No Need to Knead: Handmade Italian Breads in 90 Minutes Review

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No Need to Knead: Handmade Italian Breads in 90 Minutes ReviewDuring my two month stay last summer in the LA area, I grew positively addicted to the fragrant, chewy Italian breads produced by a wonderful bakery named Buona Forchetta. Carried by only the finest restaurants and grocery stores, these fresh, crusty breads surpassed anything I had tasted in Italy. As my wife poutingly puts it, I fell in love--with a bakery!
Upon my return to Florida, the dismal selection of supermarket Italian breads left me pining for a loaf of BF's kalamata olive filoncino, or a rosemary encrusted foccacia, or a pane rustico or...and then I would arouse from my wistful daydream to face another day-- without Buona Forchetta!
My depression ended when I discovered Suzanne Dunaway's great new book, No Need to Knead. Suzanne, founder and owner (along with husband, Don) of Buona Forchetta, has written (and illustrated!) a wonderfully lively bread manual in which she shares her wealth of hard learned breadmaking secrets.
I ordered the book from Amazon immediately and quickly found myself mixing up the first foccacia dough of my life. Me, a baker! [See wife skeptically smiling].
But would it work, and could it be this easy? No kneading! Ready to eat in 90 minutes! And most important of all--would the crust and crumb taste like the great Buona Forchetta breads that I had grown to love? The answers are, Yes, Yes and Yes! Plus, it's one heck of a lot of fun. Thank you, Suzanne!
At the time of this writing I have successfully made the foccacia, both the rosemary and kalamata olive filoncinos, crusty dinner rolls, and the whimsical fougasse.
Every one has been a gustatory home run--and my neighbors now love to see me come loafing around on my bread route. If I can do it, you can too! So far I have just scratched the surface of this enticing book. Still to come are traditional breads, pizzas, sweet loaves, bread sticks, specialty breads, and...this is a great idea...bread as leftovers! As in yummy bruschette, soups, mouth-watering croutons, and desserts.
Reflecting on her own upbringing in happy kitchens, Ms. Dunaway has thoughtfully included a chapter on making bread WITH children. Reminds me of the cinnamon sugar pie crust tailings I would bake with my mom.
Obviously I am quite taken with this book. Suzanne Dunaway has distilled a lifetime of cooking and living experience, much of it acquired on the ground in Italy and France, into a first rate bread book. The best part is that her words translate into delectable products that will amaze beginning bakers and please discriminating bread connoisseurs.
Now, all of us can easily replicate the wonderful aromas and chewy bread textures of an Italian bakery right in our own kitchens.No Need to Knead: Handmade Italian Breads in 90 Minutes Overview

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The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World Review

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The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World ReviewMimi Sheraton was fascinated by French Toast in Paris, Turkish Delight in Istanbul, Danish pastry in Copenhagen, Scotch Salmon in Glasgow, and Parma Ham in Parma. So why not hunt for the elusive Bialy in Bialystok? I am a Kossar's Bialy (Grand Street at Essex in NYC) afficionado, so I approached this book with a chip on my shoulder. But Mimi knows her stuff. She even studied the art of bialy making at Kossar's (she includes a Kossar based recipe in the book). Mimi Sheraton (formerly with The New York Times) took off on an adventure to Bialystok (which was once the home of 50,000 Jews), packing some bialys (bailystoker kuchen) for the trip with her husband, Dick Falcone. Her COBD, or Compulsive Obsessive Bialy Disorder, originated after a 1992 sidetrip from her Conde Nast Traveler assignment on Polish foods. After placing an ad seeking stories in the Bialystok Shtimme Yiddish newspaper, she sorts through the stories, and then visits Israel, Australia, Argentina, Paris, Lincolnwood, Scottsdale (jalapeno flavored), and NYC's Lower East Side over seven years, and creates this history (herstory) of the bialy and the community that is now lost. By the way, did you know that Bell Bialy of Canarsie Brooklyn ships 96,000 bagels and bialies to Japan's Hokushin Corp. each month (where they sell for over $1.10 each)? Or that bialy's should never be sliced like a bagel? Or that Jews created a settlement in Bialystok officially in 1558 and were granted citizenship in 1745. This is a fun read. Now if someone would just tell me the difference between those who say kugel and those who say kiegel.The Bialy Eaters: The Story of a Bread and a Lost World Overview

