Our Guide To The Best Books On Bread Making

Fresh baked bread is one of the top comfort foods on the planet. But if you’re like most people, you buy bread from the store that’s either full of preservatives or cooked hours before it winds up in your kitchen.

Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza	Our favorite for 2020
Bread Illustrated: A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Bakery-Quality Results At Home	A very close runner-up
The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook: A Master Baker’s 300 Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread-From Every Kind of Machine	The ideal bread machine companion

If you’re looking to venture into the world of bread baking, the right cookbook can help ensure you succeed with your efforts.

We’re going to help you find the best bread cookbook for your kitchen. Here’s how to compare them:

• Experience Level: What experience level is the cookbook designed for? Some books are great for beginners, while others are better suited for more experienced bakers. If you’re just getting started, opt for a book that offers a step-by-step guide to bread baking. On the other hand, if you’re more advanced, you may prefer a book that skips the beginner steps and gets straight to the more advanced recipes you crave.
• Author: Consider the author of the book. Is the person a well-known baker, or a nobody? Choosing a book from a famous bread baker is the better option simply because they know what they’re doing and have been doing it for a long time. And if they have award-winning recipes, you know the book is going to be worth a read.
• Number of Recipes: How many recipes does the book offer? Some offer hundreds, while others offer a few dozen. Determine how many recipes you really need, and choose a book that offers what you want. It’s sometimes better to stick to a book that has fewer quality recipes than one with hundreds of “okay” ones.

Reviews – The Top Rated Bread Making Cookbooks for 2020

Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish – Written by the most beloved and acclaimed baker in Portland, Flour Water Salt Yeast is the must-have baking guide for both beginners and more experienced bakers.

This baking guide includes recipes for artisan breads, pizzas, and it also includes schedules that are suitable for even busy home bakers.

Experienced bakers will appreciate the recipes that include a variety of flour mixes and tips on how make recipes your own.

From pizza to boules, French bread and more, this book is the baker’s handbook to baking delicious baked bread.

Bread Illustrated by The Editors at America’s Test Kitchen – Bread Illustrated is a step-by-step guide to achieving bakery-quality bread right in your own home kitchen. Featuring stunning photos, this cookbook was written by America’s Test Kitchen editors and breaks down the science of baking bread.

Once you understand the science behind bread, it becomes much easier to get the results you want.

The great thing about this cookbook is that it features only recipes that have been tested and requested, so you know they work well.

Whether you’re just looking for variety in the breads you bake or you’re trying to perfect your technique, the Bread Illustrated cookbook will give you the knowledge and tips you need to get the results you want.

The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger – Offering a staggering 300 recipes, The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook is the perfect companion to your new bread machine. This versatile cookbook includes recipes from every kind of bread machine you can imagine.

Written by acclaimed master breadmaker Beth Hensperger, this book will help you get the most out of your breadmaker while helping you better understand proper bread baking techniques.

From ciabattas to sourdoughs, croissants, coffee cakes and other delights, there are recipes for every baked good imaginable in this book.

Beth even includes information on yeast types to help you perfect your bread baking in your machine.

Bread Cookbook by Martin P. – The Bread Cookbook by Martin P. will teach you how to bake like a pro in your home kitchen. This book was written by the best bread baker in Australia.

If you’re brand new to the world of bread baking, this book is for you. You’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to get started with baking bread from starting the dough to kneading and baking.

The book includes a variety of delicious recipes that are easy to accomplish. Each recipe includes an introduction that lets you know the yield, preparation time and cook time.

If you’re looking for a thorough bread-baking cookbook that includes mouth-watering recipes, the Bread Cookbook is a great choice.

The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum – Featuring over 150 foolproof recipes, The Bread Bible was written by the famous Rose Levy Beranbaum. Known for her baking chemistry knowledge, Rose offers easily-accessible recipes that allow bakers of all levels to get started right away.

To educate readers, the book features tips and “understanding” sections that explain the importance of certain bread-making techniques. Flour types, equipment and other essential items are also discussed, so you understand the “why” and “how” of baking bread.

Bread recipes include quick breads, yeast starters, flatbreads and more. From pizza dough to biscuits, bagels and sourdough, you’ll bake a variety of breads using this cookbook.

Buyer’s Guide – How to Choose the Best Bread Book Out There

Buying a bread cookbook can be a crapshoot. Sometimes the recipes turn out great, but other times, they’re a complete failure. If you wind up with a book full of failed recipes, you’ve basically thrown your money down the drain.

The books we reviewed above are some of the best in the bread baking world. But if you’re still having trouble choosing a title, here are some things to consider when choosing a cookbook:

• Reviews: First and foremost, look at the reviews for the book. Reviewers are the people who have already tried and tested the recipe in the book. If the recipes are terrible, it won’t be long before you find someone talking about it. Reviewers will also tell you whether the instructions were easy to follow or if the tips were worthwhile. Pay attention to reviews because they can save you from making a bad decision.
• Types of Breads: What types of bread does the book cover? Some cookbooks offer recipes for pizza dough and cakes, while others stick to strictly artisan or bread machine recipes. Choose a book that offers the recipes you truly want.
• Educational Aspects: In many cases, bread cookbooks are just as educational as they are instructional. If you’re still new to bread baking, you may want to choose a book that also offers tips, techniques and information on the science behind bread baking.
• Cost: Price is a natural consideration when buying anything – even a book. But most bread cookbooks are affordable, so you can focus more on the quality and type of recipes rather than the cost of the book.