November 25, 2008 - 4:13pm
Long piece on Artisan Bread in 5 a Day
I just saw in Zoë François's Twitter feed that there is a long feature on Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day running in the latest issue of Mother Earth News (the full article in one page is available here... just hit "Cancel" when the printer window pops up). For those folks who've been considering picking up or gifting their book, check it out. It includes a couple of sample recipes and gives you a good feel for what their book is all about.
We did a Q & A with Zoë and co-author Jeff Hertzberg here last winter. It is also worth going back and reading if you missed it the first time.
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I don't have a chance to order bread books often since I don't live in a country with reliable delivery service (Mexico). I will be north in March, and am looking at a few books to add to my repertoire. The two I use most now are Reinhart's BBA, and Hamelman's Bread.
Any comments on these books? Secrets of a Jewish Baker, King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking, and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
Thanks!
Reta
I can definitely recommend the KAF Whole Grain Baking book. It has a wealth of recipes incorporating whole grains, and not just breads.
While I have Secrets of a Jewish Baker, I simply have not made use of it yet. Too many other choices on my bookshelf, so far!
I would endorse Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Bread Bible as an excellent source for the home bread baker. Beth Hensperger's book by the same title is also good.
Another that I would recommend is Bernard Clayton's The Complete Book of Breads. (I think that the latest version on the market is actually titled The New Complete Book of Breads.) Note that all of his formulas (at least in the version that I have) are only in U.S. volume measurements. Some find that to be off-putting, but the breads are just too good to ignore.
Paul
I can recommend the Secrets of Jewish Bakers, although with reservations, since it requires certain amount of self-confidence and experience. The problem is that Greenstein gives huge ranges for the amount of flour required for the recipe - "2.5-4 cups" is not an unusual occurence. So if you are not comfortable mixing the dough by feel it may not be for you. I highly recommend both KAF books, get them. As to Ain5, in my opinion it is of no use for anyone except people who are just starting out or those who have to bake on extremely tight schedules.
I would say you already have the two best books in the field. The KAF is always well spoken of. The 5 minutes a day would be a waste of your money IMHO.
"Bread" is my personal best source.
Eric
Yes, I love the Bread book, everything I've made has been good - it's definitely the best book I own on bread baking. I also really like the adaptations I've done of recipes in BBA, mostly sourdough and mostly 1/2 white, half whole wheat loaves usually with soakers. Ok, thanks I'll skip the A in 5 book, doesn't sound that useful. I'm a reasonably experienced bread baker, so not put off by the complaints about amount of flour, etc., in Secreta of a Jewish Baker, if it's worthwhile otherwise. Anyone have an opinion on that one?
Reta
I really like Secrets of a Jewish Baker. It has great recipes and a section on "weekend bakes" which give you a guide for making a bunch of recipes in a few hours' time. And entertaining, to boot.