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In this disc from the Better Bread DVD series, Chef Ciril Hitz demystifies the process of utilizing wood-fired oven as he demonstrates a modern approach to this ancient method of baking and cooking.

Filmed on location using a Panyol oven at the Stone Turtle Baking and Cooking School, this disc explains in detail the basics of working with a wood-fired oven, inspires confidence, and provides helpful tips and techniques to the novice and experienced baker alike. Topics and formulas include:

• Miche
• Hazelnut Sourdough
• Focaccia
• Pizza
• Brioche
• Pain de Mie
• Linzer Tart
• Lasagna
• Pizza Toppings
• Roasting Vegetables
• Roasting Meats

Chef Ciril Hitz brings a unique expertise to the field of artisan and decorative breads. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Rhode Island School of Design and then completed a three-year pastry-chocolate apprenticeship in his native Switzerland. Since that time, Chef Hitz developed a passion for baking exquisitely crafted bread that has earned him national and international recognition. He is currently the Department Chair for the International Baking and Pastry Institute at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Chef Hitz competed in the 2004 National Bread & Pastry Team Championship where his two-person team won the Gold Medal and Hitz independently swept all three individual bread awards. In 2002 he represented the USA as a member of the Bread Bakers Guild Team at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (World Cup of Baking) in Paris, France, where the team took home the Silver Medal. He has been a guest intructor and judge at many national and international culinary schools and events and serves on the Advisory Board of the Bread Bakers Guild of America.

Ciril Hitz has been featured on The NBC Today Show and The Food Network and has been honoured as a Top Ten Pastry Chef by Pastry Art & Design magazine in 2007 and 2008. He is the producer of two DVD series, Bread Art and Better Bread, and the author of the book, Baking Artisan Bread (Quarry Books/2008), and numerous magazine articles. For more information, visit www.breadhitz.com.