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The Village Baker: Classic Regional Breads from Europe and America Review

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The Village Baker: Classic Regional Breads from Europe and America ReviewJoe Ortiz's book changed my life. I had been baking straight yeasted breads for several years. These were good, decent breads, but plain. I longed for a more complex loaf - one with the irregular holes in the crumb, one that had a chewier texture, and longer shelf life. Joe Ortiz's book showed me how to achieve all those goals. His book also explains why certain methods produce different results. Another of the helpful features of his book is that he distinguishes his recipes by fermentation method(i.e. sourdough, sponge, old dough, or straight yeast), which makes it a book a beginning baker can use, and grow with as the baker's skill develops (the straight yeasted doughs are the easist). I think this is a must-have book for any serious, or semi-serious homebaker. This is THE book for the homebaker who wants to take their baking up to the next level.The Village Baker: Classic Regional Breads from Europe and America Overview

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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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Special and Decorative Breads: Traditional, Regional and Special Breads, Fancy Breads - Viennese Pasteries - Croissants, Brioches - Decorative Breads - Presentation Pieces Review

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Special and Decorative Breads: Traditional, Regional and Special Breads, Fancy Breads - Viennese Pasteries - Croissants, Brioches - Decorative Breads - Presentation Pieces ReviewThis is actually Volume Two in a series. The first volume is similar, of the same name, twice the price and out of print. This one is outstanding in that it contains a reasonable array of classic breads that are presented in an optimal format with beautiful color pictures, commentary and good organization. Although it may be a bit too detailed for the average home baker, if you follow the recipes and techniques exactly, you will get bread that looks like those shown in the pictures. The weakness is that it doesn't always explain how to achieve these results in a hoome environment. For instance, to achieve the shiny patina of the breads shown on the cover you need to inject steam at the start of the baking. Although there are a number of ways to do this at home, none are explained here (You can pre steam the loaf in a roaster in advance). Other techniques are available, but not here, for producing large irregular holes, a lasting crust, etc. For my taste, instead of a book about how to make such and such kind of bread, I would have rather had a book about how to achieve certain textures and patinas in bread baking in general. Nevertheless this is an outstanding book well worth the price, possibly the best on the market!
Cuisinsky, amateur bread baker out of supermarket self defenseSpecial and Decorative Breads: Traditional, Regional and Special Breads, Fancy Breads - Viennese Pasteries - Croissants, Brioches - Decorative Breads - Presentation Pieces Overview

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Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers Review

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Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers ReviewLocal Breads is a good addition to the bread bakers library. There are probably three types of people who would be interested in this book:
1) die-hard artisan bread-baking fanatics (or perhaps not quite fanatic). If you say "hmmm... this describes me pretty accurately, as you pick dried dough off of your forearms), you definitely need this book. No sense having an incomplete home artisan-bread-baking library. It also contains recipes I have not encountered in other books. There is bound to be at least one or two recipes that will enter into your rotation.
2) Arm-chair bread-bakers. If you don't bake bread everyday, but enjoy eating it (or perhaps you used to be a fanatic and no longer have time), this book is still for you. In addition to numerous recipes, the descriptions of bakeries, bakers, bread, and other experiences makes for a very good read (if you enjoyed American Pie or any of Maggie Glezer's books, you will probably like this one as well). Likewise, if you are interested in travel or the slow food movement, this book could be of interest to you.
3) Beginning bakers. This could be an acceptable first book for people just getting introduced to the world of artisan bread baking-- I would probably recommend Peter Reinhart's books instead of or, if you want as much knowledge as possible, in addition to Leader's. It probably makes more sense to have fundamental baking knowledge before diving into a multi-step sourdough recipe, for example. If you are prepared for some trial and error, the recipes themselves are very clear... there are just some things that cannot be understood perfectly without a little bit of prior experience. Leader does have a very helpful introduction with basic techniques and equipment. So, it could be appropriate for novices (although perhaps slightly overwhelming).
This book is probably best described as a hybrid between Hammelman's Bread and Glezer's Artisan Baking Across America. It definitely has enough unique qualities to justify its purchase and it may even end up earning a permanent spot in your kitchen (sending your previous favorite to the living room shelf)
Unfortunately (and Leader's book is not the only one suffering from this problem) the book could have benefited from more attentive editing. There are many typographical errors and other mistakes in this book, which is perhaps excusable for a first edition (e.g. he describes a pizza al pomodori. This should be either al pomodoro or ai pomodori. These types of mistakes should be corrected in a second printing.Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers Overview

