The bread bible

This is the best book on bread baking I have ever seen. It is very technical, and at times the book reads more like a textbook in organic chemistry than a cook book. But the results are spectacular. Every single recipe I tried produced amazing bread.

A pretty good primer on breads, with a wide range of recipes. Written very clearly and in a most detailed manner. Excellent illustrations throughout the book. Rose's bread making methods often include short sponges. (Personally, I prefer longer fermenting poolishes or bigas.)

If you're tired of your old standby bread recipes, then sure- this will do. Plus it explains why certain things happen that you might not know if you're an unschooled home baker such as myself. But the prose leaves something to be desired. Serviceable as a cookbook, but not as food porn.

Have not yet made a recipe from here! I'll try to remember to edit once I have.

So just based on skimming through this:
I definitely want to try her basic sandwich bread - but I need a 2nd loaf pan.
She's wonderfully precise, but that's almost too much for my "flip through, bake something on a

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whim" style.
I'm sure she's totally right that having a long sponge stage improves flavor - but I want bread now! I prefer things that tell me the perfect way to do it, but with the caveat of "but will be ok if you do it this simpler way".

It's not the best bread book for me - I don't think I'll need to own a copy. I totally understand that being a perfectionist is how you come up with the best recipes, but it does take some of the fun out of trying to follow them.

But if you are a perfectionist and you're willing to track down the right brand of flour, weigh all your ingredients, etc. then I bet you'd love this book.

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Benanbaum's approach is as much chemistry as art - she explains why things work. And they do work. Great recipes but almost more information that I can comprehend.

The best bread cookbook out there! I have read this cover-to-cover and made several of the recipes contained within. I have not been disappointed with anything from it. Don't let the size or price put you off, if you enjoy baking, this is an essential addition to you kitchen shelf.

I did not read this cover to cover, but skipped around a lot and feel as though I have read the entire book. Once I get my scale in the mail I can do a better review, but I feel as if it will be easy to follow, especially once I can weigh my ingredients. Beranbaum explains the steps very well, and

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I especially love the minimal illustrations used to describe how to do techniques. So far it has been my favorite for the subject of bread making, but I do have many others checked out from the library. This will have to be updated in a couple months once I've use more than just one or two recipes, but so far I have been very pleased with what I have learned from her.

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If you have access to US supermarkets and don't like whole wheat, you might find this useful. I don't.