Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Some of the reasons I bought this book:
First, each recipe has mixing directions for using a stand mixer, a food processor, a bread machine, or by hand. Since I have each of these and have even mixed bread the old fashioned way with my hands, I like having all these options available.
Second, the recipes are more down to earth than many of the exotic bread machine cookbooks. They are more healthy and wholesome. The recipes utilize whole grains, but are not necessarily 100% whole grain. They utilize regular bread flour plus many different types of grain that the average joe would not normally associate with bread.
Some reviews have been critical that the recipes are not 100% whole grain. There are some 100% whole wheat recipes but not every recipe in the book is 100%whole grain. The problem here is using 100% whole wheat with another non-gluten 100% whole grain such as rye or spelt that has little or no gluten and getting the bread to rise properly. Many of the flours used in this book by themselves would not have enough gluten to make a decent loaf of bread and 100% whole wheat vs. bread flour also is challenged to make a decent loaf that rises and is not overly dense. Some of these exotic grains will only work if you use them to make quick, non yeast breads.
So, the 100% whole grain charge is only partly correct. For example, who would try to make a 100% whole rye flour bread? You can incorporate whole grains along with bread flour and still eat very healthy and have a much better tasting loaf
That being said, she does have an entire chapter devoted to non-wheat breads such as "Buckwheat & Spelt" bread.
My major critcism of the book is that just about every recipe I have tried with my bread machine, I had to add up to 30% more liquid than called for in the recipe. In fact, I usually just assume I need to add an extra quarter of a cup. When the bread machine starts to mix the dough, I baby sit and am ready to add additional water.
Not enough liquid killed my previous bread machine when I tried to make a heavy, coarse rye loaf. It is much better to have too much liquid to start with and then add flour vs not enough and watch the machine bog down and jam. Be careful with your bread machine if you are making a whole grain whole wheat bread! If the stuff in your bread machine pan starts to look like clay that belongs on a potters wheel, throw it out! You have less than 50 cents invested in the flours! The motors in these machines are not even close to being as hefty as a Kitchenaid stand mixer. If the recipe calls for 4 cups of flour, hold back a cup and see how it mixes up and gradually add the rest until it looks like a good ratio of flour to water has been achieved. You are the boss, the recipe is to help you, not enslave you.
So, overall, ther are many good, healthy recipes utilizing whole grains that can be mixed as you like.
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Product Description:
"Possibly the best such bread book on the market . . . every recipe a winner."-New York Times
This accessible book gives new and experienced bakers the freedom and flexibility they need to make excellent homemade loaves, with more than 190 recipes that range from a simple Sourdough Bread to a fancy Finnish Cardamom Coffee Braid. Celebrated as a "reliable and inventive recipe writer" by Publishers Weekly, Beatrice Ojakangas shares four ways to make each delicious whole-grain recipe step by step: by hand, mixer, food processor, and bread machine.
Beatrice Ojakangas (Duluth, MN) is a well-known food writer, author, and consultant whose articles have appeared in Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Redbook, and other magazines. Her many books include the James Beard Award-winning Light and Easy Baking. She has been a guest on radio and television, including CNN, Martha Stewart Living, and Baking with Julia.
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