The Bread Bible
by Rose Levy Beranbaum
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Book Reviews of The Bread Bible
Book Review: Well intentioned, poorly written
Summary: 3 Stars
Ive been working with this book for about two years now. At first I was impressed, but the more I learn about bread the less "biblical" the book is. Beranbaum is a charming writer and clearly loves her bread, but she doesn't know how to actually write a clear recipe. If you can follow along, there are a lot of good breads to be had from this book. But following along is the problem. Her writing style is extremely repetitive, foggy, and poorly laid out at times (this can be blamed on an editor, not Beranbaum). Just skim over her section on sourdoughs--you would think that baking a loaf of bread with a home starter was on par with high risk surgery. And she doesn't define terms clearly so that when she returns to them in the recipes, you'll be mystified.
The section on "Hearth Breads" is probably my favorite in the book and those I've had the most success with. But then again, after recently purchasing Lahey's "My Bread," I've come to see that Beranbaum's method doesn't actually make for a better hearth bread--just a more complicated process.
Overall, the book has it's strong points but despite it's length, it's hardly definitive. I would steer starting bakers to Lahey or someone with a more common-sense approach and a clearer recipe writing style.
Book Review: You call that "real jewish rye bread"?
Summary: 4 Stars
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?
Book Review: The BEST book on bread!
Summary: 5 Stars
Rose Levy Beranbaum has done a magnificent job with this book. Her instructions for each loaf are perfectly detailed, and I've yet to have one of her recipes fail. Some here have faulted her recipes for being repetitive in their details. However, I see this as a positive. I would rather not have to flip to five different parts of a book in order to make a loaf of bread. Provided that repeating a part of the instructions doesn't take up large amounts of space, it's worthwhile. I also really appreciate the introductory descriptions and stories she writes for the various breads. They really get you excited about making the various loaves of bread. You have to try making the pita bread, as watching them puff up in your oven is amazing. Her pizza crust is also the best I've made. Oh, and if you try the rosemary foccaccia, be patient, and magic will happen! At just over 20 minutes in the mixer, a wonderful dough ball will form. I suggest you watch the process, as you can see the gluten forming before your eyes. I can't recommend this book highly enough, and if you've ever got questions, check out her blog, Real Baking with Rose, where she answers reader questions all the time!Book Review: This book is ok but needs a TON of editing
Summary: 3 Stars
I cannot recommend buying this book until a proofread version is published. Many of these recipes have ingredient errors or faulty instructions. Don't start any of the recipes without checking the author's site for corrections first. (You can find corrections listed for 7 of the recipes at: (http://www.roselevyberanbaum.com/RLB-QA970Final.html)
Also, the insistence on using specific (American) brands of flour is annoying. Contrary to the author's opinion, you don't need "King Arthur Italian-style flour"* to make great pizza. *"or unbleached all-purpose flour (use only Gold Medal, King Arthur, or Pillsbury)" (p.190)
On the plus side, this book has a great illustrated step-by-step chapter for beginners. There are plenty of helpful hints throughout the book and the equipment and ingredient glossary at the end is terrific.
For beginners looking for a great introduction to bread baking, I recommend Reinhart's "The Bread baker's Apprentice" instead of Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible".
If you're more familiar with bread making, go for Reinhart's "Crust and Crumb" or Ortiz's "The Village Baker" instead.
Book Review: If "Beard on Bread" is the "Old Testament,"
Summary: 5 Stars
Rose Levy Beranbaum's "The Bread Bible" is the "New Testament"!There are now many good bread books, but if I could have only one bread book, this would be the one.Ms. Beranbaum includes non-yeasted breads in this book.Oh, this book is so good. I have been baking bread for over 15 years, and I knew more than a little, but this book has opened a wider world. She has diminished some of my anxiety about sourdough bread, by talking about her sourdough anxiety, which she vanquished.Ms. Beranbaum encourages mechanical mixing, and does not consider it a "crime," like some other writers on bread. However, manual mixing is included. She has written lots of information on flours. Detailed, yet accessible.She encourages home bakers to think in more professional terms by giving weight measures (grams and ounces,) as well as volume measures (cups, spoons). She also gives proportion percentages.Ms Beranbaum's introductory comments are fascinating.The index is complete and easy to use.The photos and technical drawings are complete and well chosen.This book is definitely one of MY "desert island ten."