Josey Baker Bread

On weekend mornings, a crowd forms in front of The Mill, a cafe on the up-coming stretch of Divisadero Street in San Francisco. While mentions of the cafe’s $4 toast made the rounds on blogs and news sites, stirring up debate about the cost of living in the Bay Area, the line hasn’t shortened for the fresh-out-of-the-oven slices. Josey Baker—yes, that’s his last name—leads the Mill team in all things bread and shares step-by-step lessons in creating an array of loaves and other baked goods. A playful tone and style (the author begins the book with q&a with himself), and well-shot, full-color recipe photos make this an enjoyable read while educating home bakers on loaves from whole wheat to sourdough to cornbread. Additional recipes such as the B(L)T pocketbread, the Raddest Homemade Pizza the World Has Ever Known, and Seasonal Fruit Crumble make this a book you’ll want to pull from the shelf well after your morning toast. (May)