Hamelman's bread, third edition is coming.
A new edition is coming in two weeks, on March 16th. Myself I own two copies, first edition I purchased around 2006-2007, and the second, bought in 2012, when the first one started coming apart. I haven't used the second book nearly as much, in part because I'd baked so many breads from the first, in part, because my baking interests went into a different direction by that point. I doubt I will be picking up this new edition, particularly if Amazon price, $81 for me, is to be believed. But if you don't have a copy - consider at least getting the still available second edition.
Update: According to the table of content, the book is not just a facelift designed to capitalize on the latest instance of the baking craze. It drops quite a few familiar recipes - for example perennial favorites like pain rustique or poolish ciabatta are no longer there, and adds quite a few new ones. Perhaps I will get a copy after all.
Jeff and his publisher have previously been the victims of a scammer trying to sell bootleg Kindle editions of his book.
I checked the publisher's website: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/search?pq=hamelman%7Crelevance
It does look like they are about to release a third edition. It is listed at
$45$60 on wiley.com.But the current listing for the 3rd edition on Amazon is either wrong, or some scam from a hacker/scammer.
Interesting, I've never seen that before - I know that eBay is chock full of illegal e-books, but creating a completely fake book listing takes it to the next level.
It's apparently easy. Ever see "collectible" editions of just ordinary modern books listed at over $1,000 on Amazon? They just "tack it on" to a pre-existing book's primary listing. And if someone is naive enough to buy it, it's easy money. And the scammer can disappear their seller's account before the buyer asks Amazon for a refund.
So instead of calling it a "collectible edition", this scammer just called it a "third edition".
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That said, I am open to the possibility that an employee at Wiley just screwed up.
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And I hope that's not the real cover.
No, it's real, they do have it on Wiley site
https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Bread%3A+A+Baker%27s+Book+of+Techniques+and+Recipes%2C+3rd+Edition-p-9781119577492R120
And judging by the table of content it is actually reworked quite a bit.
That seems legit to me.
Benny
I agree that it looks like a real 3rd edition is coming.
I'm saying that a scammer created a false Amazon listing. Or else some Wiley person messed up when they created the Amazon listing for it.
I hope no one attempts to pre-order it on Amazon for $81, or $75, or $60 even.
We'll see soon enough.
Not a scam. He already talked about it last June
Please -- I wrote the Amazon listing (not the book) because the price was higher than Wiley's stated retail price.
Charging more than retail list price is either a scam, or an error.
The Amazon page has since been corrected to show Wiley's list price of $60, so I concede that the orginal listing had an error.
deleted
Thanks for posting this. It looks like the retail price for the hardcover edition will be $60. The table of contents lists a number of "new breads" that I am likely to want to try baking.
I'm hoping there will be some discounts, but I'm likely to bite the bullet and pay full fare if needed.
David
Amazon Australia lists the hardcover at $109.09 AUD release date 26 April 2021. Currently 60 USD to AUD = 76.9562 Australian Dollars. We always pay far more than US folks.
Were there significant changes between the first and second editions?
Yes, there were many new recipes. I gave my adult son my 1st edition after I bought the 2nd.
I checked the second edition out of the lib and it's amazing. I'm really hoping the home bake measurements will switch to metric measurements, though. It would make it much easier for me to compare the recipes to ones I've already used.
I checked the second edition out of the lib and it's amazing. I'm really hoping the home bake measurements will switch to metric, though. It would make it much easier for me to compare the recipes to ones I've already used.
For those interested, Hamelman did an interview with German bread blogger/podcaster Lutz Geissler last year in which he talks about the upcoming 3rd edition. The podcast audio is edited to have Geissler posing questions in German, to which Hamelman responds in English, but you can probably guess most of the questions from Hamelman's responses. There's also a transcript of Hamelman's part at the website:
https://www.ploetzblog.de/2020/10/19/podcast-episode-11-interview-mit-jeffrey-hamelman/
The part where he talks about the book is 52 minutes in, but I recommend reading/listening to the whole thing. They cover everything from what makes American baking distinctive, to Hamelman's experiences learning to bake German-style bread, to the ethics of low-yield "ancient" grains.