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Bread Alone: Bold Fresh Loaves from Your Own Hands Review

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Bread Alone: Bold Fresh Loaves from Your Own Hands ReviewI have tried for years to replicate the Artisan breads of Baltimore and Washington bakeries in my kitchen oven. Although the breads were fine tasting, they never had the tough, chewy, delicious crust of those breads I favored and bought as often as I could. Daniel Leader, author of Bread Alone, presents the "secret" of Artisan bread making. The first recipe I tried resulted in the crust and crumb I have tried for years to produce! Not only does Mr. Leader show the home baker, through step by step process of making Artisan bread, he laces his recipes with personal stories of his trips to France, learning from the French Boulangers and their sometimes personal stories. Not only is the book well worth it's recipes, it makes for enjoyable reading. This book goes beyond the recipes found in Baking with Julia, a very good book. Bread Alone shows step by step how to build the chef, the poolish and the slow fermentation of the dough to produce that wonderful tastey crust, so elusive in other books.Bread Alone: Bold Fresh Loaves from Your Own Hands Overview

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52 Loaves Review

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52 Loaves ReviewIf you enjoyed watching the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", then you are going to relish reading "52 Loaves". Just as the audience did not have to be Greek to laugh at the hilarious movie scenes and to empathize with the protagonist's experiences, readers do not have to bake bread, to be fully sated with this wonderful book.
For me, the most satisfying book is one that balances character, plot, setting, and theme. In "52 Loaves", all four strands are woven in a tapestry of well-written, thoughtful words.
The main "character" is the author, William Alexander. If you can recall a time in your life when either a meal or food tantalized you with its sublime taste, smell and texture, you can understand the author's dogged attempts to recreate a memorable experience with a loaf of bread. Given bread's many dynamic variables (flour, yeast, time and temperature), replicating a loaf of bread without a recipe, is intricately complicated. As the story enfolds, we laugh heartily as the author encounters one mishap after another in search for this elusive recipe, while admiring his doggedness. The single-focused character who we meet at the beginning of the book becomes introspective and philosophical at the end.
The plot holds the reader's interest as it revolves around the author's activities, his tribulations paired with triumphs, his obstacles followed by revelations. Along with the author, we learn from and enjoy meeting, among others, the miller, the bakers, the hippie, the scientist, the storeowner, and the monk. While we know intuitively that the author will eventually bake a "perfect" loaf, we read on to share in this victory. Rich in setting, the book travels from one location to the next - a myriad of fascinating places that culminate in a week's stay at a French monastery. The descriptions are precise in detail, informative in context, and lyrical in tone - a pleasing juxtaposition. Finally, like the author who learned that the perfect bread is the penultimate one, at the conclusion of the book, the reader will think about its many meanings long after the last page is read.
"52 Loaves" is quintessential story-telling. Whether you have never baked a loaf of bread, want to bake a loaf of bread, or have experienced the joys of baking your own or eating the "perfect" loaf, this is the book to read.52 Loaves Overview

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Artisan Breads at Home (at Home with The Culinary Institute of America) Review

