Good for Beginners
I'm what you might call a serious home baker. Roughly 30 dedicated bread books in my collection. I like this book for fast bread- especially the focaccia. My kids just love it. On the other hand, the flavors just aren't what you might get with some of the serious bread books on the market. Crust and Crumb by Peter Reinhart or Great Bread by Martha Rose Shulman include recipes that aren't much more work but yield much more complex flavors. For what it is, I like this book. For more accomplished home cooks, look elsewhere or you might be disappointed.
almost too easy
I have just finished eating my first loaf from this book and felt that I needed to clarify some of the existing reviews.
I have been baking bread for years and have built quite a collection of bread books in that time (and have made bread using recipes from all of them). This is one that I know I will continue to use.
I didn't notice that the author's tone was particularly annoying as has been mentioned elsewhere. However, I tend to skip the basic introductory information and go straight to the techniques where it may be less evident. The method of not kneading the bread results in a lovely airy bread that also has good flavor. The loaf I just made did require four minutes of stirring by hand which may seem like a great deal of effort to some but, compared to your average kneaded bread, it's fairly minimal. Nearly all recipes have two alternative methods, one that only requires about 90 minutes of time for the dough to rise/proof (in two separate steps) and the other that is a much slower refrigerator process that happens over night. The author explains the trade-offs and allows the reader to choose. For the loaf I just finished, I used the instant gratification version and was not disappointed.
The "no knead" method is not unique to this author and there are other books in my collection that include similar techniques but I am quite impressed with the initial results of this first loaf.
All in all, I think that this book is worth checking out if you are used to kneading dough or if you are just starting to bake bread.
The Only Bread Book You Will Ever Knead
I would give this book six stars if I could! It's simply the best book for making easy and delicious bread without wearing out your arms kneading. I'm a novice baker, but these are simple and easy recipes written in a style that is friendly and casual, and designed for anyone to use. If you like Italian or French peasant breads, (I love Ciabatta) look no further, and buy this book. I don't think you would ever regret it. It's sitting on my kitchen counter even now, and I expect to use it often.
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