Recipes from the back rooms and basement bakeries that produce Europe's best breads. When Daniel Leader opened his Catskills bakery, Bread Alone, twenty years ago, he was determined to duplicate the whole-grain and sourdough breads he had learned to make in the bakeries of Paris. The bakery was an instant success, and his first book, Bread Alone, brought Leader's breads to home kitchens. In this, his second book, Leader shares his experiences traveling throughout Europe in search of the best artisan breads. He learned how to make new-wave sourdough baguettes with spelt, flaxseed, and soy at an organic bakery in Alsace; and in Genzano, outside of Rome, he worked with the bakers who make the enormous country loaves so unique that they have earned the Indicazione Geografica Protetta (IGP), a government mark reserved for the most prized foods and wines. Leader's detailed recipes describe every step that it takes to reproduce these rare loaves, which until now were available strictly locally. 32 pages of color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Good book; Very poor editing:
This is a book that I have mixed feelings about. If you are comfortable working with weights, understand the concepts of dough hydration, and are prepared to think while you bake then it is a keeper. Unfortunately, the recipes read as though they were rushed and, overall, the book suffers from very poor editing. There are numerous errors in the listed recipes. Ingredients are given in terms of weight (g), weight (oz), volume (cups/tbsp/tsp), and baker's percentage. In practice, however, you can only trust... more info
One of my favorite bread books!:
I love this book, I've made a few breads from this book, and they all came out great! (with minor flaws because of my inexperience)
What I really like is the care with which the book is written: -it's very easy to understand for someone who never made bread before (like me), and written with almost motherly care meant to explain the process to the last detail without over-complicating it. -great photos that include levains-so that if you never made levain before you can see what they look... more info
Bread Baking:
I love the book although I have not used any of the recipes it is still to hot here. I am looking forward to trying the old recipes of Germany.
Worthwhile for the Home Baker...:
An excellent bread book to add to your baking library. Having baked a number of artisan breads, I found the recipes to be very good, although a bit on the dry side. I recommend adding a bit more water during the mixing/kneading process than the recipe calls for. This would not be my first choice for the home baker, but is definitely worth adding at some point to your collection of cookbooks.
