so I could tell him that he was an artist!'

This was the response from a Baker, when asked: 'How do you define artisan bread?'

The Baker, who was raised in a third generation family bakery business, referred to the old style of bread baking that he witnessed as a child.

The breads that his grandfather produced were the breads that today would be deemed 'Artisan Breads'. But without realizing it, I believe the Baker's response gave me the best insight to defining artisan bread that I have ever read.

The focus is on the Baker and not the bread. His grandfather, the Baker, was the defining element. He was the skilled Artist behind the bread; the Artisan Bread.

The word artisan doesn't lay claim to any one style of bread product,

or to any one specific method of baking. It defines the individual Baker. Just as artists can have different styles or techniques, so can the Baker.   Through reading books on bread, attending seminars on breads, talking with other Bakers, and practice, the common thread appears to be the conscientious baker who is attempting to make the best possible product: a Baker knowledgeable and skilled, producing pride for the Baker and satisfaction for the Consumer.