Product Description

The warm, complex aroma of a fresh-baked loaf of bread can be utterly tantalizing; the first bite, a revelation. In Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, award-winning master baker Jeffrey Hamelman presents the definitive, one-stop reference on the art and science of bread baking - a kitchen essential for seasoned home bakers and professionals alike. Hamelman, a professional baker for nearly three decades, was a member of the United States national baking team that won first place in the 1996 Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, the bread-baking World Cup. Here, he shares this experience, putting world-class artisanal loaves within reach of any serious baker. Opening with a comprehensive overview of the foundations - essential ingredients; hand techniques for kneading, scoring, and shaping; the basic process from mixing through baking - he lucidly guides bakers through all elements of this richly rewarding craft.

Bread contains 118 detailed, step-by-step recipes for an array of breads: versatile sourdough ryes; breads made with pre-ferments; and simple, straight dough loaves. Recipes for brioche, focaccia, pizza dough, flat breads, and other traditional baking staples augment the diverse collection of flavors, tastes, and textures represented within these pages. From the delicate flavor and aroma of classic French baguettes to the mellow smoothness of Roasted Garlic Levain, a bread for every season and every palate is here.

Each recipe clearly outlines the key stages, with easy-to-use charts that list ingredients in both American and metric measures, quantities appropriate for home baking, and baker's percentages. Hundreds of drawings vividly illustrate techniques, and 35 handsome color photographs display finished breads. Sidebars accompany each recipe and section with valuable tips, from the subtle art of tasting and evaluating breads to the perfect fare to complement Vollkornbrot. A complete chapter on decorative breads - with instructions on techniques as well as a wide variety of exquisite patterns - will inspire magnificent display creations.

Laced throughout the book, Hamelman's personal narratives offer a compelling portrait of a lifelong love affair with bread and vividly communicate this passion. For bakers seeking to finesse this time-honored craft or simply to learn the tricks of the trade from a real master, Bread is a resource to be consulted time and time again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6931 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-03
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 432 pages

Review
"...comprehensive illustrated manual..." (Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Vol 37 (7) 2005)

From the Inside Flap
The warm, complex aroma of a fresh-baked loaf of bread can be utterly tantalizing; the first bite, a revelation. In Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, award-winning master baker Jeffrey Hamelman presents the definitive, one-stop reference on the art and science of bread baking—a kitchen essential for seasoned home bakers and professionals alike.

Hamelman, a professional baker for nearly three decades, was a member of Baking Team USA,which represents the United States in the international Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, the bread-baking World Cup. Here, he shares this experience, putting world-class artisanal loaves within reach of any serious baker. Opening with a comprehensive overview of the foundations—essential ingredients; hand techniques for kneading, scoring, and shaping; the basic process from mixing through baking—he lucidly guides bakers through all elements of this richly rewarding craft.

Bread contains 118 detailed, step-by-step recipes for an array of breads—versatile sourdough ryes; numerous breads made with pre-ferments; and simple, straight dough loaves. Recipes for brioche, focaccia, pizza dough, flat breads, and other traditional baking staples augment the diverse collection of flavors, tastes, and textures represented within these pages. From the delicate flavor and aroma of classic French baguettes to the mellow smoothness of Roasted Garlic Levain, a bread for every season and every palate is here.

Each recipe clearly outlines the key stages, with easy-to-use charts that list ingredients in both American and metric measures, quantities appropriate for home baking, and baker's percentages. Hundreds of drawings vividly illustrate techniques, and 35 handsome color photographs display finished breads. Sidebars accompany each recipe and section with valuable tips, from the subtle art of tasting and evaluating breads to the perfect fare to complement Vollkornbrot. A complete chapter on decorative breads—with instructions on techniques as well as a wide variety of exquisite patterns—will inspire magnificent display creations.

