Associate book editor Sacha Madadian has worn many hats during the five years she’s worked at America’s Test Kitchen. Before joining the books team, Sacha worked closely with our Tastings and Testings team, our social media team, and as an editor of Special Interest Publications. I caught up with Sacha recently to talk about our latest publication (and recent IACP award-winner!) Bread Illustrated, a book she logged long hours editing. We talked about the impetus for publishing a bread book, what sets Bread Illustrated apart from other bread books on the market, and and which recipes she didn't mind tasting over and over again.
What was the impetus behind Bread Illustrated?
In the last few years, we've noted a surge in interest in all things artisanal, and folks are forgetting squishy supermarket loaves and seeking out local bread bakeries for their daily bread. But we've learned from many home cooks that while they're interested in good bread, they're afraid to make it themselves. There's something mysterious about yeast—maybe the knowledge that it’s a living thing—that scares people out of the kitchen. A bread cookbook was bound to be a challenge, but given the test kitchen's exhaustive approach to recipe testing and our commitment to education, we knew we were the right people to put bread into home cooks' ovens.