andrew's Reviews
9 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 9Sort by: Title 
| Date | Rating
The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread
By Peter Reinhart, Ron Manville
Ten Speed Press - 2001
Bagels : page 115
These didn't work out too well for me. The problem with baking, though, is it's hard to tell if it's the baker or the recipe, so I'll be trying this again and updating.
I'm a fan of the chewy Montreal style bagel. The recipe says these are the chewy New York 'water bagels', boiled and dense, which sounds a lot like Montreal style. But when I made them they were not as dense as the ones I'm used to. I also found they were rather large at 4.5 oz each. I weighed some bagels from Siegel's in Vancouver, which are pretty close to the authentic Montreal style, and they were 3 to 3 1/2 oz each, so when I try again, I'll shrink the size. I also intend to boil them a little longer, try the rope method of forming them and maybe put some honey or malt in the water.
By comparison, I tried the bagel recipe from Homebaking (see my bookshelf) and it turned out much better indeed - very close to what I was hoping for, though still not quite chewy enough.
useful (0)
French Bread : page 168
This makes a very credible loaf of French bread. The use of pre-fermented dough gives it extra complexity and deeper caramelization, and if you're careful you can make a baguette that rivals the product of a decent French bakery.
I was happy with this recipe until I tried making baguettes with Peter's Pain a l'Ancienne method of knead-free overnight refrigerator fermentation. Those baguettes are such a step above in terms of flavour that I have not made these ones in a long while.
useful (0)
Lavash Crackers : page 178
These are very promising, and the illustration in the book is mouth-watering, but I've had a hard time making them truly seem like crackers - they end up rising and being more like thin bread. The instructions do say that the secret is to roll out the dough paper thin, and I think that you might have to really work it to make it almost transparent. I'll update this when I try it again.
useful (2)
Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire : page 187
This is fantastic bread. Peter Reinhardt says this makes excellent toast and is one of his favourites. I would heartily agree. I think it's possibly the best toast bread I've ever had. Very highly recommended.
I use buttermilk, brown rice and whole grain cornmeal for the soaker as well as bran and rolled oats.
The only issue with the recipe is that consistently I have to add at least another cup of flour when kneading this, as it's a quite sticky dough. Sometimes even more than a cup, so have some handy. I also add 10-20% whole wheat flour with good results. I've found that over 20% starts to interfere with the crumb and the chewiness of the bread.
useful (2)
Pain a l'Ancienne : page 191
This bread is, quite simply, a revelation. It is simple to make, requiring only an evening mixing, and an overnight fermentation in the fridge. Then the baguettes need almost no shaping, just a rough cut with a dough scraper. It is one of the simplest bread recipes in this book, and one of the best.
The result is truly wonderful. Everyone who's tasted these is wowed - they even impressed my daughter's teacher, who's from France, and knows her baguettes!
useful (1)
Pane Siciliano : page 198
This is a very pleasant bread - the semolina gives it a nutty flavour which works well with sesame seeds. The only reason I didn't give it 4 stars is that it's a lot of work for a bread I can't see myself making again and again - partly because if you do it as recommended it's a 3 day recipe.
useful (2)
Poilane-Style Miche : page 242
This is a fascinating bread. I'm still a bit wobbly with sourdough, and the first two times I made it, it came out very well (it received compliments from a French teacher of one of my daughters). The third time, it was a terrible flop - and I realized that I still have a lot to learn about wild yeast. I still don't know if it under or overproofed, but after all that work it was a bit dispiriting.
It makes a huge loaf (4.5 lbs), very dark and chewy. It's a bit of a challenge to work with that much dough, and the kneading will help with your arm muscle development! Definitely one to impress people with when you master it, and one to be shared with a group.
useful (0)
Stollen : page 252
A delightful Christmas treat indeed. These are larger than you'd think - the photo makes it hard to estimate, but they're quite a bit larger than the sort of Stollen you buy in the store (at least 50% larger). I made these with marzipan in the centre. The only change I'd make is not soaking the fruit in brandy in advance - I prefer these non-boozy. I didn't have orange or lemon extract and just used zest instead.
useful (0)
White Breads: Variation 1 : page 266
A great, all-purpose enriched bread recipe. This is what I use to make burger buns, using Peter's knot technique from Artisan Breads Every Day (essentially you make the dough into a 'snake' and then knot it to get a nice looking twisted bun). I always add some whole-wheat flour - 25-30% most usually, and find I go on the low side of the liquid recommendation (13 oz) as well as sometimes add a little extra flour on kneading as it's a damp dough.
If you have a warm kitchen you can start these and be ready to bake in about 3 1/2 hours, which is great for prep for a barbecue, for instance. They freeze well and I often make a batch and put most of them away for later.
I always do the egg wash and sesame seed sprinkle.
useful (2)