Great Whole Grain Breads

Whole grain breads are not very popular when it comes to the books. There is usually a small chapter in them or none at all. Beatrice Ojakangas has compiled a wonderful book with such diverse recipes ranging from dinner breads to sweet dessert breads utilizing the nutricious whole grain. As I am beginning to experience bread baking, I can not help but want to make them all, it's so much fun and the recipes are wonderful. Her directions are easy and very creative. I will be using this book for a long time to come. Enjoy!

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. For an excellent cookbook on how to bake scones, corn bread, croissants, pretzels, popovers, quick breads, tortillas, pizza dough or traditional loaves, then this may be the book for you! With more than 250 recipes for both sweet and savory breads, check out this book. Beatrice Ojakangas is a chef and author to numerous cookbooks. Some titles include: "The Great Scandinavian Baking Book", "Scandinavian Feasts: Celebrating Traditions throughout the Year" and "The Great Holiday Baking Book". She has also appeared on television with Julia Child, on her television show: "Baking with Julia Child", as well as also being on Martha Stewart's Living. She has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines including Cooking Light, Family Circle, and Bon Appetit. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota. The recipes in this book are easy-to-follow. Ojakangas gives excellent step-by-step tips on how to mix and knead the dough and how to handle whole grains. In the introduction, there are numerous tips to help the novice cook develop a passion for baking breads. There is even a section on Flour sources, in case you are unable to locate a specific flour in your neighborhood. The book is broken down in chapters depending on the type of breads you are looking for, including: stir-and-pour breads, no-knead casserole breads, whole wheat breads, rye breads, oat breads, barley breads, cornbreads, multiple grain breads, buckwheat breads, triticale breads, sourdough breads, coffee breads and sweet rolls, whole grain breads with fruit, whole grain breads with vegetables, cheese breads, little breads, flatbreads, quick breads and more! Despite no color photographs in this book, there are some illustrations to help show you what to do. The recipes all sound delicious, and my favorites are: apple-filled brioche, seven-grain bread, malted Christmas bread, English farmhouse loaf and orange-rye casserole bread. If you are looking for an all-purpose book on baking any type of bread, then I suggest you pick this book.

I came across this book at the public library, and I brought it home because the bread recipes looked wholesome and delicious... and because I was intrigued by the casserole bread chapter. I never saw so many recipes using that method! I tried a casserole rye/potato bread and we all thought it was delicious, and I esp. appreciated the lack of kneading it really saves on time.This book is now in my wish list for Christmas.... I want more time to pick and choose than the library can give... there is nothing like the smell of fresh bread baking!