to print (we will be testing into March).
--I cannot promise that I will respond to each of you after you send in your responses, other than to send you the next recipe (you can request the next recipe when you send in each response). If you are not sure what to do, if an instruction is unclear, make your best guess and then note it in the response form. I have so many testers, and so little time before I have to submit the first draft to Ten Speed Press, that I have to keep my responses very short. Sorry.
--Veteran testers, you can continue to request new breads or revisit some of the earlier ones if you want to work on one of the revised versions (many of the revisions are about batch size and instruction wording, based on your previous feedback). I am still making those revisions, so if you don't hear from me right away, give me a few days to catch up.
--Reminder to all: I will not be able to offer any compensation for your hard work, other than to list you in the acknowledgements by name. I will also make an offer for a discounted signed book, after it is published in the fall, for testers only. Please continue to check the blog weekly for updates.
Here's the recipe list (some of these are going up for the first time). You may want to print it out for reference. Remember, new testers, do not request a recipe until you've tested the one I send you. Then, you can ask for any of these. Thanks for everyone's help and support--you've all made this a better book!
Recipes:
--French Bread (wet dough, short knead method, formerly known as the Best Breads Prefermented Dough)
--Classic French bread for baguettes and other hearth breads
--Sourdough breads: SF-Style and Pain au Levain (you can request these as one package)
--Sandwich rye bread
--Many seed bread
--Wild Rice and Onion Bread
--Cheese bread
--Soft sandwich and roll dough
--Struan multi-grain bread
--Challah
--Flaky biscuits (aka, Best Biscuits Ever)
--Soft Pretzels
--Rustic breads (ciabatta, pain a l'ancienne, focaccia and pizza)
--Hoagie rolls
--Babka
--Bagels
--English muffins
--Rich holiday bread with 4 options
--Sweet dough for cinnamon buns, sticky buns, almond rolls, and coffee cake
--Laminated dough for croissants and Danish
That's it--I'll wait to hear from you, and happy baking! Please be sure to identify yourself by full name so I can list you in the acknowledgments of the book. Thanks!
May your bread always rise!
Peter
