Bread & Books

Sarah Gilmartin of B. Ferrante's Italian Bakery in the Westside has only recently taken an excursion into bread at the shop. She presented me with this dense, sweetly flavored, salty and yeasty scented loaf to try. It was easy to slice thinly, and it toasted beautifully. It's density and tight sponge held onto the butter and crunched delightfully!

Now unfortunately not everyone can stop by this sweet little shop, but if you'd like to try this bread, here is an excellent recipe.

Westside Stories has an extensive
number of unusual cookbooks and more

1 1/2 tablespoons aniseed
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon water

Place aniseed in a pot with the water and bring to boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool to lukewarm.

Add the yeast, aniseed water (including the seeds), and sugar to the bowl and mix. Let rest five minutes.

Add the flour, butter, and salt and knead together by hand.

Slowly add the bread flour and continue to knead for about ten minutes until it is smooth and elastic and pulls away smoothly from the sides of the bowl. Add a couple more tablespoons flour if the dough seems to sticky.

Place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and roll into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for ten minutes.

Flatten into an slighly oval shape, using a rolling pin if necessary. Starting at one end of the oval, roll dough up into a spiral. Place seam side down on a baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Let the loaf rise in a warm place for a half hour. 

Bake for twenty five minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm, room temperature, or toasted.



Both B.Ferrante's and Westside Stories are a great combination of inspiration, fine company, and excellent offerings. If you are in WNY, I recommend adding visiting these two spots to your itinerary.