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The Bread Bible
Reviews |
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| Availability:
Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Authors:
Rose Levy Beran |
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Consumer Ratings and
Reviews for The Bread Bible |
Rating:
| | Review: Great book for bread Newbie
| I am a complete novice in the kitchen and am only able to produce decent food if I follow a recipe precisely.
This book was the perfect introduction to the science behind bread - why you have to leave it to "rise" so many times, what is the yeast doing exactly, what are the differences between all the flours, etc etc.
I tried the simplest recipes, several times, and managed to produce pretty decent bread from the first attempt.
I had to buy kitchen scales to make sure i got exact measurements. |
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| Rating:
| | Review: This book taught me how to make bread
| Before I got this book, I had tried to make bread a few times, and the results had been less than stellar. The Bread Bible changed that. Over the years since I purchased this book, I have made about a dozen of the recipes, most recently Levy's bagels, and have been pleased by all of them. The one part that completely failed me was the instructions on how to create my own sourdough starter. I tried that twice and it didn't work out. I eventually bought a sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour, and have used that to make the basic sourdough recipe and sourdough pumpernickel.
It should be noted that this book is not very useful without a scale. The recipes also give specific instructions for what speed to set a Kitchen Aid mixer, which I have.
Large portions of the text are copied and pasted, which leads to a number of typos. Thankfully, there is a list of corrections available at:
[...]
Many of these corrections may already be in the printing currently being sold. |
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| Rating:
| | Review: Delighted with the results
| | I did approach this book with some trepidation - it is a comprehensive book & I read the negative reviews. However after trying at least 10 of the recipes, I am totally in love with this book. Every recipe has turned out astonishingly delicious (and attractive). I have a great deal of confidence in my breadmaking skills thanks to this book and my goal is to try everyone of the recipes. For anyone who is discouraged by the prescriptions for only certain brands of flour, I will say that WheatMontana unbleached all purpose flour has substituted perfectly & I plan on trying the Montana Flour brand also. Thank you Rose for showing me how to make divine bread! |
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| | Review: bread book comparison
| I wanted a book that gave me not just recipes, but information on making bread. What makes a loaf firmer or softer? So I got a number of books from the library, and bought one book. Here is a comparison of them. I have NOT tried recipes from all of them, since at this point my main goal is information, not recipes (or 'formulas' as they like to call them).
Bread Science: The Chemistry and Craft of Making Bread, by Emily Buehler.
This is an independently published book; get it from Two Blue Books - it is more expensive used on Amazon than new direct from them. This book gives detailed coverage of bread making. There is a long chapter on the science of bread making that goes into more detail than you need, although it is interesting. You don't need to read that chapter; the rest of the book has enough information. And it is very good information on ingredients and processes. There are good diagrams on how to knead and how to shape. I found this useful and highly recommend this book.
The Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
A big book with a lot of good information. This gives a lot of information on techniques, and includes useful information like expected ingredient ranges (water compared to flour). She covers equipment in depth, such as a comparison on mixing machines - and how to use each one. I am very pleased with this book, and highly recommend it. My understanding of how my actions impact the final bread have definitely improved with this and the Bread Science books. This is the book that finally turned the corner for me on how much kneading is required (more than I thought).
BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes, by Shirley O. Corriher
This book only has a small chapter on making bread. It does give a decent overview, including the basics on shpaing, steaming, and such. But there certainly is not as much detail, and she does not emphasize flavor development the way some of the other books do. There are also no diagrams on how to knead or shape. Don't get this to be your primary book on making bread. Of course, there is a lot more in this book on other types of baking. The rest of the book chapters are called Cakes, Steam Leavened, Pies, and Cookies. There is some good information, but your cholesterol will suffer. She loves butter and cream, and makes no stab at making the recipes healthier. And I've never seen such a complicated brownie recipe before. I'm sure it's great. Just be aware what you are getting before you dive in to this book.
Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers, by Daniel Leader
This book has information on ingredients, equipment, and techniques, including some diagrams, but the overview is higher level than in, say, The Bread Bible. Still, there is a lot of good information. The various sections include additional information and Q&A after some recipes. It seems to have a nice variety of recipes. Overall, this doesn't seem like a 1st choice for information but a good supplement book.
The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, Peter Reinhart
Reinhart's books include a lot of story telling. This can be interesting, but certainly takes a lot of space. He includes his description of the required steps in the 2nd section of the book. There are some excellent pictures, such as the windowpane test. And there is a nice chart showing all the recipes and what techniques it uses, which is nice if you want to select a recipe that uses a biga, for example. He is a big advocate on slow rises and preferments, which most of these writers are. Personally, I prefer Beranbaum's book; I felt that book is better organized, has more information, and is a bit clearer. But this book is still a good choice, particularly if you prefer pictures to diagrams.
Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor, Peter Reinhart
Again, this has Reinhart's narrative style. His focus is, no surprise, whole grain breads. A lot of the basic information is repeated here, although in less detail than his Apprentice book. His recipes might initially strike you as very complicated. I made a 'spent grain bread'. It uses a soaker plus a biga, then makes the dough. However, it really was very straight forward and easy. So you might not want this as your only bread book, but it gives a lot of ideas for other breads.
With my new understanding on how to make bread, I expect I will be less dependent on pre-made recipes. That being said, having the recipes saves you from (failed) experiments and helps give new ideas. So for a good understanding, I recommend Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible" and Buehler's "Bread Science". I also might get Reinhart's "Whole Grain Breads" for a focus on those styles of bread.
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| Rating:
| | Review: excellent!
| | excellent seller. I appreciate the note and protective packaging and quick delivery. I only made 1 bread so far from this book and it is now a favorite of mine. Most of the breads in this book begin with starters which I think is a hassle but the author says it is the best development of flavor. I will probably agree based on the bread I did try. Thanks! |
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