The Bread Bible
by Rose Levy Beranbaum
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Book Reviews of The Bread Bible
Book Review: House cannot be built in one day
Summary: 5 Stars
....and if you have never make bread before, it is hard to master the art in an hour. Be patient and READ the book and read each recipe once or twice before you start making the bread. The author spent lots of time and effort in reseaching and writing this wonderful book. I feel this book is for both beginner and experienced bread maker. She is meticulous in every way. She explains everything in great detail. If you are impatient, you may find her information overwhelming. Personally I love the book, I made bread in all the catagories and they all turned out wonderful and delicious. I love especially her Raisin Pecan Bread,Traditional Challah, Rye, Baguettes, Potatoe Buttermilk Bread and Pizza.....the list goes on.. I even made and liked the Pumpernickle Bread. There are some print errors, no doubt, but there are in any books. I have some food science back ground and have been making bread at home for the past 30 years. I find reading her book and making her bread have brought me to a different level of bread making and understanding. I own over 50 "bread making" books and this one I do recommend. Enjoy.Book Review: Not for Beginners ... but DO try this at home
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was a gift from someone several years ago when I first expressed an interest in learning to bake bread ... At first, I thought it was complicated and somewhat intimidating but I was determined and shelved the book while I started with some lesser complicated bread recipes. After a few months, and feeling rather confident in my abilities, I took a stab at one of the recipes ... It took longer than any other recipe I'd ever made, I spent more effort in following the directions and really FELT as though I were making something worthwhile. And, in the end, I did!
That being said ... this book is absolutely not for beginners ... it was far too intimidating to someone who'd only been baking bread for a few weeks ... but once I got my fingers doughy in lesser complicated recipes, this book was like the Light at the end of the tunnel ... and the recipes are like rewards for a job well done.
I was horrified to find out that when I moved, my copy of the Bible had gone missing! So now I simply must learn to love a new copy ... I highly recommend this for the experienced baker.
Book Review: One loaf per recipe? Get serious!
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this book primarily on the strength of Berenbaum's other books. I have always found her recipes superb, and the "understanding" sections very helpful. I am an experienced bread baker, and have a fully equipped kitchen, so special requirements are no problem. However, I found this book a disappointment for two reasons. First, who ever heard of baking just one loaf of bread? Almost all her recipes are for ridiculously small quantities. After going through a lot of trouble, you want something to show for your efforts. It would have helped if she had given instructions for larger quantities, since often the leavening does not have to be doubled. I could not find any mention of this anywhere. Second, although her book is instructional, the degree of detail is tedious. She did a much better job in her Cake Bible, giving enough information to be useful, but not so much that reading the recipe was a chore. There are other bread books out there, just as technical, and that have equally good recipes, but are not such a chore to wade through. Someone missed the boat on this one.Book Review: Best bread I've EVER made...
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been baking bread for over 30 years and while I've always enjoyed my efforts, when I made the white sandwich bread from this book, all my previous efforts faded into oblivion. Perfection. Yes, you have to read through the recipe before starting to know when to add what. Yes, you have to do a little deciphering here and there. But the time it takes to do this, is rewarded with some of the best bread you've ever tasted.
I recently tried the sourdough bread and I did have to really study the book for a few days to figure out what she was talking about (here's one of those occasions where some pictures would have helped), I finally tried it and I have the most amazing sourdough rising as I right. (these rather confusing directions are the ONLY reason I haven't given it 5 stars)
I would not recommend this book for a beginning bread maker, nor a person interested in baking bread once a year, but as I make it every week for my family's needs, this book is indeed my "Bread Bible".
Thank you, Rose!
Rebecca
Book Review: First time baker? This is not the book for you.
Summary: 3 Stars
I have to agree that this is not a book for beginners. Also, there are several errors in the text, and the recipes themselves can be confusing. I had to thumb back and forth between four sections to get all the information I needed to bake a very simple bread. Also, after nearly seven hours with one dough, I was infuriated to find that when the author wrote "add the butter" in step 3 she did not specify that nearly half of "the" butter the recipe called for was for glazing the rolls later. Awesome to wake up at 4:30 in the morning and realize that the dough I've been slaving over since the night before has double the butter it should. After several other failed attempts, I've decided to stop using this book for a while, until I already have a solid understanding of how bread is made and until I'm back in the US where I can get all the specific brands she requires. Also, I'm willing to take a slightly less delicious bread if it takes less than 8 hours from start to finish! Not a book for the faint of heart or short on time.