Laced throughout the book, Hamelman's personal narratives offer a compelling portrait of a lifelong love affair with bread and vividly communicate this passion. For bakers seeking to finesse this time-honored craft or simply to learn the tricks of the trade from a real master, Bread is a resource to be consulted time and time again.

CHIHO KANEKO is a fine artist whose work has been exhibited both in the United States and Japan. She also works as a translator and interpreter. She is a native of Japan with a background in landscape architecture, agronomy, and art.

From the Back Cover
"It was a most agreeable surprise to find that such a book exists in English, and I find it most difficult to adequately express the joy that this has brought me. I see something of myself in these pages, and often, a better version of myself. I can only hope that those whose mission it is to make good bread seize the opportunity to read Jeffrey Hamelman's book, heed his advice, and adopt his methods with due care and respect."
—Raymond Calvel

"With this work, Jeffrey Hamelman will increase professional bakers' knowledge and savoir faire. Its approach to research and quality is a revelation. The book combines technique with quality, and I am convinced that it will become a benchmark reference work on artisanal baking."
—Christian Vabret

"What a wonderful book! It's sure to become the definitive guide for professional and home bakers alike. Jeffrey Hamelman's voice as a seasoned baker and teacher makes the technical information clear and easy to understand."
—Amy Scherber owner of Amy's Bread, New York City

"Bravo to Jeffrey Hamelman! Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and recipes is the new classic for serious home bakers and professionals. Jeffrey has melded accurate and detailed technical information and a comprehensive array of artisan bread formulas with short essays that capture his passion and appreciation for his craft. Chiho Kaneko's exquisite line drawings complete the book, bringing to the pages a sense of handcraft and the simple beauty of Jeffrey's breads."
—Maggie Glezer

Customer Reviews

Not for the home baker - nor the beginner
This book is absolutely not for the home baker, or the inexperienced baker. Though I'd never attempted to make a loaf of bread before, I purchased this book with the expectation that after reading 400 pages about bread I should be fairly proficient at it. Not only was the book a horrible read (extraordinarily boring and lacking any kind of character)but it is exclusively geared toward those with high-end industrial equipment (which I do not have) or to those who are making bread in large quantities. Having been extremely disappointed in his first 86 excruciating pages, I decided to learn the "how-to" of baking bread elsewhere. I found a great three page article online which I printed out, and by that afternoon I had baked my first outstanding loaf of bread. Several weeks and half a dozen loaves later I returned to Hamelman's book, confident in my newly developed baking skills and anxious to try one of his award winning recipes. What I found was disaster. Hamelman's recipes have come to be unaffectionately known as 24 hour bread in our home. What is most discouraging is that I have thus far made three attempts at one of his basic white bread recipes with no success. To dedicate several hours into something as simple as bread and fail is discouraging - but to carefully tend to a piece of dough for 24 hours and at the end of the day have either a nonworking (crumbly, hole-y) loaf, or worse, no bread at all - well, it's just plain maddening! I did, however, just read a couple reviews in which the readers suggest his recipes in the home column are inaccurate, so I wonder whether this is true of the two recipes I have tried. Perhaps someday I will try a third recipe, but for now this book is going back on the shelf while I search for better one.

Outstanding read, even for a beginner!
I disagree with those that say this is not a book for the beginner home baker. As a novice baker who has essentially just used a bread machine prior to reading this book, I didn't find it terribly difficult to understand. I thought the author laid things out in a logical manner. The science in the book isn't all that in depth and the math is certainly not difficult. I am glad I found this book instead of buying some dumbed-down version for the "home baker" that takes unnecessary shortcuts.

Excellent on technique, good recipes, no ego
This is one of the best bread books. All the space others devote to photos and ego is given over to solid tested recipes and really good information on technique in this one.

Don't be put off by the fact that Hamelman includes three versions of each recipe, one sized for bakery yield, one sized for home use, and one in between. Just keep your eyes on the righthand column and follow the home version.

Especially good on variations of rye. Just buy this one. More value than some of the higher-falutin competition.