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Artisan Breads at Home (at Home with The Culinary Institute of America) ReviewHere is my original review. It is a rare thing that I change a review, but this time I'll eat my words. Please read my update below!
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Whether you are just beginning to explore the craft of bread baking or, like me, have been baking bread for more than forty years, you will find a lot to like in the pages of Artisan Breads at Home. Nearly identical in size to Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, Eric Kastel's new book is much lighter on theory and offers a wider selection of recipes. Wherever you happen to be in the world, this will be a book that you can easily put into immediate use. All recipe measurements are given in grams, ounces, US volumetric (measuring cups) and baker's percentages. (See my update!)
Kastel teaches at the Culinary Institute of America and that comes shining through in the pages of Artisan Bread. You'll find lots of explanatory notes, helpful pictures and an invaluable section in the back that illustrates a number of braids and knots useful for specialty breads like Kaiser Rolls and Challah. If you're looking for a gift for a beginning bread baker, you would not go wrong with Artisan Breads at Home - and I suspect that my youngest daughter will find one on her doorstep quite soon.
So, why did I give this book 4 stars instead of 5? (Now reduced to 1 star - and it should be no stars!)
* The typeface is too small for my older eyes. While I can read most things other than the fine print on the back of bottles easily, I spent 30 minutes or so hunting for the reading glasses I use for fine sewing in order to make heads or tails of this.
* Kastel gives only a lick & a promise by way of explanation of baker's percentages. If he was not going to explain them fully, then he should have left them out entirely.
* The shaping directions for Kaiser Rolls just quits rather awkwardly in the middle, leaving us with a 14 inch piece of dough in our hands.
* Kastel's explanation of diastatic malt is directly contradictory to Peter Reinhart's and a number of others readily available online.
Nonetheless, Artisan Breads at Home is an invaluable addition to any cookbook shelf, one that will be going to work in my kitchen this very afternoon!
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UPDATE: I decided to make the Sticky Buns/Cinnamon Rolls from Artisan Breads at Home for Sunday Brunch, so I started on them last night, as the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight. The first thing I noticed in working with the recipe is that the volumetric measurements - standard US "measuring cups" - are at best awkward. Instead of 1 cup of milk, the recipe calls for 3/4 cup plus 2.5 tablespoons. Of course most US measuring spoon sets have no "1/2 tablespoon" measure, requiring the cook to measure 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon. And then there are the eggs - 1/2 cup. That's nice - except that to get 1/2 cup of eggs you must beat the eggs, measure and then throw away whatever happens to be left. Even at that, the dough was extremely soft.
Now it is 6:30 in the morning and I'm getting ready to fill, shape and bake the rolls, which require 1 cup of cinnamon filling and 6 ounces of Pan Smear for Sticky Buns. In reading through the recipes I note that the Cinnamon Filling requires 1/2 cup of cinnamon (this would be an entire jar of the sort common to the average household!) - for a recipe that supposedly makes 11 to 16 rolls. Close examination reveals that the Cinnamon Filling recipe yields 32 ounces of filling - four times the amount required for the Sticky Buns or Cinnamon Rolls. The Pan Smear is no better - that makes 2 pounds for a recipe that requires only 6 ounces, so more than 5 times the amount required!
And then there is the whole question of just how many rolls this recipe makes. The author states that one can expect 11 to 16 rolls. However, he instructs us to roll the dough to 9 x 26 inches, yielding a roll 26 inches long to be cut into 3/4" pieces. I know it has been a long, long time since I took a math class, but the last time that I checked 26 divided by 0.75 was a whole lot more than 16!
All in all - some yummy ideas, but little or no thought or care has been taken to make this accessible to the average home cook. The math is wrong, the science is wrong, no consideration has been given to the equipment/quantities commonly available to the home cook and the recipes are wasteful. I find it VERY disappointing that the Culinary Institute of America would lend their name to such a poor effort - and that will definitely affect my decision to purchase the other new cookbooks they are currently releasing in a very negative way.
Definitely NOT recommended! Buy The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread instead. This one I just might return to Amazon!Artisan Breads at Home (at Home with The Culinary Institute of America) Overview

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The Bread Bible Review

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The Bread Bible ReviewRe the rye bread, on page 326, step 2, delete the words 'rye flour.' (the rye flour is used only in the sponge on page 325.) Also, on the chart for the flour mixture, the 2 1/4 cups of bread flour weigh 12.3 ounces.
Hope you are enjoying the recipes. If you haven't used the instant yeast before, you're going to love the ease and reliability of adding it directly to the flour!
Best bread baking,
Rose Levy BeranbaumThe Bread Bible Overview

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Prairie Home Breads: 150 Splendid Recipes from America's Breadbasket Review

