Whiskeyed's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
The Bread Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2003
This book started my bread baking and Rose Levy Beranbaum journey. I found it at the local bookstore and was immediately capitvated by her welcoming, guiding writing style and purchased the book immediately.
As with all of Rose's books, she provides incredible detail for every recipe. Some may find this overwhelming, but for a baker who asks "How do I know the bread is done?" She not only gives visual cues, but a temperature -- which is extremely helpful. Every recipe is well tested. This book provides indepth background information for understanding bread baking and the role of each ingredient and technique.
The book's scope includes quick breads, flat breads, enriched/soft breads, hearth breads, brioche, and sourdough.
My only complaint is that the book lacks recipes using a high amount of whole grain flour, but it is an excellent book none-the-less.
I should add, that it is rare that I have to add extra water or additional flour with her recipes to achieve the dough consistency described (unlike other recipes from well known authors) -- I appreciate this and have had good success with her breads.