100 Great Breads: The Original Bestseller

Auntie Em wrote that the title name for each bread recipe is missing in the Kindle version. I am not sure if she just received a bad copy of the cookbook, or if past problems have been corrected. My Kindle version of this cookbook is excellently formatted with a recipe name heading each recipe page. It is easy to search for and bookmark recipes. Directions are easy to follow, concise, and complete. Not every recipe has a color photo, but a large number of them do. A few people might have complaints because all the recipes are in grams and ounces. (not cups, teaspoons, and tablespoons) If you want to insure you make a consistently delicious loaf of bread, weighing your ingredients is best. If you do not have a scale, please invest $10-15 in a digital kitchen scale. You will also need an instant read digital thermometer. (Pull your bread out at 180-210 degrees F. depending on the loaf. I bake my fruit breads to 200-210 degrees to dry them out from all the fresh fruit juices. Most breads are beautifully baked at 180-200 degrees F.) Bread is pretty forgiving if you stick to the science behind baking it. Veer off and you probably will not have a very good loaf of bread. Using a digital scale and thermometer will save you time, money, and frustration in the long run. They will more than make up for the small expense by producing excellent results. It is obvious that the recipes in this cookbook have been tested. Follow the recipe exactly at least the first time. Every one I have tried so far has been successful and delicious. Later with experience, you can make small tweaks. One of the tweaks I make is substituting dried cranberries when his recipes call for sultanas (raisins). I confess, I am not a big fan of raisins. For the most part, I follow Peter Reinhart’s advice at letting my bread ferment at least 8-24 hours in the refrigerator prior to baking. It helps develop flavor and the fermenting process seems to help with my gluten intolerance. Very few of the recipes in this book call for extending the fermentation process. No matter, the recipes still work when I slow the process down by refrigerating the dough. Sometimes the dough just needs an extra hour to come to room temperature prior to shaping and proofing. This is a great cookbook if you want tasty, homemade bread. Give it a try!

I have the utmost admiration and respect for the author of this book. And I believe, although it is subtle, Paul Hollywood reveals that in the very beginning pages by offering the challenge of a Wheatsheaf Loaf as a first step in developing skills in bread making. He openly writes, "If you can make a wheatsheaf you can make anything in this book." I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone who wants to make a wide variety of breads, most of them quite simple, to enjoy with family and friends. At the same time, and perhaps even before venturing into 100 Great Breads, I would suggest spending some time with "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" (Peter Reinhart) to fully understand why things that go wrong with the breads in 100 Great Breads the baker understands where to look for the source of the problem.

Good book. Short and to the point.

This is a good, but not great resource for bread making. On the plus side, it covers a lot of great recipes and bread types. Where it falls a little short is with instructions, both recipie-specific as well as general education on why things work the way they do. It's certainly a useful book and one that gets used, but it's not my favorite. 4 stars.

The perfect gift for aspiring bread, bakers

Great product and quality

I love to bake and I love British Baking Show! This book is perfect for starting out with breads of all varieties. I haven’t had anything that comes out poorly yet!

Making bread is a passion and has always been a source of joy and a stress reliever for me so of course I have been baking more lately. I absolutely love everything about the process. This book is great and is in my top 3 bread books. Every recipe I have made so far has been fantastic. They are simple and easy to follow and encourage you put your own spin on it too. My goal is to make just about every recipe as I am able. Guess I better get that treadmill!

Exactly what I wanted . Easy to follow recipes.

Well written with easy to follow directions, lots of pictures of the recipes to help you and very good results.

Excellent cookbook for various breads. I ordered it as a gift but I may just buy myself one as well at a later date.

Good prompt service , great book many thanks

The print is small, the illustrations are good.