Beth's Basic Bread Book

I've been baking bread for over 30 years. My husband bought this book for me about 14 years ago and I fell in love with it. It is probably one of the finest cookbooks I've seen for bread, it touches on many different types of breads and gives the science behind why something works or doesn't. Outstanding. Now that I'm teaching my kids to cook and bake, I think I'll be looking for 2 more copies of it for them.

I learned to bake bread from this book, and that's saying something. I'd tried several other books and recipes that all assumed I knew things I didn't (like what a "sponge" is, or how to tell when the dough is done rising). I was beginning to think that baking yeast breads was just one of those talents some people were born with and I wasn't. My loaves usually resembled bricks.And then I found Beth's Basic Bread Book. It told me everything I needed to know in intimate detail, included lots of gorgeous (and instructive) pictures and, well, I learned to bake bread. The good, crusty, fluffy, tasty, not-at-all-bricklike kind. If you're already an experienced baker of bread, you might still get some yummy recipes from this book, but you might just as well skip on to *The Bread Bible* by the same author.

This is THE book to buy about bread baking if you want all the technical information you can imagine. No where else have I found the wealth of information that encourages good basic technique AND serious experimentation. Each step in the process is explained for purpose as well as procedure. The margin notes that give recipe "commitment" (time, steps, etc.) at a glance. Gives a great substitutions list. Shortage of recipes but that is not its purpose. An essential companion book to a bigger recipe book

Being a simple person, I found that this book provided more detail than I wanted. The recipes call for some ingredients that I didn't have on hand and I couldn't find in the super market e.g. semolina flour. I find the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book 1968 version, simpler and easier to follow (given to me by ex wife no 1 as she left me). For me, at this point in my bread making career (3 weeks), there are just too many words for me in Beth's book. I will keep this book on hand for possible changes in my bread making philosopy.

More than just recipes, Beth Hensperger provides much needed technique for the first-time bread baker. She describes herself as an angel sitting on the new baker's shoulder, and she is right. Even my first loaf of bread was perfect thanks to the details Ms. Hensperger shared in this book. I wish I could e-mail her personally!