Bread for Breakfast
by Beth Hensperger

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Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of Bread for Breakfast

Book Review: Some recipes disappoint
Summary: 3 Stars

In her recipe for Oatmeal Egg Bread with a Cinnamon Swirl, which makes 2 loaves, the filling calls for 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar. When I used this amount, some of the sugar melted in the oven and spilled out of the pan. What remained became large clumps of unmelted sugar in the middle of the loaf, which was unappetizing and made the slices hard to toast.

My most recent attempt was the Lemon and Blueberry Bread with Lemon Glaze. It omitted a crucial instruction which is a must whenever baking with berries: toss them with a small amount of flour before adding them to the batter. Because the recipe didn't mention it, I forgot to do this, and I wound up with Blueberry Upside-Down Cake: all the berries sank to the bottom, and the bread fell apart when I removed it from the pan. The Lemon Glaze also seemed unnecessary: it made the bread soggy and needlessly sweet.

The majority of the recipes I've tried from this book are very sweet. This is a matter of personal taste, but I would have been happier with a better balance of flavors in the finished products.

Not all her recipes have problems, though. Her Seeded Dakota Bread is wonderful, with a complex nutty flavor and interesting texture.

I really enjoy making morning pastries. Bread for Breakfast is full of great ideas, and has helped expand my repertoire. But I find I need to interpret the recipes carefully, and not be afraid to make adjustments where I find potential problems. Novice bakers should be aware of these pitfalls before buying this book.

Summary of Bread for Breakfast

Just because you have to get to work or get the kids off to school is no reason to skimp on a tasty breakfast. You don't need to have cold cereal every morning. Try baking a loaf of Applesauce Bread (a yeast version, not the heavier quick bread) and then making French Toast with real maple syrup or Ginger Butter. For the kiddies, whip up Jam Toast using Buttermilk White Bread or Orange Bread: slather a slice with jam, top it with another slice, coat with cooking spray, grill until golden brown and crisp, and then slice into four strips. Author Beth Hensperger says her Every Morning Fruit Muffins are so easy that she can "chat casually while looking around the kitchen for whatever fresh fruit is on the counter" and have hot muffins on the table in less than an hour. For fancier or holiday meals, bake a Black, White, and Mocha Coffee Cake (dotted with semisweet chocolate chunks), a Rhubarb Coffee Cake with Strawberry Coulis, or a Walnut Babka.

Whatever your bread preference, with Bread for Breakfast you can bake a batch to satisfy the whole family. Most of these breads freeze well--but don't count on leftovers. --Dana Van Nest

Bread Books

• Subjects > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Bread
• Meals > Breakfast