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks, Mike. That was very helpful. Hamelman says "There's 36 new breads and lots of new variations and new material in general." in the 3rd edition.
Cheers,
Gavin.
Thoroughly fascinating, at least to me. I'll definitely be getting the 3rd edition, and I sure hope they'll be listing all the ingredients in grams. I've watched all his Isolation Baking videos (on the KAF website), several of the videos several times, and have never tired of his instruction.
I received my copy from Wiley a few days ago. The book is formatted similarly to the prior editions, but does include some color photographs of the breads, which is nice to see. The "Home" column still uses pounds and ounces, but as Dr Synder points out, you can always use the metric column and slide the decimal point over. I haven't had time to do a full comparison, but there appears to be a fair amount of new content and I'm anxious to dive in. If life slows down, I'll report back with a more thorough comparison.
I'm wondering about a Kindle version. The Wiley site says its ebooks are formatted for use with a reader called VitalSource Bookshelf. I'm guessing that this platform facilitates more economical textbook rental, but the ebook is expensive to own at $48 US. I do hope a Kindle version is made available at an early juncture for the retail market. That said, past editions of this book did not translate well into the Kindle platform and since this edition is formatted similarly, I doubt if this one will either. The call out boxes and sidebars provide good content, but they're clunky on the Kindle platform.
If you prefer using metric measurements but don't want to make 20Kg of dough, just use Hamelman's metric measures divided by 10. Easy peasy. That's what I have been doing for years.
Happy baking!
David
I’m very likely to get this book. It’s curious that he puts out new editions instead of new books. But I guess the core explanations and techniques are as important as the recipes. I’m curious to know if there are any updates to the techniques. His Isolation Baking series with King Arthur during the early months of the pandemic only increased my love for the man.
I still haven’t purchased current editions of this book. If there is an e-book version I may just finally buy it.
Benny
Right now the problem is that Kindle edition costs twice as much as the hardcover. However, the upcoming edition wil address this disparity.
I got an email from Wiley that it was shipped last Wednesday. Hopefully It'll arrive soon!
I sincerely hope the Amazon price comes down to earth. Which I think it will, once Amazon actually has the book in inventory. $30-$35 seems more reasonable, even when the MSRP is $60.
To assure that you are getting the real legitimate book, look in the right hand column, somewhere near the "Buy now" button, and it should say "Sold by Amazon" and "Shipped by Amazon."
(I frequently buy from 3rd pary sellers, but only those with high customer ratings.)
When you do buy, here is a link that will give webmaster Floyd an Amazon affiliate commission:
https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes-dp-1119577519/dp/1119577519?tag=froglallabout-20
Dave, do you know if there is a link for the Canadian Amazon store to Floyd can get an affiliate commission? Also, I really do want to buy the ebook version, hopefully that will be available at a reasonable price and eligible to help Floyd out as well.
Benny
Just change the .com to .ca:
https://www.amazon.ca/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes-dp-1119577519/dp/1119577519?tag=froglallabout-20
Usually, but not always, .uk and .de can be substituted as well, but sometimes there is a separate English edition for UK/EU, and that has a different ASIN
The kindle will likely come out on the release date of April 6. There is no need to preorder an ebook, as there is an "ulimited supply" of electronic copies. But there is a chance that a first-printing will sell out, or a given retailer could sell all of their allocation, so pre-ordering is essentially a waiting list.
As much as I want to see Jeff reap a profitable reward for his efforts, I can't see paying MSRP of $60. I was raised by parents who lived through the Great Depression, so I'm a cheapskate. Maybe it also has something to do with being 1/4 Scottish and 1/2 Jewish.
As we sometimes say "Well, somebody has to pay retail." ;-)
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I am disappointed in the publisher, Wiley, charging $48 for the ebook version of the 2nd edition, when Amazon is selling new copies of the 2nd edition for under $25.
I'm guessing that after April 6, the online hardcover price will drop to somewhere between $30 and $48.
