I first came upon Michael Pollan after reading his book In Defense of Food almost 10 years ago. The book always stuck with me and became a guiding principle for how I would eat. So, when I saw that he had a new Netflix Show based off of his other book, Cooked, I was intrigued. Plus, it feels like I’ve just about seen everything worthy of watching on Netflix.
The premise of the show is around different cooking methods and how they have changed over time. The entire series is binge-worthy, but the episode that captivated me and the one that I’ve watched over and over is Episode 3, “Air”. The episode is mainly about bread and how at its core it has been a staple of humanity over time. Three simple ingredients – water, flour, a little salt, which simply mixed doesn’t sustain life, but when transformed by fermentation, becomes something delicious and magical. It is a feeling that I always have had about a loaf of bread and it was exciting to hear him speak so passionately about something we do every day at La Brea Bakery.
He spoke about the benefits of a natural sourdough fermentation, quality grains and responsible farming, and baking in a traditional manner; the hot-button topics we are constantly examining and exploring and pushing the envelope with.
Simply put, it is good to see bread discussed as a simple, whole, sustaining food with a deep connection to cultures across the world.
