Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes

In my review of the first edition of this book I wrote_____________________"Having watched some videos of this master baker working on YouTube I had to buy this book cos this chap has a real knack for making really good bread."A comment on one of his videos said "He makes it seem so easy. With a few simple folds he shapes that mound of dough into almost a pillow.""This book tells you exactly how to do as he does and to produce the most wonderful bread with a minimum of effort. Watch his videos, read the book and you too will produce magnificent bread both full of flavour, with a good crumb and which keeps."I have learned so much from this book that I simply have to recommend it to anyone who is serious about bread making - for those with a bread maker it's totally useless because you simply can't make really tasty bread in a bread maker. You need to use sourdough or - as I do - a pre-ferment which allows the full flavour to develop.Why the question mark in the title? Well - there is a new edition which I have just ordered. I expect/hope that will be even better."_________________________This is undoubtedly better than the first edition.and so the question mark in the title is removed - this is the best book ever.What's changed ? Clearer layout, better tables, more on folding (including an easier way), a section on hand kneading (including a no knead technique - which is the one I have been using for years), an enhanced section on pre-ferments which shows you how to bring out the flavour of the bread, but most importantly lots of new recipes - mostly using Brioche dough - almost a cake section but much better. A great book just got better and I am greatly looking forward to making the recipe used in the Swiss Alps where they had no yeast - just waiting to be rich enough to buy all those raisins!In summary : no serious home or commercial baker should be without this bookLater Edit: The Brioche recipe is to die for (actually, with the butter in it you probably will!) Well worth trying to follow this exactly. I tend to to do all bakes using a whole 1.5 Kg bag (I hate weighing flour as I make such a mess!) and here is the recipe scaled for this:1500 gms Strong White Flour145 gms Water750 gms eggs35 gms salt75 gms fresh yeast (37 gms dried)750 gms unsalted butter180 gms sugarFor eggs you will need 13 (appropriately a bakers dozen!) : if it is not exact consider the water and the eggs together so make up to 895 gms using water and whisk. At this stage I departed from the book and made a sponge (a pre-ferment) using half the flour, all the beaten eggs and water, and all of the yeast before adding the rest of the ingredients after about 4 hours of fermentation - the butter was very soft and I squidged it in with my fingers. Then used the no knead technique described in the book to complete it - with a couple of 'Hamelman' folds along the way.On removing the dough from the fridge the next day (stored in a rectangular 6 litre plastic click on lid box) I had great fun making plaited rolls and other plaits - all following the very clear instructions in the book - a real wow when they came out of the oven in overall appearance, colour, texture and taste and all thanks to this book. And No! I didn't eat it all in one go. Most of it went in the freezer and it just needs a quick refresh in the oven to return it new.This edition has a very good section on home baking with tips you just don't see in other books. For example: why use unsalted butter when you are already adding salt? Answer - unsalted butter doesn't keep so well and therefore has to be fresh, whereas salted butter may disguise a rancid taste which will flow through to the bread.

I have been baking at home for a number of years.Like another reviewer here I was impressed by a series of YouTube videos showing Hamelman at work so I had to get his book.It is no exaggeration to say it has had the greatest influence on my ability to produce consistently good bread.It is not aimed at the beginner, so previous experience in the recognition and handling of good dough is important, but Hamelman’s explanation of every stage of the baking process influencing all succeeding stages was a revelation to me. His text is clear, you can refer to those YouTube videos if his diagrams don’t do it for you, there are lots of recipes covering a wide variety of breads.Yes, Hamelman uses quaint imperial measurements, but metric quantities are given. (Sadly, temperatures are only in Fahrenheit.) Even so, I have no hesitation in rating this book five stars.

This is a wonderful book giving in depth information on the techniques and role of ingredients used in bread making, plus many inspirational bread recipes of all types - sourdough, regular yeast breads, decorative breads, brioches, bagels, breadsticks, etc.... the list goes on. There are diagrams to give guidance on folding, shaping, scoring breads etc.. and some colour photos of breads to inspire further. The recipes (in lbs/oz and also grams) are given in quantities for those baking in very large batches, and also quantities for the home baker only wanting to produce a couple of loaves. A very good reference/recipe book for enthusiastic bread bakers.

This is my go-to bread baking cookbook! It never fails me. And the measurements are in both U.S. (cups, tablespoons, etc.) as well as weight measures. It even has a column for large scale dough production. I have purchased this book for myself, a chef friend in the U.K., and other friends who like to dabble in flour and yeast. Every one of them loves it. I highly recommend adding this one to your kitchen shelf.

Strepitoso, assolutamente fondamentale per capire le basi della panificazione!

This is a great book for those who have some knowledge of baking breads.

Es un muy buen libro, viene bien explicado.

Receitas incríveis, bem explicadas e todas com as quantidades para fazer em casa, bem como, as quantidades para produção em larga escala. Para quem quer elevar o nível das suas produções caseiras ou partir para a panificação profissional. Recomendo!

This is a wonderful book for bread baking and learning the 'science' behind what makes great bread. The recipes in this book are wonderful, but I believe this work of art is for the intermediate baker who knows bakers percentages and some technique. I've made a number of recipes from this book that have turned out to be extrodinary. But one criticism I have is the constant mixing of measurement units, going from cups to metrics, then back to cups. Rather than having the home section in grams, the author utilizes ounces and cups which is very hard to convert. Other than that, I'd recommend this great work to any serious home baker.