The Greater Houston Section hosted a successful hybrid (virtual and in-person) Science Café event on the Chemistry and Craft of Bread Making with author and speaker Emily Jane Buehler who provided insights on the art of making bread.
She expounded on the process and science of making bread, from the microorganisms that perform fermentation in the dough, to the stretching of gluten during kneading, to the physics of the bubbles that form in the dough. Her talk gave an overview of this science, with a focus on places in the bread-making process where bakers can look to improve their loaves. She covered the relationship between fermentation time and flavor, what happens during kneading (and during "no-kneading"), tips to make a home oven behave like a bakery oven, and more.
The Greater Houston Section was pleased to host the North Carolina Section in addition to our local members in the virtual audience, as well as a small group of bread enthusiasts who met in-person at the White Elm Cafe bakery in Houston to watch Emily's talk as a group. We were pleased to welcome approximately 50 total attendants between the virtual and in-person events.In-person attendees were also entered into a door prize draw for a copy of Emily's book - Congratulations to Monica Gomez, who took home the book prize!
Emily Buehler completed graduate school in chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hilland worked six years as a bread baker before realizing she wanted to be a writer. Her first book, Bread Science, explores the science and craft of baking bread and the updated 15th anniversary edition was released in 2021. Her second book, Somewhere and Nowhere, is a memoir of a bicycle trip from New Jersey to Oregon that explores the benefits of living in the present moment. Emily currently writes romantic fiction and is a freelance copyeditor. She teaches bread-making classes and continues to travel by bicycle.
Purchase your own copy of Bread Science at https://www.twobluebooks.com/books/
Learn more about Emily's other writing projects at https://emilybuehler.com/
Special thanks to the White Elm Cafe for hosting our in-person event!
