Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This book could easily receive one or five stars, depending on what you are looking for. It was perfect for me, but I would like to clarify exactly what it is you would get out of this book, and what you would not. First off, if you are looking for a book of great, simple recipes that you can throw in the breadmaker real quick once you get home, this is NOT the book for you. If you're looking more for a diverse bread recipe book vs break knowledge, this is not the book for you. This is a very good equivalent of a breadcrafting 101 textbook. Now, I say 'breadcrafting' vs just 'baking' because this book takes you far beyond "mix X and Y, bake at Z, eat." Using the same very simple ingredients (see title), you will make a variety of different flavors, based on times, ferments, etc. You will learn how to literally use temperature and times as ingredients and how these can make bread made with the very same ingredients VERY different. You will truly learn the basics of making great bread. I would note that this book also calls for a covered dutch oven to finally bake these loaves in, which will replace much in the way of expensive baking equipment and give a lovely crust. For the book itself: There are literally over a hundred favored methods of breadmaking all over the world. This book contains a much smaller focused area than, say, Peter Reinhart's "Bread Baker's Apprentice". The recipes are for lean dough, non-enriched breads, made straight, with delayed fermentation, and finally as pure sourdough. The doughs he uses are very wet (usually well in excess of 70% hydration), and his preference to hand-forming everything in the bowl vs using a mixer, etc, will actually give some excellent groundwork in learning dough handling. An advantage to wet doughs (among other things like quality), is that you can most easily feel changes in the dough as you work it, teaching you to make bread by feel, and really KNOW when things are ready. The basic recipe is varied with different flours, bigas or poolishes, and finally making and using a sourdough culture. The variations one learns of a recipe are incredible in terms of taste and texture, when the main variables are time and temp. This book is a fantastic stepping stone for more varied texts (Bread Bible, Bread Baker's Apprentice, and the all but sacred bread text "The Taste of Bread" by Raymond Calvel). If you are looking to learn the basic knowledge needed to make truly magnificent bread in your home, this is the book to start with. If you are a more advanced baker, but still need to solidify the basics covered in this text, you will find that material familiar but new at the same time, and will get more than your money's worth. Happy reading!