Greg Wade is the Head Baker at Publican Quality Bread in Chicago. I was first introduced to Greg’s work through a YouTube video tour of his bakery. Greg’s talent and passion as baker was immediately evident and I wanted to get my hands on his book as soon as it came out.

Greg’s new book, Bread Head, was published in October 2022.  When I saw the title and the tie-dyed background on the cover, I presumed Greg was not only a “bread head” but also a Deadhead (i.e., a fan of the Grateful Dead).  I was not disappointed. Greg’s relaxed writing style and the overt references to Grateful Dead songs in the chapter titles conjure a Jerry Garcia solo as the imaginary soundtrack behind the pages.  At first, I thought the Dead connection was bit overdone, but Greg makes it work with his breezy, unpretentious vibe and conversational tone.

Bread Head includes baking techniques and recipes for sourdough, yeasted breads and pastries.  The first 63 pages of the book feature introductory materials, baking techniques and a section specifically on sourdough methods. The instructional content adequately covers the basics of the bread-making process, and there is a helpful troubleshooting section at the end of the book.

However, Greg’s passion jumps off the page as he describes his love for Midwestern-grown, organic grains.  Greg writes about organic farming and whole grains with unbounded enthusiasm and deep knowledge.  His otherworldly connection to the farms and grains of the American Midwest is apparent.    

Where Bread Head really shines is in the 200+ pages of one-of-a-kind recipes exalting the unique flavors and qualities of humble grains such as wheat, rye, sorghum, buckwheat, corn, oats, and millet. I quickly leafed through the recipes to find the obligatory Farmhouse Sourdough Loaf, but I lost my boring white-bread sensibilities along the way as I read mouthwatering recipes for a Chile Polenta Loaf, Roasted Garlic and Mashed Potato Ciabatta, Spelt and Apple Muffins, and Rye Focaccia. 

In addition, Bread Head includes a unique chapter for bread and pizza recipes baked over fire, and an unexpected recipe chapter featuring breads of the world such as appam, injera, puri and volkornbrot.  Greg rounds out the recipes with tasty sweets such as Cornmeal Whoopie Pies, Oat Doughnuts, Sorghum Blondies, and Whole Wheat Graham Cracker S’Mores. 

Bread Head is a breadmaker’s homage to the grains of the American Midwest, and it is a long, strange trip through some of the most creative and interesting bread recipes I’ve seen in some time. 

Highly Recommended

Tom Cucuzza

The Sourdough Journey

Cleveland, Ohio ©2022