Also known as fresh or compressed yeast, this "wet" yeast can be added directly to dry ingredients or dissolved in warm liquids prior to mixing.

The browning caused when sugar reaches 325F. This is what gives the bread crust its color.

One of the two main by-products of yeast fermentation, this gas is trapped in the dough by the gluten network causing the dough to rise.

A bell-shaped ceramic mini-oven that you can use at home to replicate a brick oven.

A type of oven that uses moving air to intensify the heat. It usually bakes much faster than a conventional oven.

A course corn flour that is in between flour and polenta. It is used to make corn bread and also to dust hearth breads and peels.

A type of linen used for raising hearth breads. When you bunch the cloth around the loaves, it provides a nonstick structure that helps rising loaves retain their shape.

Coarsely milled grain; usually the result of the first stage of milling before grinding grain into a finer flour.

To beat one or more ingredients, usually margarine or butter, sugar, and/or eggs, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

To seal the edges of two layers of dough with the tines of a fork or your fingertips.

The interior of the loaf and is defined by the pattern and size of holes inside of a loaf. Artisan breads made with high hydration dough typically have an open and irregular crumb.

To cut into 1/4-inch cubes

To distribute solid fat throughout the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, fork, or two knives in a scissors motion.