June 29, 2024 - 11:49pm
King Arthur's new "The Big Book of Bread"
King Arthur has a new bread book available for pre-order. It's titled The Big Book of Bread. I'll probably buy it, just because I'm a confirmed bread book collector. Does this book seem of interest to anyone else?
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I already have a couple of "complete" bread cookbooks. One is enough. But if you are a collector (and a baker) it would be good for you to buy it and let us know if you like it. Their web recipe collection is so comprehensive I have a difiicult time even imagining what else they might have to say. Clearly, they strive for quality so whatever they put out should not be a disappointment.
It's on my "watch" list, but it's a lot of money for a Kindle book. KA posted the chapter headings and some of the recipe names:
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/cookbooks/
@BrianShaw - That's a good point about the comprehensive collection of recipes on KA's website. I'll check for duplication in the book.
@TwistingSister - Thanks for posting the chapter headings.
I'll also look for new, interesting or uncommon techniques that haven't been discussed elsewhere. Estimated publication date is October 22, 2024.
The Big Book of Bread doesn't ship for a couple of weeks, but a large sample (including the entire Index) is available to read on Amazon.
Received the book today from Amazon. Initial impression is great production values. Plenty of nice photos and some unusual recipes (the Table of Contents can be viewed on Amazon). I checked several recipes for duplication on the King Arthur website. I didn't find any exact duplicates, but how many recipes can there be for focaccia, for example?
Next step will be to make one of the recipes that's outside of my comfort zone. I think I'll go for bagels.
Got my copy yesterday from Amazon. A very nicely done book.
I've just been browsing thru and noticed the English Muffin Toasting Bread recipe. I've made PJ Hamel's version from the KA website a number of times. It's a very quick to make and tasty loaf. Nothing like the cold fermented and pre-fermented whole grain breads I make weekly.
The version in the book uses an overnight pre-ferment and substitutes butter for the veg oil in Hamel's recipe. I haven't tried the new recipe yet, and I'm sure the pre-ferment and butter give the loaf a flavor boost but I like the veg oil. I will try the pre-ferment to see if the flavor stands out. I know I'll get around to a number of the other recipes.
I'm sure some of the recipes will show up on the KA website, but if you like to have the hard copies and like the pictures, I think the the book is worth the $27.
Dave