Wendy Smith Born and James Barrett of Metropolitan Bakery here in Philadelphia are a pair of rustic futurists who effortlessly blend traditional baking methods with new-world gadgets and aspirations. Their artisanal ingredients and methods are thoughtful and meticulous but their personalities exude a respect for and love of dynamism- the unpredictable and wild nature of bread and the world in which we bake it.

In the span of our afternoon class this Sunday we watched James move from a discussion and demonstration of wild-yeast starters from fermented figs and berries to describing the shape, curvature, and texture of his bread as sexy – very sexy, in fact. His poetic love for bread, however, is almost overshadowed by his positive mastery of the scientific and culinary principles behind his methods and products. His love (and lust) for bread is as apparent as it is contagious, and we cannot wait for James and Wendy to come back to COOK’s kitchen to reveal more secrets.

Sunday’s class featured a hands-on demonstration of a basic country loaf with samples of Metropolitan’s own baguettes, olive-thyme loaf, and spreads, and charcuterie and cheese provided by DiBruno Bros. Check out all the photos courtesy of MichaeSpainSmith.com followed by the recipe below.

Here’s the recipe for the delicious, aromatic and beautiful country loaf James made during the class.