Customer Reviews

Bread Bible

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I rarely feel the need to review, but having tried two recipes in this book, and feeling misled at some point in both, I feel a warning is in order.

First, let me say that I am quite an avid bread baker, and that this book, while chock-full of technical information, is definitely not for the neophyte, unless he or she is just interested in the science of breadmaking. Next, let me be specific about my complaints. Although I read a recipe through before I attempt it, I don't tend to memorize it; I just get an idea of the steps involved, decide if it's worth the effort, and go from there. My problems in the recipes both involved ingredients being mentioned in a list, and then the author not being specific enough about when they were to be added. To wit: in the "Heart of Wheat Bread" recipe, she lists salt as one of the ingredients in the "flour mixture." Below that, she says to combine the ingredients for the flour mixture and add to the sponge (in bold print). Only several sentences farther down on the page did I notice that the salt wasn't supposed to be added until four hours later. I don't know how much of an effect this had on the finished product (which was good but not great, considering the effort), but I feel she should have been more specific. I encountered almost exactly the same problem when I made the "Touch-of-Grace Biscuits," where self-rising and regular flour are both in the ingredients list (although not one right after the other), but again she is not specific in her directions; she simply instructs you to whisk together the flour, etc., etc. I included both types of flour and then discovered on the next page that the second amount was supposed to be used to shape the biscuits, not added to the dough. Again, the recipe came out okay, but I was disappointed that the directions hadn't been clearer.

As a result, this book, which I had seriously considered buying for my collection, will be returned to the library and probably not renewed. There are plenty of more comprehensively-written bread books out there, and I don't need the aggravation of this one! I only gave it three stars for the technical information, and I completely agree with another reviewer about the fact that having to have so many specific types of flours, pans, etc., on the shelves in your home to use this book properly will be a big turn-off for all but the most dedicated bread bakers.

I bought this book after making pesto bread from The Herbfarm Cookbook (also an excellent book). When I took my pesto bread out of the oven, tapped the bottom, and heard the hollow sound that indicated the bread had turned out correctly, something grabbed ahold of me, and I knew I had to learn more about baking bread. I couldn't explain the excitement I felt at the abilty to create something delicious from such mundane ingredients. it's like magic!

that being my sole attempt at bread making (excluding homemade pizza dough, which I put in a different catagory), Rose's book was a bit overwhelming at first. I read through all of the preliminary chapters on the hows and whys and all the different stages, feeling the same tingling fascination I had felt when I first started learning calculus. I guess I hadn't realized how mathematical and precise the "art" really is, or how appealing that would be to me. armed with all that knowledge, I decided to jump right in, and tried her cheddar loaf. her directions are laid out in clear, numbered steps, with instructions for both hand and machine mixing. ingredients are given by volume and weight, and each recipe is full of tips about when to add more water or flour, and what the dough / finished loaf should weigh. she has clear explanations and diagrams guiding you through any shaping. I never felt confused or at a loss, and even her descriptions of what the dough should feel like at different stages (something inherently difficult to convey without a physical demonstration) were incredibly helpful. basically, I felt informed, guided, and confident at every step of the process, and the end result was marvelous. the crust was golden and tasted intensely of cheddar, and the inside was crumbly and soft, just like bakery bread! even for a novice like me, this book delivers.

I just finished making her cinnamon raisin bread, and even though I know you're supposed to cool it for an hour before you eat it, I impatiently sliced in at ate some right out of the oven. it, like all the other breads I have tried from this book, was fantastic. I can't wait to eat it for breakfast in the morning, and the second loaf may not make it to the freezer.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interesting in learning more about making bread at home, with one caveat - these recipes are time consuming. not so much in the actual, hands on work, but in the rising and baking time. so they're perfect for a day spent working or lounging around the house, when you can keep an eye on the dough as it lazily rises.

Really good first book or even tenth book. This is a story as well as a good guide to making bread. I found it to be complete and detailed. I just love a recipe and trying it out. A fun read for bread lovers.

My husband fell in love again! He is very pleased with "his bible" ... lol. I am more than pleased with his creations....

The book has great recipes and easy to follow instructions. Everything came out picture perfect! Try this if you are inot baking bread you will not be sorry!

Love the book. It is like cooking with a friend in my kitchen who knows all the stuff I don't

I have all of RLB's books and turn to The Pie and Pastry Bible and The Cake Bible fairly often. The first recipes I tried from The Bread Bible were for Flakey Scones and Cinnamon Crumb Surprise. Both were easy and excellent. The Focaccia also is a winner.

Having said that, I have to take issue with the Jewish Rye Bread recipe. First let me say I am a native Manhattanite so I know what Jewish rye bread should look and taste like. I, like the previous reviewer, also noticed the error in the recipe where it says to add rye flour to the flour mixture but does not mention rye flour in the ingredient list. Having just read Beranbaum's correction I have to wonder how she can justify calling it rye bread when it contains a mere 3.3 ounces of rye flour in a 1 3/4 pound loaf. I am a professional bread baker of wood-fired loaves and this recipe will not produce anything resembling New York Jewish Rye nor any other kind of rye bread as it merely ends up tasting of caraway seed. And yes, I did make it as written against my better judgement. I still look forward to trying many other recipes in this book although not the Sourdough Rye as it doesn't contain a rye sourdough starter and uses a very small percentage of rye flour. Don't you like the flavor of rye, Rose?

My husband, Bob, who makes the best breads I've ever consumed, told me: "If I could have only one book on bread baking, The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum would be that book." This, coming from a guy who has over 500 culinary books in his home library, got my attention. "Is it really that good?" I asked. "YES! It is," was his reply." I asked him what, in his opinion, makes this book better than others. He explained that the author, an internationally known and highly respected baker, offers, in her book, all the facts necessary for a person to aquire an adequate foundation of bread baking knowledge including instructions to aid beginners in developing their skills (skills developed thorugh practice...making doughs and baking breads). This book is thorough, but not to the point it will bore or confuse a beginner or the occasional bread baker, and if a person likes good recipes, those contained in this book work.

I was disappointed because the baguettes beginning on page 335 failed to rise enough and when baked they were what you might call mini-baguettes. One possible source of my problem is that I used a Canadian high-gluten bread flour instead of the specific brands of unbleached all-purpose flour insisted upon on p.338 of "The Bread Bible".
ARE THE FLOUR QUANTITIES FOR THE "DOUGH" ON PAGE 338 CORRECT?
The bread flour I used is described as "White Bread Flour" at:

http://www.rogersfoods.com/

I have been baking bread for over 10 years and sourdough for 3 years. My sourdough bread is my families favorite and I can make it without throwing out 3/4 of the starter. She is always throwing out the starter and it just isn't necessary. I didn't even try her sourdough's because the directions were so complicated they made my head spin.

I tried four recipes. Two were the best I have ever tasted and two were inedible. I have never had to throw out bread before, but I did with this book. The good recipes are worth the price of this book. However, I can't but think there must be an easier way to make those as well. I can't even do some of things she requires, like but a cast iron pan on the bottom of the oven to throw ice in. That's where the heating coils are! Twice, I miss the place where she said to add the salt because it's in such an odd place(which explains why ONE of the recipes came out badly) I think I will return this book and keep looking for that perfect bread book.