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THE BREAD BAKERS APPRENTICE-COOKBOOKJUST WANTED TO APPLAUD THIS SELLER.SHE WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND TO MAKE THIS A SPECIAL EVENT,THE BOOK WAS PERFECT,THE SELLER WAS SUPER AND I WILL BE BACK. ANNIE IN TEXAS
This is the perfect book for either home bakers or prof chefs who want to do artisan breads. I took some baking classes at a local Culinary Center and the chef who taught the classes recommended Peter's books. Love the recipes and the narrative both.
This is a great book for the novice or the accomplished bread maker. He explains the theory of his approach and gives all the detail one could wish. The book explains how to make all kinds of breads, from French bread on, as well as giving information helpful to other types of baking. I wish I had had this book when I started baking 50 years ago.
The instructions are always very clear and accessible, and I like that he gives options for if you have access to fancier ingredients (like diastatic malt powder for bagels) but also gives alternatives if you can't get them. I adore this book. It's also nice that there are pictures of every bread, as well as instructional photos to help with tricky steps, shaping loaves, etc. It's true that many of the recipes take an overnight rest, but the flavor is totally worth it. This book has definitely exposed me to some breads I'd never even heard of before like the absolutely delectable Casatiello (a salami-and-cheese bread) and also has versions of more common breads that are really amazing (like his dreamy thin crust pizza dough--I've never made pizza that good at home). This book is definitely more than a little intimidating since a lot of the recipes take a while, but I've never been disappointed.you just have to take the plunge. :)
The authors are more into process than product, I feel.I mentioned my feelings to someone who asked about the book. I loved the concept and the beautiful cover of "The Bread Baker's Apprentice," so I got the book. Then I picked through different parts often because each time I felt unsatisfied. are not simple household baking supplies, but are far more advanced. The tremendous variety of breads that can be made from a single recipe are amazing and the naturally developing sourdough taste-- because of longer term refrigeration of the dough -- makes the bread as easy as the no-kneed bread I have been making.Although the Baker's Apprentice is visually beautiful, the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes has color photos and drawn illustrations. I was hungry for good bread and want to bake it at home.
She recommended the book: "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois."This is it. I've read it cover to cover twice. I told her I've been making the No-Knead Bread recipe from the NY Times for a couple of years and wanted something as easy and fast but a different bread. Each time I read the book the thought that came to me was "I must have a bread recipe in one of my other books, why am I reading this." The main reason for the dissatisfaction is that it seems a book for near-professional bakers. The various descriptions of starters, the types of yeast and flour to use, the equipment, etc. I only need to get three piece of equipment to fill out what I already have.
I give the Apprentice's book 3 stars for layout, design, and beauty, but not culinary satisfaction.
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