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The best bread book out there.
I spend a fair amount of time reading blogs on The Fresh Loaf website. When people ask which bread books to buy, this is the one most often recommended. Always! I’ve read multiple times that people have never baked a bad recipe from this book. That’s an impressive statement, especially when it comes from serious bakers.
I hesitated to buy it for the longest time because I had so much trouble reading the library copy of the 1st edition. The words were small and light and extremely hard to read. I'd seen a quite a few complaints about the 3rd edition having the same problem, but then I started seeing a few comments that the newest copies had improved -- and my copy was significantly better than the first edition. The typeface is still not dark, but it's a LOT easier to read. That was a huge relief!
Hamelman’s strength is his vast amount of knowledge and the ability to share it clearly. The first 87 pages are taken up with info on ingredients and techniques, and I’ve already learned things that will help me. I’ve only owned the book for a week, but it’s already full of sticky notes and flags, and I read this one with a highlighter in my hand.
There’s an impressive variety of recipes in this book. Hamelman discusses rye quite a bit and there’s a whole chapter on sourdough rye breads. Each recipe takes about 2 pages, with a comment section at the beginning, then the formulas and directions. There are no wasted words, and the instructions are clear and concise. Very easy to folliw. Importantly, Hamelman gives recipes in grams in this latest edition, thank goodness! That’s a deal breaker for me in any baking book.
I don’t think I’d recommend this book for the novice baker. It would have scared me off had I read it first, but now I’m ready to absorb what Hamelman has to offer. It will probably end up being my primary reference book. There are so many interesting recipes in it. There is only a small section of photos, but there are really excellent illustrations sprinkled throughout. If photos had been included, there would have been far fewer recipes, so the editors made the right choice. At this level of baking, photos aren’t as necessary.
I love my bread books. I enjoy just leafing through them, to read recipes and to learn. Sometimes I’ll see a tidbit of information that I’d never noticed before. Frequently I’m inspired to bake. This is one I’m really going to enjoy – and use!
I’ll probably buy a few more books over the next year, but there’s no reason to hurry. This one will keep me busy for a long time.
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From the Publisher
ANASTASIA SVISTUNOVA
Anastasia owns Tradition, a lovely bakery in Tula, about 2 hours south of Moscow. She worked as a television journalist, started, and ran an advertising agency and wrote children’s books.
She has worn a lot of different hats in her accomplished and eclectic life. Her International Contribution is Khachapuri Adjaruli. Simply translated as “cheese bread,” Khachapuri is a staple of Georgian food culture. There are several variations, her favorite being the Adjaruli one detailed here. However, as she explained, the traditional Khachapuri is “a simple bread dough without the addition of milk, and with no egg wash or cheese on the rim. The idea of Khachapuri is that the cheese is the main thing, but bread is not—it is just a crust that controls the cheese inside of the ‘boat.’ But I am a baker, so I tried to make a harmony between the bread and the cheese.” When I first tasted Anastasia’s Khachapuri, my mouth thrilled as I was consuming the bread, I was at the same time being consumed by a new and extraordinary food experience. Harmony indeed!
Note that each Khachapuri will need egg wash and about 1 oz (28g) of additional grated mozzarella to cover the rim before the bake, as well as two egg yolks and a knob of butter that are put on top after the bake. Be sure to read the entire process before embarking on the making of the Khachapuri, as there are some complexities to the final construction
And look carefully at the illustrations before attempting the final shaping. A note on the cheeses: Suluguni and Imeretinskiy are the cheeses of choice in Georgia. Fortunately, there are commonly available substitutes outside of Georgia. Mozzarella replaces the Suluguni in equal weight. For the Imeretinskiy, substitute half feta cheese and half cottage cheese (or farmer’s cheese) by weight.
KHACHAPURI
1. PREPARING THE CHEESES: Grate the mozzarella into a bowl. In a separate bowl, grate the mozzarella that will be applied to the rims. Crumble the feta into another bowl and add the cottage cheese. Mix these two together. If making the full recipe, you will need the following weights: Mozzarella: (U.S.) 3.31 lb plus .63 lb for the rim / (Metric) 1.5 kg plus .28 kg for the rim / (Home) 10.6 oz plus 2oz for the rim. Equal weights of feta and cottage cheese: (U.S.) 1.66 lb of each / (Metric) .75 kg of each / (Home) 5.3oz of each.
2. MIXING: Add all the dough ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix on first speed for 3 minutes to incorporate, then on second speed for 2 to 3 minutes more, to moderate gluten development. The dough will be on the firm side. Desired dough temperature: 78°F (25°C).
3. BULK FERMENTATION: 1 hour. No folds are necessary.
4. DIVIDING AND SHAPING: Divide the dough into 9oz (250 g) pieces. Pre-shape round. Cover with plastic and relax for about 15 minutes,
until the dough can be easily rolled out. Roll each piece into an oval (Illustration A), about 12-by-9 inches (30-by-23 cm).Transfer the dough to sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Mix the mozzarella, feta, and cottage cheeses together (but not the rim mozzarella). For each Khachapuri, spread .66 lb (300 g / 10.6 oz) evenly over the dough, leaving a rim of about ½ inch (1.25 cm);
refer to Illustration B. To fold the rim, begin at one end and using both hands, fold the dough so that the ½ inch (1.25 cm) rim is brought over the cheese and tightly turned into a cylinder no more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide (Illustration C). Once you have folded one entire length, repeat on the other side, but don’t join the two ends together just yet (Illustration D).
