The Big Book of Bread: 365 Recipes for Bread Machines and Home Baking - Books (Anne Sheasby, Paperback)

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Customer Reviews of The Big Book of Bread: 365 Recipes for Bread Machines and Home Baking

timbo
Somerset, UK
20th December 2008

Full of ideas but not what it could have been
365 Recipes and many of them good. Full of ideas for different combinations of ingredients. Not all of them are bread recipes though, so not quite what you might expect - quite a lot of cakes make up the numbers and even pasta bake and soup.

Recipes is really all you get here. There is very little explanation of how and why and Sheasby clearly isn't a baker and doesn't have a very good understanding herself of the process. She includes a pointless teaspoon of sugar in almost everything she does. The recipes are short on pictures with about one in eight illustrated.

Not bad for the price but not what I would call The Big Book of Bread

Deli
UK
15th December 2008

Lacking breadmaker recipes
Great book but not what I was looking for. I really wanted a book with more breadmaker recipes and this book is sadly lacking. There is a section for breadmakers but there are not many recipes and quite a few are tea breads which I don't make.
Having said that, the flat breads such as naan and pitta bread are ideal for the breadmaker and turn out great each time.
Maybe my expectations were somewhat unrealistic.

Ania
Cambridge, UK
9th December 2008

A wealth of delicious recipes
I am new to baking bread, having produced my first loaf about 3-4 months ago. The Big Book of Bread was one of my first bread-making recipe books that I bought, and I have been baking my own bread ever since. They're easy to blend and knead, and all the ones I have made have worked and produced wonderful home-style healthy breads with no unnecessary additives and preservatives.

Anne Sheasby gives you 84 recipes for everyday bread and rolls. Some of my favourites are the multigrain loaf, the granary herb bread, three seed ring, a herb bread with cheddar (delicious!!), and the pumpkin seed bread. Anne Sheasby includes all sorts of flours in her bread including white, brown, granary, wholemeal, rye, spelt, soya. There are a number of recipes in this section that include cheeses and are absolutely delicious. Some of the breads include vegetables such as pumpkin, potato, courgette, and sweet potatoes.

The next section is Specialty festive breads, whicjh includes about 45 recipes for brioche, fruit breads, challah, chelsea buns, doughnuts, and all sorts of sweet yeast breads with fruit and nuts. There's a section on flat breads such as naan, scones, blini, focaccia, English muffins, pretzels. The Quick Breads section includes recipes for breads in which baking soda rather than yeast are used to make the bread rise, so you don't need to knead anything or let it rise, instead you just mix like an ordinary cake. Quick and easy, perfect for when you are short on time.

The book also includes 100 recipes for bread machines, and the only downside for me is the fact that I do not have one or even wish to own one as I enjoy kneading the bread by hand. But it would be nice if the author gave some instructions on how to adapt bread machine recipies for kneading by hand, which unfortunately she doesn't. I am slightly hesitant of trying to make one of the recipes in this section by hand as I have no idea how to change ingredient quantities and whether the liquid amount should be decreased to make sure the dough is not runny, so some info would have been appreciated here. However, even without the 100 recipes less to try, there is still plenty to choose from if you prefer to bake by hand.

Overall, I am very impressed with the book, I have not had any failures at all and the wonderful breads that the recipes produce encourage you to make more of your own healthy home bread. Definitely recommended if you like baking!

Meadows
Somerset. UK
8th December 2008

Great Recipes
I love the recipes in this book and there are lots to keep me baking for a long while.
Not sure I like the spiral bindings on this book and wish that a lot more of the recipes were usable for the bread maker as not all are, but I will have a good play around with the various ideas within this book.
The Tea Cakes are really nice with a soft top, they won't last long.
This is a book that you won't put away as you will be using it often!

Patsy Poo
Ossett, West Yorkshire, UK
16th June 2008

Wonderful book!
I've only recently started having a go at making my own bread - and by that I mean a couple of weeks ago! However, I decided to invest in a couple of books so I would be able to make something different as well as basic plain everyday bread. And man am I glad I did it!
The book arrived less than a week ago and I've done nothing ever since other than make bread!
All the recipes are very clear, easy to understand and the sheer variety of them left me gobsmacked.
If you're thinking about getting this book, just do it! You won't regret it! I'm certainly glad I bought it.