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Prairie Home Breads: 150 Splendid Recipes from America's Breadbasket ReviewThis book was recommended to me by a friend. I am ever grateful to him for finding it. It takes me to this imaginary place of great grandmothers, grandmothers, farms, and recipes over a century old. Even before I tried my first recipe from this book, it brought about certain nostalgic emotions inside of me. With the descriptions that accompany each recipe, I see a little piece of history that could have been my own German grandmothers had she shared it with me. Unfortunately, while she did teach me a lot about cooking, baking and handing down recipes wasn't something she did a whole lot of. My mother was the baker and she was more of a "new world" baker than someone who used recipes given to her by her mother or grandmother. This book makes up for part of that in its own special way.
I received the book two days ago, thumbed through it once, then twice, and tonight I made my first two recipes. In fact, one just came out of the oven..."fly off the plate" rolls. One word: Heavenly. Among the best dinner rolls I've had or made. Slightly sweet, buttery, rich, yet light and full of flavor. Definitely something to accompany a dinner of flavorful comfort foods like pot roast or roast turkey and stuffing...even something like chicken stew.
For those of you lacking the comfort that comes from having time-tested old-world recipes handed down to you, this book is for you...and even for those of you who aren't lacking it, this book will prove to be one of your favorites.Prairie Home Breads: 150 Splendid Recipes from America's Breadbasket Overview

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Cooking With Artisan Bread Review

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Cooking With Artisan Bread ReviewI'll be honest--I have not yet cooked recipes from this book, but am buying it now. The reason I am writing this review is that the other reviewer is mistaken. She says that the book is not about "Cooking with Artisan Bread." The book is about precisely what it says: using artisan bread in your cooking. What the reviewer Jane means is that the book is not about baking bread, and the book does not pretend it is about that. (Think: cooking is not baking.) She should have read the editorial descriptions and the recipe list to realize that. The recipes are for dishes--panini, bread pudding--in which you USE artisan bread. I am buying the book so that I can use loaves more fully. Sometimes after the first day of plain bread with a meal, the loaf sits there unused. My bread-loving family will probably devour the dishes from this book!Cooking With Artisan Bread Overview

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Baking Artisan Bread: 10 Expert Formulas for Baking Better Bread at Home Review

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Baking Artisan Bread: 10 Expert Formulas for Baking Better Bread at Home ReviewI get the feeling the folks that rated it 5 stars have never used the book for baking. Mr. Hitz is a world class baker. I have met him and think highly of his talents. He is an innovator and competent artisan, and a teacher at a prominent culinary institute.
Unfortunately, this cookbook is flawed where it counts. I have made two projects from the book and both recipes had errors. The first, Challah bread, the knotted rolls, tells the baker to divide the dough into 100g units, unfortunately it should be 70g, a minor error but one that affects the baking time. The next was Pain de Mie, the metric measurements do not match the US measurements both in the sugar amount nor the salt content - which one is incorrect, I haven't a clue. There are more errors, including using millimeters instead of centimeters (p141), and page referrals to other recipes in the book that are not correct.
I am not a seasoned veteran in the field of baking, I rely entirely on the recipes. If I can't trust the book and the instructions, what good is it?
I wrote to Mr. Hitz, and got the reply that he is aware of the errors and will fix it in the next edition. Great, no erratum sheet, no way to know if there is a problem until after the fact.
My suggestion is wait until the next edition is out, but until then, look at the King Arthur Baker's Companion baking cookbook, it has most of the same recipes, and after making several dozen projects, I have not had a problem with any of the directions. Until then, Baking Artisan Bread is just a 5 star coffee table book.
Full disclosure - I do not work for, nor did I get a discount when I bought my King Arthur cookbook.Baking Artisan Bread: 10 Expert Formulas for Baking Better Bread at Home Overview

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Wild Bread - Handbaked sourdough artisan breads in your own kitchen Review

