Member Reviews
Although the bread machine has made bread making easier in the busy households we live in nowadays, it still leaves the bread lover with some frustration. The bread it produces is not so crusty, lacks flavour and always comes out with the same shape. This is what the author decided to explore, to think out of the pan and see how the bread machine could be used as a partner to use its best features within the overall bread making process.
The first part of the book shares a wealth of information about how bread machines work, the ingredients, the important topic of temperatures and techniques. It is followed by a number of recipes for a variety of breads, including sourdough, pain de campagne, brioche etc. At the end, the author reflects on which features would deserve to be redesigned in bread machines to overcome some of the limitations most existing models have.
There are different ways to look at using the bread machine. It can be an exploration for bread machine users, going outside of the automatic programmes and trying out more complex techniques. Or it can be an exploration for experienced bakers to see how the bread machine can bring something to their work. This book is definitely the latter. To succeed in following this book and taking full advantage of it, some previous knowledge of bread making is necessary. But the talented beginners can also enjoy it. The explanations are clear and the list of ingredients well done, and the book is full of excellent advice from a professional baker. This helps avoid some common errors and enjoy the partnership with the bread machine.
A good book for bread makers eager to try out something new.
I love that this book really breaks down the science of bread making. Bread can be really tricky, especially if you don't know why you're doing all the steps you are. I appreciate that this book takes the time to tell us the why and how. It also has a great variety of recipes. So far I have made the "Basic White Loaf" and the Babka and both were wonderful. If you want to do more hands-on cooking, definitely pick this one up!
This book is all about adapting basic artisan baking techniques to a bread machine context.
For bakers who aren't familiar with artisanal bread making, the author provides and explanation of basic techniques: - fermentation, and autolyse, as well as the importance of temperature control.
Most people like the bread machine for its simplicity. However, for the delicious taste and complexity of the artisanal breads, the home baker cannot simply dump in the ingredients and push a button. The author provides detailed information on the steps to achieve the critical steps to develop that flavor that we love so much.. The critical steps are usually done outside of the machine, with the automated steps spelled out in the book.
The recipes, 21 in total, range from a "simple" white bread to sourdough, to grains to pastry doughs.
The process is not simple, but it does simplify the complexity of baking artisanal breads.
There are not photos provided, because this is really a procedural book. The book is not for the casual baker. Instead, it is meant for the serious baker, who craves the delicious flavors found in artisanal breads.
I love my bread machine and the art of sourdough, so I was interested in this title. I’m not sure if it was just my copy, but the words were a little scattered and hard to read. The information was good but maybe a little dense (and I have been baking a while) so that might be a turn off to a newer baker. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.
I just got a bread machine so I was excited to see what this has to offer. I do already make bread from hand and I don't think these methods would make it all that much easier or quicker. This feels more helpful for someone who has only used a bread machine and wants to try more.
Thank you to AdLib Publishers and NetGalley for a digital advance of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'd recently taken out my bread machine once again. That said, though, I've also grown to enjoy artisan bread.
I didn't think I'd be able to accomplish it from my bread machine, but this book showed me how. I would've loved pictures, but the book is still very informative. This isn't an easy way out, but it's a book from which you can learn a great deal.
Artisan Bread from Your Bread Machine : Quick, easy and excellent bread at home, including sourdough is for the serious bread maker. There are no pictures in the book which is disappointing, and it certainly isn't a quick option. It is aimed at the more advanced baker with a lot of time on their hands. There is a lot to learn in this book and the author's passion and expertise are evident in the recipes and instructions. It is a brilliant book for a niche market, but not for beginners or those of us who have bread makers to save time. Overall, for a specialist market this will be a very good book.
Artisan Bread from Your Bread Machine: Quick, easy and excellent bread at home, including sourdough is a textbook type of cookbook from a professional bread baker. While the bread machine is wonderful for quick dough, the breads included in this book aren’t that quick due to the fact that most of them contain different starters that take several days to prepare before making the breads. Monade is considered an expert on bread, and his recipes are similar to those in European bakeries. However, they do take some extra prep.
The main drawback to this cookbook is that there aren’t any photographs – not even one – to help bakers decide what bread they want to try, as well as what the finished bread should look like. To me, this is the main reason that most won’t want to purchase this book.
There are good reasons to purchase this cookbook, however, because it has so much information on ingredients, equipment, and procedures to enhance the bread baking experience at home, as well as excellent recipes that are easy to follow. The recipes are written in standard form with the ingredients listed first followed by step-by-step instructions. Monade has added his own suggestions and comments at the beginning of each recipe, which are helpful for anyone who wants to bake perfect bread.
All told, the expertise of Monade is worth reading about, and the recipes are appealing. However, the recipes can’t be made in one day, like most in bread machines, so this cookbook is only recommended for those who have a lot of time to perfect their bread baking experience.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
I was fascinated by the author’s expertise and guidance in baking with a bread machine. I will use several, if not more, of the ideas in this book to expand my baking adventures. A great addition to my knowledge base.
I’m not sure if this is ready to be reviewed. It’s a challenge to review a cookbook without the images, organization of recipes, and the formatting being complete. The fonts and capitalization issues made it incredibly hard to keep track of where and what I was reading. It read more like a an over-extended note instead of an easier to follow how-to. For someone who has a bread machine, but is clueless on using it (me), I would have a very hard time understanding with this book.
(If formatting is fixed, I can re-review?)