Bread Is Better Than Ever

Thirty years ago, Americans lived on processed white bread, and it was almost impossible to find a fresh baguette or a loaf of sourdough. My friend Eli Zabar began baking fresh breads in a brick oven in the basement of his store E.A.T. on Madison Avenue in New York City, and now there are extraordinary artisanal bakers in cities and towns all across America. Even better, bakers like Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns now grow and seek out heirloom wheat and use it to make bread that is not only delicious but good for you too.

Garten is the Barefoot Contessa

This appears in the July 11, 2016 issue of TIME.

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