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Wild Bread - Handbaked sourdough artisan breads in your own kitchen ReviewWe have recently discovered the joys of baking (and eating) homemade bread...so much so that we've taken the plunge to purchase a grain mill to begin grinding our own flour. To expand our knowledge, I also purchased nearly all the top selling books on artisian breads as well as several popular general bread books. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one but with relatively few books on whole grains and wild yeasts, decided to give it a try. To be perfectly honest, I did not have high expectations especially because I (like many others) have an inordinate fondness for full color splashy photographs, rich paper and enticing ad copy. The promise of simple binding, a few drawings and an unknown author didn't seem promising.
To my great surprise, this book QUICKLY went to the top of my "must keep" list. The reading is engaging, very enjoyable with a pleasant conversational style. The drawings - while not full color photogaphs - are equally interesting and truly add a great touch...but, the Real value of this book is the content and information contained. It's absolutely packed full of relevant content about bread-making...without a doubt this book has more information than almost all the other books I bought including the highly ranked books by Peter Rheinhart and Richard Bertinet...in fact, this book contained nearly evething in both of those books COMBINED plus much more.
I do not know the author but would like to express my sincere gratitude for an exceptionally written, well researched and engaging book.
Who will Love this Book....
- Anyone that loves bread, baking, baking bread or eating bread.
- Anyone interested in creating the most unique, natural breads with a distinctive taste and style of their very own.
- Anyone searching for several different starters, sources for ordering them around the world, variations on taste/texture etc...
- Anyone searching for great, easy to understand recipes including many beautiful shapes, interesting textures and of course - good flavors!
- Anyone interested in using a solar oven or sustainable cooking methods (note, this is not heavily emphasized but for those like us that have a solar oven or are thinking of getting one it is all you need. BTW, living in a hurricane prone area (Florida) makes solar ovens a great idea...we ran across one years ago at a thrift store for $20 and have been amazed how well it cooks so it was a very nice surprise to see info on it here!).
Bottom Line...
Don't let the sophistication of glossy pages fool you...this book has it all. It's the same difference between buying store-bought white bread that lacks all flavor and nutrition but is well marketed versus making your own.
A seriously good bread book!Wild Bread - Handbaked sourdough artisan breads in your own kitchen Overview

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Bread Making: A Home Course: Crafting the Perfect Loaf, From Crust to Crumb Review

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Bread Making: A Home Course: Crafting the Perfect Loaf, From Crust to Crumb ReviewI found Bread Making: A Home Course to be a fascinating look into the history, science, and art of making high quality breads at home. This is more than just a cookbook, it is an in depth look at the bread making process. The beginning section on ingredients is very detailed and informative. I never really knew how wheat became flour or that there were so many different types of salt! There are also sections on equipment and basic steps necessary to make bread. Each section ends in a Q & A which I found very helpful. The questions are sometimes complicated and sometimes simple but all things that beginning bakers would ask.
The recipes are broken down into sections based on the technique needed to make them. For example, all the sourdoughs are together, all the flatbreads are in one section, etc. Each of these chapters also has a similar Q & A section as described above that is very helpful. For example, it includes information on shaping a round loaf for extra 'pizazz'. There is an entire section on bread machine cooking. I never had luck with mine and got rid of it years ago but I am sure the newer models work much better!
The last section has resources for the new bread maker including a glossary, a resource section, etc. I like the glossary! I had never heard of the word poolish before and had to look it up! (it is a french pre-ferment by the way!)
This book is quite informative and a few helpful pictures are scattered throughout. I think I would like a few more pictures, especially of the recipes themselves. Despite this, I think the directions are easy to follow and the amount of information contained in this book is quite extensive! It is written in an easy to read format and does not come off sounding like a textbook.
Disclaimer: As per FTC guidelines, I received one copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.Bread Making: A Home Course: Crafting the Perfect Loaf, From Crust to Crumb Overview

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The Cheese Board: Collective Works: Bread, Pastry, Cheese, Pizza Review

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The Cheese Board: Collective Works: Bread, Pastry, Cheese, Pizza ReviewThere are two types of generosity that one deals with in regard to cooks, bakers and other culinary artists. The first is generosity of table where what is put before you food wise reflects time, effort, attention and care. Memorable meals, hosts and foods all show a generosity of the table.
What is harder to find is generosity of knowledge where a cook will give you their prize techniques, recipes and knowledge for no other reason then to spread knowledge and pleasure though it might dilute their "brand" or mystique. You know people who never let go of a prize recipe because it is too valuable, too precious; something to be passed on to generations.
I am happy to say that this cookbook reflects both kinds of generosity. The Collective really tries to convey the table type of generosity by providing a lot of blurbs from members and clients. Trying to give the atmosphere of a cheese shop where you and the seller spend time establishing trust and tasting models one thin cheese slice at a time.
This book displays the generosity of knowledge by providing ALL the recipes loved by customers of the Cheeseboard. I spent a fortune buying the Olive Provolone bread, zampanos and other heady bread goodness that could be bought every time I left home and returned. When I left Berkeley sometimes I would think back longingly to bread from the cheeseboard during my travels.
Now to the technical aspects. The book is definitely designed for people who have had previous experience with baking though they do show some rudimentary things like the window pane for gluten development. Still I would say that this book is not for the beginner but someone already comfortable with the bread making process.
It is not as technically exhaustive as Silverton's _Breads of La Brea Bakery_ or Rheinhart's _Baker's Apprentice_but it does provide basic ideas and recipes that are used.
Layout --
The layout is not as user friendly as I would like with clear break-out steps so it is highly recommended that you read the recipe before using because the movement of the eye is not broken with subheaders and lines.
The color of the paper is cream with use of black and red typography. It is done as a paperback that with use will become the scratch and sniff type of cookbook easily. If you bake and collect consider getting two copies because one will get quite a beating.
Recipes -
Solid gold for those who know how to bake and have the necessary equipment, like a baking stone. For those who have no patience to spend DAYS doing a sourdough starter this is not the book for you. Also, if you are a newbie to baking bread use Reinhardt's _Baker's Apprentice_ as a way better introduction since this book assumes you know what tacky and elastic dough refers to.
I recommend this book highly with its anecdotal style, generosity of knowledge for any baking collection especially, a collection specializing in the northern California food revolution. However, for those just starting the adventure of baking there are way better teaching books.The Cheese Board: Collective Works: Bread, Pastry, Cheese, Pizza Overview