DOUGH YIELD
- U.S.: 10 Khachapuri at 9 oz
- METRIC: 10 Khachapuri at .25 kg
- HOME: 2 Khachapuri at 9 oz
When you have completed both sides, repeat in the same manner with a second fold. Be sure the folds are as tight and as even as possible. To finish the two ends, start at one end and pull the cylinder of dough from each side of that end outwards and away from the body of the dough. Then place one of the pulled ends over the other and twist the two a few times, like a corkscrew (Illustrations E and F). Roll this end nub of dough tightly so it doesn’t separate in the oven. When finished, this “prow of the boat” should project 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) beyond the body of the dough. Complete the second end in the same manner. When you are satisfied that the rim and the ends are tight and the entire Khachapuri is symmetrical, egg wash the rim. Spread the last 1 oz (28 g) of mozzarella to cover the rim
5. FINAL FERMENTATION. 20 minutes.
6. BAKING. Bake the Khachapuri either directly on the hearth (on the parchment paper) or on the sheet pans
Load the bread at 500°F (260°C) and bake for about 12 minutes, until richly colored. If baking on sheet pans, you may need to add an additional minute
7. TO FINISH. As soon as the Khachapuri are removed from the oven, make two small indentations in the cheeses about one-quarter of the way in from the tapered ends. Place a raw egg yolk into each of the indentations.
Place a small knob of butter into the center of the dough. Eat the Khachapuri while hot: tear off an end nub of dough, swirl it into one of the yolks, drag in some butter, dip it lavishly into some of the cheeses, and prepare to enjoy an explosion of flavors. Once the nubs are gone, continue by ripping and dipping the rims. You will never be the same.
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Breaking News: Publisher Darkened Printing!!!
I was pre-ordered for this book which was originally released on April 6, 2021, and then I ordered a second copy of it on December 18th later in the year. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed how much the cover has been darkened in the later printing. I find the pages throughout to be similarly darkened, and I believe that the readability is much improved. I've included two photos to depict this change.If you understand the author's presentation of baker's percentages, then you have all the necessary knowledge to take out your calculator and verify the numbers used in ingredient quantities and scaling of recipes, as well as sourdough development.The author has introduced me to a deep selection of sourdough rye offerings, which I am very thankful to have in my baking repertoire. I also feel that the author has considerably helped my shaping skills. I am excited by my journey so far in the third edition, and I look forward to more bakes--especially with so many new ones to choose from!Here are some pictures of delicious offerings from this book, including a number of new recipes that are indicated as such. Customers cannot control the order that pictures appear, and they do not appear in the same order as uploaded. I've tried to keep this list edited to the best of my ability to match the order that I expect you will see. 1.) Slices of Purple Barley Bread [new recipe] in a pile on a wire rack; 2.) four slices of Swiss Farmhouse Bread arranged in an arc on a wire rack; 3.) Llonguet dinner rolls [new recipe]; 4.) Pizza from Unkneaded Six-Fold French Bread; 5.) Unkneaded Six-Fold French Bread boule in the shallow skillet of a Lodge LCC3 Combo Cooker; 6.) Salzburger Weizenkeimbrot [new recipe] sourdough rye bread adapted to a pan; left: plain; right: used as an open-faced sandwich with cheese and slices of corned beef; 7.) closeup of Ciabatta with Stiff Biga crumb; 8.) 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf [new recipe] rescaled to fit a square pullman pan with several slices arranged around it; 9.) pan loaf of Oatmeal Bread with Cinnamon and Raisins with 3 slices in front; 10.) a slice of 80% Sourdough Rye with a Rye-Flour Soaker [new baker's variation with dried fruits]; 11.) comparison of two stacked copies of the cover of this book with the darker copy on the top being a more recent purchase; 12.) Baguettes with Poolish baked in a lidded pullman pan with a bread knife in front; 13.) comparison of two side-by-side copies of the cover of this book with the darker copy on the right being a more recent printing; 14.) 100% While-Wheat "Workday" Bread [new recipe but my own variation with added sunflower seeds]; 15.) Unkneaded Six-Fold French Bread boule cut in half exposing crumb. 16.) Spelt Miche with Roasted Buckwheat [new recipe]; 17.) Ciabatta with Stiff Biga on a black Challenger Bread Pan; 18.) a slice of Horst Bandel's Black Pumpernickel; 19.) two batards of Deli Rye; 20.) boule of Cheese Bread; 21.) fendu-style Cheese Bread; 22.) boule of Potato Bread with Toasted Bread Crumbs [new rye recipe] cut in half with crumb exposed; 23.) pan loaf of Litovsky Rye Bread [new recipe] with slices arranged in an arc around it; 24.) two boules of Rye Miche [new recipe]; 25.) batard of Sourdough Rye with Raisins and Walnuts, variation with walnuts omitted; 26.) Danish Rye Spelt Bread with Pumpkin Seeds [new recipe] with a spiral mixer behind it; 27.) Mixed Flour Miche [new recipe] shown with creamed honey, a favorite topping recommended by the author; 28.) Oatmeal Bread shaped as hamburger rolls; 29.) my own variation of Deli Rye adapted into a bagel with poppy seed and onions added; and 30.) Hand-Mixed Mixed White Bread boule on a chrome wire cooling rack.
Top reviews from other countries
Debra Amrein
Excellent resource, bad printing
Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2023
Debra Amrein
Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2023
Images in this review
Mb2B
Edition 3 - Perfect for the avid Baker!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2021Kevin
A very good book for thosewho want to take their baking one step further.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2022