Importance Score: 35 / 100 🔵
Poet Jim Franks Debuts ‘Existential Bread,’ A Metaphorical Exploration of Life Through Baking
In a departure from conventional cookbooks, poet Jim Franks introduces his latest book, “Existential Bread,” a unique exploration of bread baking not as a culinary guide, but as a profound metaphor for life itself. Readers seeking detailed recipes or glossy images of perfectly baked loaves will need to look elsewhere; this book delves into the deeper, more instinctual aspects of bread making.
Beyond Recipes: Bread as a Life Metaphor
“Bread making is instinctual, if you can learn to listen to that wonderful sense within us all that tells us how to make something else feel good,” Franks elucidates in the opening chapter. This philosophical approach permeates the book, presenting bread baking as a lens through which to examine broader existential themes.
The book is structured with stanza-like meditations accompanied by simple line drawings, further distinguishing it from standard culinary publications. Adding to its unconventional nature, “Existential Bread” is published by Drag City, a Chicago-based independent music label known for its eclectic and artistic ventures.
Drag City’s Literary Venture
Dan Koretzky, a founder of Drag City, humorously noted the label’s foray into publishing, stating in an email that books, “as a format with waning popularity and profitability, it’s a natural fit for us.” This tongue-in-cheek perspective underscores the book’s independent and artistic spirit.
Jim Franks: From Wanderer to Baker-Philosopher
Prior to becoming an author, Franks, 37, embraced a nomadic lifestyle, traversing from town to town and honing his craft through apprenticeships at various bakeries. His experiences shaped his perspectives on food production, capitalism, and interpersonal care, themes that subtly weave their way into “Existential Bread.”
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Franks’ genial and approachable demeanor belies a thoughtful and critical mind. “The best thing, even bigger than bread, is that people just learn not to take things so seriously and that they can question things and not just accept the status quo, because little compromises are what’s ruining the world,” he expressed in an interview during his book tour, which included a standing-room-only event at Archestratus Books + Foods in Brooklyn.
A Journey to Baking and Self-Discovery
Touring is familiar territory for Franks, who previously worked in film and music festivals in his early twenties after growing up in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb. A health event at 24—a collapsed lung—prompted a life re-evaluation, leading him to discover a passion for bread making in 2016.
This newfound passion led him to “staging,” the culinary world’s term for unpaid internships, at bakeries nationwide, immersing himself in the art and science of bread.
The Philosophy of Imperfect Bread
Franks’ journey into bread mirrors a quest for knowledge, reminiscent of a “Kung-Fu”-like dedication, traveling and learning from various sources. In a world where bread baking is often portrayed as a pursuit of perfection, Franks diverges, seeking instead the philosophical and ethical considerations inherent in the practice.
He connects the book’s genesis to studies in nonviolent communication and personal therapy, suggesting a deep introspection underpinning his approach to baking and writing. “The bread stuff I learned from staging and traveling, but most of it was just reading books and talking to people and piecing it together,” Franks explained. His travels reinforced a key realization: “I realized nobody really knew better than anybody else,” a sentiment that informs the book’s accessible and demystifying tone.
Embracing the Amateur Baker and Rejecting Perfection
Identifying as an “eternal amateur,” Franks champions a relaxed approach to bread making, rebelling against the pressure for flawlessness. Chapter titles like “Mixing doesn’t really matter,” and “Shaping doesn’t really matter,” exemplify his philosophy. Yet, his deep knowledge of bread is evident.
Industry Perspectives on ‘Existential Bread’
Patrick Shaw-Kitch, owner of Brooklyn Granary & Mill, describes the book as “unassuming at first but is clearly written by someone who takes bread making very seriously.” He believes readers can glean a sense of the bread-making process from Franks’ writing, even if it’s not a traditional instructional manual. “I don’t think it’s a book that can necessarily teach someone who’s never made bread how to, but I think it allows people to go deeper into bread making as a practice,” Shaw-Kitch elaborated.
Shaw-Kitch, a 20-year industry veteran, hosted Franks at Archestratus, complementing the event with homemade bread, including a whole wheat loaf with rye shio koji porridge. Their conversation explored topics ranging from baking techniques to ingredient philosophies, engaging a lively crowd eager to sample the bread.
Commitment to Whole Grains and Local Flour
Despite advocating for flexibility in technique, Franks is unwavering in his commitment to ingredients, specifically whole grains and local flour. His book includes a section, “What are you gonna put in your bread,” detailing the characteristics of grains like einkorn, kamut, triticale, and farro.
“To me, whole grain is whole grain,” Franks states, emphasizing his preference for unrefined, complete grains. He passionately discusses the impacts of grain milling processes that separate and reconstitute grain components, and voices concerns about starch damage and misconceptions surrounding gluten.
Franks critiques conventional systems that prioritize processed grains, stating, “Basically, we take all the stuff out of it, because that’s the way the system works… And we do things the way we do because we do them the way we do — you know, like all of our institutions.”
Future Bakery Aspirations and Spiritual Attitude
While considering opening a bakery in Chicago, Franks remains uncertain about business ownership, reflecting a possible aversion to commercial constraints. Musician Bill MacKay, who introduced Franks to Drag City, highlights Franks’ “devotion to a pure product and his insistence on that vision,” emphasizing the spiritual dimension of his baking philosophy.
At the bookstore event, Shaw-Kitch inquired about vulnerability in writing about bread. Franks responded simply, “I think vulnerability is important in everything,” encapsulating the honest and personal approach that defines “Existential Bread.”