Very good bread : the science of dough and the art of making bread at home

Very good bread The science of dough and the art of making bread at home

Melissa Weller

Book - 2024

"To Melissa Weller, bread is: transformative, it's the foundation for meals all over the world, it's an elemental ritual that leads to mouthwatering results, and it's inspirational - the taste of the perfect brioche, and Weller's obsession with perfecting it, made her fall in love with baking. Now, after years of working as the head baker at some of the country's most celebrated restaurants, Weller shares her best recipes for consistently making the highest quality breads. Because she worked as a chemical engineer before becoming a baker, Weller knows that baking is about precision and science, but it doesn't have to be difficult! With detailed, accessible step-by-step instructions on techniques, equipment..., ingredients, and flavors, Weller gives you everything you need to achieve beautiful and impossibly delicious results. In these pages, Weller tells you how to create a simple baking schedule that fits into your routine, how to weigh and measure ingredients, and how to make yeast and sourdough starters. She also shares tips on mixing, explains the finer points of fermentation, and lays out the basics of shaping and folding. Here too are also extended recipes for bread-based meals, like the Everything Bagel Tuna Crunch, Tortillas with Pulled Pork and Salsa Ranchera, and Pizza Margherita. With over 70 recipes, this is the essential book for making bread so delicious that it earns a place at the center of the table. Included are sections and recipes such as: *Bagels (Sourdough, Everything, Salt+Peppter, Pumpernickel Raisin, and more) and spreads to go with them *Flatbreads *Sourdough Loaves *Petits Pains *Rolls and Sandwich Buns *Baguettes and Ciabatta* Pizza and Focaccia"--

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Subjects
Cooking (Bread)
Bread.
Bread
Cookbooks
Cookbooks.
Genres
Cookbooks
Published
New York : Alfred A. Knopf 2024.
Language
English
Main Author
Melissa Weller (author)
Other Authors
Dana Gallagher (photographer)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
xxxii, 296 pages : color illustrations ; 26 cm
Bibliography
Includes index.
ISBN
9780593320402
  • Introduction
  • Setting yourself up for success
  • Ingredients
  • Equipment and tools
  • Yeast and sourdough starter tutorial
  • Bread primer
  • Bagels and bialys
  • Bagel platters and sandwiches
  • Flatbreads
  • Sourdough loaves
  • Petits pains
  • Sandwich buns and rolls
  • Enriched breads
  • Baguettes and ciabatta
  • Pizza and focaccia.
Review by Booklist Review

Weller's accolades as a James Beard Award--nominated baker and author (Good Bake, 2020) may seem intimidating, but she immediately assures readers that learning bread-making is a lesson open to everyone with a curious mind. The introduction guides home bakers through recommended ingredients, tools, and techniques that will make their foray into bread-making a success. The chapters are divided by bread type, covering everything from bagels and bialys to rolls and baguettes. The recipe construction and layout are expertly designed, with clear steps highlighted by bold text to keep you organized and on schedule. Step-by-step photo instructions accompany tricky tasks, such as shaping and laminating dough. Additionally, embedded raspberry-colored text signifies that Weller is sharing extra wisdom, while a raspberry page background indicates a master class. Weller's welcoming tone and wisdom make this well-organized collection highly recommended and suitable for teaching the art of bread-baking to all levels.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

After delving into a range of baked goods in A Good Bake, Weller, a James Beard Award-nominated baker who has worked everywhere from Babbo to Bouchon Bakery, focuses on her first baking passion: bread. An overview of necessary tools and ingredients starts things off with Weller instructing home bakers on the ins and outs of making their own sourdough starter. A bread primer chapter breaks the process down into 12 steps, after which are provided two recipes--one for pain ordinaire and one for honey whole-wheat loaf. The following chapters, each of which opens with a "master class," are dedicated to bagels and bialys, flatbreads, sourdough breads, petit pains, and more. Recipes for dishes that incorporate the final bread products, such as everything-bagel tuna crunch sandwiches and strawberry-rhubarb mountain pies, are also included. Given Weller's background in chemical engineering, it shouldn't be surprising that the recipes are laid out with exquisite precision, and measurements are given in volume, weight, and baker's percentages. VERDICT Weller's greatest strength as a baker is her focus on learning, and this impeccably written guide to the art and science of bread making will inspire home bakers to embrace their own culinary curiosity as well.--John Charles

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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