Top 10 Best Bread Baking Cookbooks Reviews
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Top 10 Best Bread Baking Cookbooks Reviews
A good cookbook is a passport to different culinary styles, new flavors, new combinations, and techniques. Bread baking is an art and allows your creativity to flow. If you are a person who loves baking and would like to give bread baking a try then bread baking cookbooks will be helpful for you. Here are the top ten books of our choice:
#1 Tartine Bread
This book is written by Chad Robertson and is the best book for professional bread making.
This book is very informative for those who have just started baking. I found that one has to pay proper attention to instructions.I succeeded in making excellent loaves and sourdough in no time. This book will also motivate you to pursue your passion for baking after reading the author’s journey of how he started as an apprentice and worked for many bakers.
You will learn about bread baking and specifically about sourdough. You will also learn about how to make French toast, classic soups, pudding, sandwiches, etc.
A lot of readers were satisfied with the step by step detailed description provided by the author about baking. The instructions were to the point and if followed correctly and with diligence will yield excellent results.
#2 Flour Water Salt Yeast
This book is written by Ken Forkish and is the most acclaimed and beloved baker’s book.
This book is a great choice for both beginners and experts in baking. To be honest I have read a lot of books on baking but the result of my baking nowhere matched the pictures given in the book. But this book was completely different.
The instructions were to the point and the result was marvelous. I was initially struggling with making focaccia but after following the instructions of this book carefully, I succeeded in that.
From this book, you will learn about bread baking, pizza baking, focaccia, and many tools and tricks for baking bread.
Most readers of this book have felt that it is a great book for both novices and experts who struggle with bread baking recipes. The instructions are thorough and people do not have a problem while referring to this book.
#3 Paul Hollywood’s Bread
This boom is written by Paul Hollywood and presents a variety of bread.
The best thing that I found about this book was that it presents no fixed formula for baking. I found this different from other books as it teaches to bake bread with a fixed amount of flour and a variable amount of liquid. I have gone through the recipes for thirty different pieces of bread given in this book and I need to say this that most of them are unusual and interesting.
You will learn about five different types of bread including Soda Bread, Classic Bread, Flat Bread, Continental Bread, Enriched Bread, Sourdough, and Classic Bread. You will learn different recipes and techniques for different types of bread.
Many readers have felt that the author has succeeded in making bread recipes easy and interesting at the same time. Others felt that the descriptions are detailed and lucid.
#4 The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, 15th Anniversary Edition
This book is written by Peter Rein Reinhart who is the winner of James Beard and IACP award.
I personally felt that his book laid a solid foundation for bread baking. However, one needs to be exact and very careful regarding the measurements. I made amazing Challah loaves with a mahogany tone. This book uses no short cuts and teaches everything slowly and descriptively.
You will learn about tips, tricks, and skills to excellent fermentation. You will learn about twelve different stages of building bread and learn from 100 photographs of the detailed description.
Most of the readers felt that the author has touched the scientific aspect behind baking very well. The book is also famous for teaching different tips on how to bake bread.
#5 Bread Baking for Beginners
This book is written by Bonnie Ohara and is a great guide for baking bread.
In this book, you will feel like an old friend of yours is guiding you to bake. I love the way the author provides a personalized touch to this book. It is a great book for beginners. I learned a lot of stuff about the science behind making bread, the process of making bread, and the key terminologies. Most of my doubts were solved under the ‘Common Questions and FAQs’ section. I loved the way the author made me troubleshoot the imperfect loaves.
You will learn how to make rusty loaves, cinnamon rolls, and sourdough starter, yeast bread, Rustic Baguettes, buttery Challahs, and many more things.
Many readers feel that the author describes everything from the first step to the last. They read the entire book like a story while learning how to bake.
#6 Bread Illustrated
This book is written by America’s Test Kitchen and is a great book for bakers of all levels.
All the techniques in this book are tried and tested. I enjoyed the way each paragraph described why the recipe works. The author has laid out steps from the easiest to more involved. You will not have a problem if you are new to this. I found the measurements used by the author easy as he has used standard cups along with weights according to American standards.
You will learn about different types of bread baking like butter fan rolls, Sourdough bread, No-Knead Brioche, and Panettone. You will also learn about Fluffy dinner rolls, Easy sandwich bread, Fennel bread, and many more.
Many readers have felt that the initial notes and directions that are given by the author in this book are very helpful.
#7 Beginner’s Baking Bible
This book is written by Heather Perine and contains a lot of recipes and techniques for baking.
I found that this book is amazing for brushing up basics and learning about all the essential tools needed for baking. It is a great beginner’s guide to baking. The items were very easy to make and the instructions were lucid. Its layout is very easy to read and understand.
You will learn about all the basics of bread baking recipes and learn around 130 more recipes about baking including Red velvet layer cake, perfect chocolate chip cookies, bacon, and Swiss Quiche, and many more.
Many readers have felt that this book is one of the best bread baking cookbooks for beginners. The tips are very good and the author also troubleshoots problems in baking if found any.
#8 The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion
This book is written by King Arthur Flour and is filled with American and European recipes.
This book answers a lot of questions of the readers like what, why, and how. I got to understand why I failed in some of my baking experiments and where was I going wrong. I found the bread baking recipes very simple and there was nothing complicated. There were many charts to answer questions. The hints were extremely helpful and each step had a line drawing.
You will learn how to make fried doughs, brownies, pies, pastries, tarts, cakes, cookies, biscuits, and many more things.
The other readers have felt that the recipes are very simple to follow and there are many unique techniques to bake and decorate cakes.
#9 The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
This book is written by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg who present all the steps as fascinating and delicious.
After following this book I have honestly stopped buying bread from the store. The instructions are very accurate. For the basic recipes, I mix yeast, flour, salt, and water in a tub and place it in a fridge to chill and rise overnight. The next day I start baking. The results of the loaves of bread are amazingly beautiful and delicious.
You will learn about Bread-Cheese-Bread, Crock-Pot bread, Apple-Stuffed French Toast, Pretzel Buns, Panini, and many more.
Many readers found that this book helped them raise their level of average baking. This book has many recipes that can be modified according to one’s style.
#10 The Baking Bible
This book is written by Rose Levy Beranbaum who is considered as the “diva of desserts”.
This book written by the author will act as a bible of recipes for you. The recipes in this book are flawless and the results are outrageously good. If you do not like details about particular recipes and want to jump straight to baking then this book is ideal for you.
You will learn to bake Coffee Crumb Cake Muffins, Mango Bango Cheese Cake, Peppermint Cake, and many more items.
Many readers found the details overwhelming and easy to follow than most other bread baking cookbooks.
Conclusion
Cooking is a fun-filled task to do if things are made in proper order. From our review of the books stated above, we found that ‘Paul Hollywood’s Bread’ is the best in many ways since it allows one’s creativity to flow in baking and does not present any such fixed formulas. This book is definitely worth giving a try.
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