Bread is a tricky business, and it seems that every year there’s at least one book that revels in its complexity. Last year that book was Tartine Bread; in 2011, the supremely technical bread book of the year is The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking, by Judith Choate and the breadologists at the French Culinary Institute.

The book is based on the FCI’s bread course — divided into “sessions” instead of chapters, even — and no doubt one could learn much about the art of dough from cooking their way through it. But also, holy bread porn! This kind of thing goes on in a school? Matthew Septimus’s photography shows precisely how perfect bread should look with detailed closeups. The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking is out now from Stewart, Tabori & Chang (buy on Amazon). Here’s a (NSFW?) preview: