NEW YORK — Michael Pollan, the outspoken and influential critic of modern food production, had generous words for bread in a recent profile in The Wall Street Journal.

In an “In My Kitchen” column in the Nov. 19-20 weekend edition of the Journal, Mr. Pollan, author of “The Ominvore’s Dilemma,” offered a number of insights into what and how he eats at home.

“I could live on bread the rest of my life,” Mr. Pollan said in perhaps his most direct endorsement of any single food.

He also identified “Tartine Bread” by Chad Robertson atop his list of favorite cookbooks and described a hand-crank pasta maker as a “great gift” from his wife.

“Usually those things end up on a shelf, but we actually use it,” he said. “I mostly make fettuccine.”