The Art of Making Bread Is Everything You Need to Know About Making Great Bread
by Larry Cox on Feb. 21, 2012, under UncategorizedThe Art of Baking Bread: What You Really Need to Know to Make Great Bread by Matt Pellegrini (Skyhorse, $24.95)
There are not many things I like more than the aroma of freshly baked bread in the house. My few attempts at making bread from scratch have produced mixed results and after several years of trial and error I approached this cookbook with more than a little apprehension.
I first became acquainted with Matt Pellegrini, a lifelong baker and cook, through his previous book, “Cowboy: The Ultimate Guide to Living Like a Great American Icon.” With more than 230 color photographs, 150 step-by-step recipes, and dozens of tips and sidebars filled with invaluable information and troubleshooting advice, this new collection is geared for cooks like me with little or no baking experience. As Pellegrini promises, he will show how to work, move, think, anticipate, smell, feel, and ultimately, taste like a true artisan baker.
According to Pellegrini, there are eight essential components to bread baking and this cookbook devotes a chapter to each: Preparing the Mise en Place; Mixing the ingredients; Kneading; Bulk Fermentation; Preshaping and Resting; Final Shaping; Proofing; and Baking and Cooling. The recipes are divided into four main categories including straight dough, prefermented dough, enriched dough, and sourdough. In addition, there is information about the proper equipment needed for bread making and ingredients.
This is an excellent book that offers what few other bread making collections do, namely to share the secrets of successful bakers in a way that anyone can understand. This might just be the only bread making book you will ever need.