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Bread of Three Rivers Review

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Bread of Three Rivers ReviewI loved this book! It is a wonderful read, the language always fresh, and the author's insights wise, sometime sad, but always big hearted. I learned a lot about modern-day France, but also salt, yeast, water, wheat -- and how the whole world is kneaded into something as simple as a good loaf of bread.Bread of Three Rivers Overview

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Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day Review

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Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day ReviewI was a tester for this book. I tested all of its recipes and almost all of the variations. This book is perfect for either a complete novice or an accomplished baker. It is written in a straight-forward, down to earth manner and has great pictures illustrating all the techniques, various stages, and final products. Even though I am an accomplished baker, I learned a lot of new techniques from the information contained in this book that either improved and or simplified my bread making. All of the recipes work. There is not one dud in the entire book! The recipes run the gamut from lean relatively simple breads, e.g., basic baguettes, to more complex products, e.g., croissants. If I could only own one of Peter Reinhart's books this is the one I would choose. There is a lifetime of baking in this book.Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day Overview

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The Pastry Chef's Apprentice: An Insider's Guide to Creating and Baking Sweet Confections and Pastries, Taught by the Masters Review

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The Pastry Chef's Apprentice: An Insider's Guide to Creating and Baking Sweet Confections and Pastries, Taught by the Masters ReviewI really enjoy the book. Nice to read the stories of famous chef's. I too have questioned some of the measurements as well. I have made the macaroons in the back of the book. Tells you you need 7 egg whites. But tells you to only use 6. I new to use what looked right. And they turned out good. Taste yummy!!!!The Pastry Chef's Apprentice: An Insider's Guide to Creating and Baking Sweet Confections and Pastries, Taught by the Masters Overview

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Brother Juniper's Bread Book Review

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Brother Juniper's Bread Book ReviewThis book is wonderful in the sense that it conveys the writer's joy and love of baking and bread. Some might argue that it is just too touchy feely but for the more thoughtful baker it is a good read.
The book is not that geared to the beginning baker unless that beginner is ready to work by 'feel'. The assumption is made that you know what a dough looks like when it comes together and what the right temperature water and room should be. The book also does not even deal with making breads with heavy duty mixers or bread machines -- this is back to the old fashioned way of doing things where you. have a greater connection to your product.
Now, I happen to enjoy this book but I would begin with a better beginner's book like, Baking with Julia before tackling the breads in this book because you will have a better technical understanding. But once you do the breads of this book you will be amazed and deeply grateful for the generousity of Reinhart for sharing his recipes.
Caution --
If you plan to use a mixer make sure it is a very heavy duty mixer otherwise, your machine will break with heavy, tough doughs like Struan. I tried the dough with both a KitchenAid and a Magic Mill DLX and both had trouble with Struan. In the end it is best to hand knead the final 10-15 minutes, but you will get quite the workout.
Further, I suggest that you read the recipes ahead because the layout is not easy for those into glancing at recipes as they work. And no, there are no pictures to help the baker.
But get this book none the less, because it is a book done with love and is a good addition to the collection.Brother Juniper's Bread Book Overview

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