Bread



Take one French food authority and author, one Italian food authority and author, give them a subject like bread and a publisher like Britain's Dorling Kindersley, and the result can't help but be one of the more engaging books on bread and bread baking. DK Publishing is of the seeing-is-believing school of cookbooks, and this philosophy works particularly well in their Ultimate Bread. The opening plates of the world of bread are enough in and of themselves to drive anyone--beginner or expert baker--right into the kitchen.

The "Baking Essentials" section shows and explains the differences in various kinds of flour, wheat and nonwheat, as well as the basic ingredients (yeast, oil, eggs, salt--not a long list) and tools. The "Basic Techniques" section shows you exactly what dough should look like in the various stages of bread production. The photos are so thick with color you can almost touch and smell the dough.

But the majority of the book is dedicated to recipes. Here you will find Country Oatmeal Bread, French Baguettes, Pretzels, Ciabatta, Pain aux Noix, Brioche, Nan, Pita, Corn Bread, and Challah. There are dozens of breads in all, from the very basic to the festive. And finally, there's even a section devoted to problem solving--although the biggest problem you may have is deciding which recipe to start with.

Combine DK's gorgeous visuals with two authors skilled in the art of breadmaking, and you have the perfect book for anyone who has ever been afraid to try baking bread. Treuille, who coauthored Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques (Murdoch, 1997), and Ferrigno, whose last cookbook was Pizza, Pasta, and Polenta (Merehurst, 1995), begin with fundamentals such as essential ingredients and equipment before turning to basic techniques such as kneading and using a starter. Recipes for more than 100 different kinds of breads, including quick, flat, and festive breads, are offered. Each recipe has clear, precise step-by-step instructions with both metric and non-metric measurements and time estimates. Ultimate Bread is an essential choice for all public libraries and any academic library with an interest in the baking arts.