The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes
by Donna Rathmell German
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Book Summary Information
Author: Donna Rathmell GermanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-02
ISBN: 1558672389
Number of pages: 360
Publisher: Bristol Publishing Enterprises
Book Reviews of The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes
Book Review: A good book for novices using automatic bread machines
Summary: 4 Stars
{Review written Jan 2005}
I've owed and used all 6 books of the author's "The Bread Machine Cookbook" series. However, as of this writing, I have not yet purchased a copy of this particular edition, whose cover art seems to indicate that it "includes 5 books in 1". I'll assume that means it's an omnibus edition that includes (and replaces) the older series by the same author. Accordingly, I'll review the newer all-in-1 edition, rather than each of the original books ...
If you've just purchased an ABM (Automatic Bread Machine), and if you're still learning the ropes of basic breadmaking, then this is a great series.
STRENGTHS:
a) The author includes a dizzying array of recipes ... the cover says over 600, and the page count is listed at 360 pages. That solves 2 complaints I had against the original series, which used a silly long, slender and awkward 'chap-book' format that not only didn't fit on book shelves cleanly, it also limited the recipes to 1 per page in order to maximize page count. The newer edition appears to improve upon this. In any case, the recipes span a wide variety of flavors ... from potato breads, to corn breads, to breads with dried fruits, dried herbs, etc.
b) The author included helpful information on which of several batch sizes for any given recipes should be used based on what make & model ABM you own. I assume this information has since been updated and carried forward to the omnibus edition, but I have not verified this.
c) Recipes were usually simple, terse, easy to prepare, and (in most, but not all cases) fairly reliable.
WEAKNESSES:
1) ABMs, by definition, have a whole spectrum of inherent limitations, and can only make, at best, mediocre quality bread. Just like the training wheels on the first bicycle you owned as a child, ABMs are a tool for convenience and learning - but they should be left behind as quickly as your learning curve and experience permit ... otherwise, despite your enthusiasm, your skills will quickly plateau at 'mediocre'. When you're ready to attempt ascending to the next level of mastery (handmade/artisanal breadmaking), get yourself a large pizza stone, some parchment paper, and a peel, a digital thermometer and a plant mister, and a pastry brush, and learn to work without a net by doing it all by hand. Soon, the only limit to your results will be the quality of your oven, your sour dough culture, and your kneading & rising techniques. With further experience, the latter 2 limits will dissipate too, and it'll just be the quality of your oven (i.e., even radiance & heat retention, higher temperatures, automatic moisture controls, etc.). In any case, the author largely glossed over all that in the first 5 books of her original series, and then touched on such things only briefly in Book 6 (i.e., pizza dough, baguettes, stuffed breads, etc.) - and even then she did so in extremely limited depth, and she STILL advocated using ABMs to make the dough, even for hand-shaped breads. I don't know if that stance/mindset has changed any in the newer edition. Anyway, let me spell out the big picture about why I'm not feeling especially hopeful on that count - an author specializing in ABMs is unlikely to go out of their way selling you on techniques that dont require ABMs, because doing so would be a conflict of interest. As far as I'm converned, that's like selecting a doctor whose goal is to keep you sick (in order to keep you coming back).
2) Book 4 of the original series (Whole Grains) had many problems with inconsistent density & texture (gleutin-related issues), and moisture control in the resulting breads - most of that was due to both the author's inexperience, and the inherent limitations with the ABMs of the day, and with ABMs in general. As of this writing, I do not know if any of these problems have been revisited to any extent in the new omnibus edition. ABMs have improved and become more feature laden since they first came out - but they're still a limiting factor for aspiring home breadmakers.
3) The original series included no pictures - just a few B&W hand drawings. I dunno if the new omnibus has improved on that any.
BOTTOM LINE: If you've just purchased (or been given) an ABM, and if convenience and ease of use are important to you, then this series is highly recommended for it's ambitiousness, creativity, and variety. If that's what floats your boat, then there's enough recipes there to keep you interested and entertained for years. As for myself - I gave away my ABM several years ago, along with half my books on ABM breadmaking, and moved on to the hand & stone method, and I haven't really looked back.
Summary of The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes
Donna German, the pioneer and undisputed expert in bread machine baking, puts more than 600 of her delicious bread recipes together in one convenient volume, together with information and tips for successful results every time. The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes is fully indexed and contains complete ingredient information, recipes and baking hints from 5 bread machine cookbooks.Bread Books
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