100 Great Breads

A fantastic book on breads by the King of Bread baking! Great photos and easy to understand recipes.

Wow! I read the previous review and could not believe the main point of criticism. Bring on that butter! This is a super cook book with extravagant breads that are rather easy to make. Wow your friends! And, don't forget to serve it with butter!

The author of this book really knows his stuff. He presents a no-nonsense approach to baking. This approach seemed simplistic as I compared the recipes to more complicated ones from tomes such as *Crust And Crumb.* Being a novice to the world of bread production, I assumed that the baking stones, the spritzer bottles, the ice cubes, the specialty yeasts, the obsessive timing would all be required to make the outcome worth it. I was wrong. Hollywood comes from years of baking and he makes it as easy as possible while still turning out a great product. Just an ordinary oven, a cookie sheet, and parchment paper. Perhaps the heat adjustments and use of moisture improve the breads to some degree, but really, what I've found with this book is that I can bake loaves easily and with most any meal-- not something I'd be apt to do on a regular basis with the complicated formulas of the famous master bakers. *100 Great Breads* contains all the varieties I was looking for: French loaves, baguettes, numerous Italian styles, crackers, naan, flatbreads, and more. Everything I've tried has turned out nicely-- tender and moist. I've gotten great reviews for the Sunflower Seed Loaf and the Brie-and-Basil Wholewheat. I impressed myself with sesame lavash crackers. But best of all, Hollywood's baguette recipe is simplicity itself and produces a fantastically crusty, flavorful loaf. Because its flavor develops from an overnight proofing, I've found that if I make it in advance and freeze the unbaked dough after the first rising, I can easily pull a loaf out of the freezer and have it with dinner several nights a week. I'm hooked!