A bread day in Indiana

Clayton's kitchen in Bloomington is full of flour and rising dough, and he has been at it since dawn. James Beard, who wrote the book on American cookery, and Julia Child, who wrote the book on French technique, have both accepted an invitation to see the bread man at work.

Clayton moves through country loaves, brioche, and sourdough with the calm of someone who has tested every recipe many times. Beard, unwell but unwilling to miss it, holds court from a chair with a glass of wine and talks about the bread of his Portland childhood. Child asks precise questions and takes notes. By evening the table is covered with loaves, and nobody leaves without one.