When it comes to her passion for baking, Nadine Salameh is not afraid to speak her mind. She believes there can be no shortcuts when producing high-quality artisan bread. She follows the philosophy that it takes a long, slow process to create Old World bread made the way nature intended them to be.

“Over the years, the word ‘artisan’ has been so misused,” said Ms. Salameh, executive vice-president of Bakery de France, which operates bakeries in Rockville and Frederick, Md. “It really doesn’t give any justice to what it truly represents. Creating the appearance of artisan breads is not that difficult, but appearance is often deceiving. True authentic artisan bread must have the aroma that comes from proper hydration, fermentation and resting times that also give the bread a longer shelf life. The bread should have a regular honeycomb — those irregular bubbles in the crumb — that gives the texture to pain levain.”

Check out our exclusive interview with Ms. Salameh in the upcoming September issue of Baking & Snack magazine to find out more about her views on the art and science of baking.