Thank you Dave, I too have a hard time paying that much for a book. I’d like to get the ebook version when the price is reasonable. I do look forward to checking this very popular book out, everyone who has a copy of previous editions obviously loves it for many reasons.
Benny, I just checked and on Canada's Amazon site the 2nd edition is selling for $35 (CD$). There's enough there for even you to never fully get through ;-) ! Even if there are a few dozen new entries, I can't imagine that would make me ever buy the new edition for myself.
There may be new techniques and methodology, but the 2nd ed. is rich enough with detail. I was a reluctant purchaser for a while, but it is pretty much the only paperbound reference I go to anymore.
My 2016 copy has the defect of a few fat clumps of pages coming loose from the binding, re-glued back in and still more join the party. But that wouldn't move me to buy it again, nor the 3rd edition.
It may well be worth it for you to render the $35 and hunker down with the 2nd ed.
Thank you Alan, I saw that, but I really prefer ebooks, that way I always have them with me. You never know when you want to kill time and read! Also, knowing that there is a new book coming out, I’d want to look at it before making a decision. But your points are well taken.
I bought it directly from Wiley. $60 + $6 shipping. I got the notification that it was delivered! I'll look through it tonight.
At the beginning of this post, the writer mentioned 2 recipes that were dropped - would anyone know how many more are missing and are any of these particularly good and should be saved ?
I sat down to do a fuller comparison of the 2nd and 3rd editions and realized there is no need because the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon includes a compete list of 3rd edition recipes on pages ix and x. Apart from that, some differences that jumped out at me were these: Several pages with color photos of many of the breads; some newer techniques; vignettes of bakers from around the world with whom Hamelman has worked and a recipe from each. The thing that I appreciate most about this edition is that it's a much more personal offering than previous versions.
Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of overlap, so it's judgment call as to whether there is enough new content to warrant owning both editions. Personally, I think the new content is worth the price. That said, textbooks are expensive and I can see why some people might prefer to wait for a sale or price drop before picking up the 3rd ed.
Thanks for the information AG, very helpful.
Making the Vermont sourdough from Hamelman 2nd edition for the first time today. Today is dough day, tomorrow bake. Will see how it goes vs other similar recipes. Levain was very happy and bubbly this morning to get started.
Hello fellow bakers,
I was browsing the FL site two evenings ago and came upon this thread. I thought I'd write to bring clarity to some of the questions. Yes, the third edition has just come out (I received my first copy last night). Initially Wiley said there could be no increase in pagination. There was a lot of new material I wanted to include (35 new formulas along with dozens of variations, more anecdotes and {overly?} opinionated opinions), which meant some of the formulas that had been in the first and second editions had to come out. Ultimately, I felt like I was given a large pasture to roam and write in--with a sturdy fence at the perimeter. In many ways, the pagination limit was a good thing: for instance, in the second edition there are Detmolder rye breads containing 90%, 80%, and 70% rye. Why not remove the 70%, since any good baker could easily write that one for him/herself, and add in something new? As it turned out, Wiley did not require the strict pagination after all, and the new edition is something like 50 pages longer than the second. My favorite part is the inclusion of 10 International Contributors--great bakers from five continents, who each contributed one favorite formula. A photo of them and their product completes the spotlight shining on them.
I'm not entirely satisfied with the new edition, as I think the photos are over-exposed and the text is in places a shade too light. As for the content, I think it's an improvement over the first two editions, but I am too close to it to be completely objective. I should say, I was quite taken aback when I saw the $60 price tag--ouch! I hope it is worth it for anyone who chooses to buy it. Above all, please don't think I am writing this in order to promote the book. Since it first came out in 2004 I've always felt the same: if it's a good book, it will sell; if it isn't, it shouldn't sell. Thanks.
Thank you for your post to clarify the questions about the third edition. We are a bit behind with the release in Australia through Amazon AU with a release date of 26th April. I'm looking forward to exploring the new release.
Cheers,
Gavin.
Hey Gavin,
I'm really interested in this third edition as well, looks like Amazon Australia has got two versions though?
and the whopping price tag of over 100 aud? :( Booktopia has it for 139 I believe..
