Practical Baking Review

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Practical Baking ReviewThe "practical" in the title refers to the professional bakery, not the home kitchen. The author is a representative of the wheat industry, so the emphasis here is on bread products and the various varieties of wheat that are available. The most interesting feature are the sections diagnosing various production problems and their causes and solutions.
The dust jacket says that the book is good for both small and large baking operations, but the ingredient chapter is more relevant to a large operation rather than the neighborhood bakery. The production chapter is more suited to large scale applications and under-developed countries. The emphasis is on low per-unit cost and high through-put processes. As such, it is more apropos to the wholesale bakery operation rather than the neighborhood bake shop. The author often emphasizes quantity and convenience over quality and taste. As such, it is more suitable to wholesale bakery operations rather than the local bake shop or the bakery student, statements in the appendix not withstanding.
I do not have the necessary experience to judge the value of the recipes for either production dor learning purposes. However, the book seems to be meant as an all-purpose reference to sit on the shelf of a large, wholesale bakery rather than a study manual or a source to develope new baking procedures and recipes. For example, there is little distinction in the recipes for French, Italian, and Viennese loaf breads; they seem to assume an on-going baking procedure that needs assistance. It is more of a supplementary text to aid on-going production rather than a collection of basic techniques and procedures. As such, I am not sure of its value as learning tool for the student, statements in the Appendices not withstanding. As a learning tool, it is inadequate. As a reference book, it is, I guess, acceptable.
It is a 5th edition, but I found an unusually large number of editorial mistakes. There is "poor" rather than pour (p.445), p. 524 has "sufficient" instead of "insufficient", "fold" rather than hold, and the cakes chapter page headers are incorrect (has "common problems with fruit cakes" on top of brownie and cheescake sections). The author mistakenly states that increased acidity in the dough increases or strengthens the pH. In fact, it is the opposite: increasing acidity decreases the pH. Alkali, like baking soda, has a very high pH. In the international version of the recipes, the % of flour sometimes is and sometimes is not listed as 100%. He also states that there are "hard" cheddar cheeses versus the softer, grated "American-type", which seems to be a meaningless distinction.
The coverage of pastry and cakes is perfunctory at best. It is aimed at the professional baker, and is certainly not recommendable for the home baker. The book seems to have been designed as a textbook. As such, it is more useful as a resource rather than a tutorial, which is perfectly acceptable if this book is used along with a production manual as part of a professional course in baking. Its primary audience is experience bakers who need a reference book.Practical Baking Overview

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