Not sure why we have such a big difference between Amazon US and Amazon AUD for
I re-checked Amazon AU and indeed there are two versions. One a rental and the other full purchase. The rentals are aimed at students. and you can keep them for 130 days or 150 days for ebooks. I'm glad you raised it as I mistakenly ordered the rental. I've cancelled the rental version and purchased the keep and own edition.
Cheers,
Gavin
Hey fellow Aussies,
Just wanted to quickly mention Hamelman's 3rd edition of Bread has dropped to half price on Amazon AU at 64.99 AUD for anyone that would like to grab a copy.
Best Regards,
Just curious if there are any corrections needed/published for the 3rd edition ?
Not that I've seen or noted.
The 'zon price for a new hardcopy of 3rd edition of Hamelman's "Bread" is now just under forty USD. (Was sixty.)
https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes-dp-1119577519/dp/1119577519?tag=froglallabout-20
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com, delivery included in price.
I noticed it too. This is much more palatable.
That didn't last long. The price is now $61.75.
Get it while it's hot.
New hardcopy of 3rd edition of Hamelman's "Bread" is now just under thirdy siks at the zon.
https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-Recipes-dp-1119577519/dp/1119577519?tag=froglallabout-20
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com, delivery included in price.
3rd edition new price is now at $45 plus change, Mar 1, 2022.
I just got my copy, and the recipes are interesting. I am planning to make a couple of the new ones this week.
But what the heck happened to the production and proofreading? There are stupid printing errors on just about every page, with missing spaces, missing hyphens, italic text printed over other text, and more. Plus copyediting inconsistencies.
Those are indisputable problematic. I'm not thrilled with the typeface or the odd decision to print ragged right instead of justified. I'll keep using the 2nd edition for recipes that are in both books.
The third edition has terrible reviews on amazon - and not for the content or quality of the writing or recipes..
From the typography to the page color, proofreading and readability - which are publishing phrases that no reader should ever have to concern themselves with - the book is as unprofessionally typeset as anything I have ever read.
Anyone interested in this should buy a used copy of a previous edition. Certainly not worth “upgrading”.
Has everything I need plus the Swiss Farmhouse Bread which isn't in the 1st edition. Don't need a 3rd edition especially if the recipes are the same but the format has deteriorated.
It's a shame because I really respect Jeffrey Hamelman and his skills as a master baker. The editors have let him down.
The 3rd edition is available as a Google Play e-book for $48. "Bread", 3rd Edition
The free sample includes the table of contents and list of recipes, and comments from Mr Hamelman. He writes that he dropped some recipes from the 2nd edition to make room for 36 new ones, including a handful from international colleagues. He has also added Celsius temps and centimeter measurements. I was hoping to see one recipe to see if he added metric weights to the Home recipe, but there were none.
All in all, I would have bought the 3rd edition e-book for $15 for the convenience but not $48.
I got it for $48 (!) at Google Play Books. The free sample there includes the table of contents with the list of recipes, so you can see what's been dropped and what's been added.
One new recipe is Workday 100% Whole Wheat. It's a recipe for a sourdough bread with 100% WW flour at 80% hydration. The % of sourdough culture in the levain, and the % of the levain in the final dough is based on a 3 day schedule suitable for baking outside of working hours. I have the loaves in the proofer now, shortly to go into the fridge for early baking tomorrow AM. The dough felt stronger than my earlier attempts at high WW/high hydration with commercial yeast and a poolish. We'll see how it comes out tomorrow.
Also new are 10 or so recipes from international friends of the author. The stuff that was dropped looks mainly like variations on other recipes, so no great loss.
My experience with two recipes in the 3rd edition was less than satisfying. I tried the Workday 100% WW and the Honey Spelt Bread
The Workday Bread made me glad that I was retired, because it had too many "touch points" too be convenient.
The Honey Spelt Bread for some reason never developed any structure so I had to dump it in a loaf pan and hope for the best.
I was surprised by my experience as I had tried two of his rye breads (70% Rye w/Rye Soaker and WW and 80% Sourdough Rye w/Rye-Flour Soaker) form the 2nd ed. and had good success with them.