Customer Reviews

From a Baker's Kitchen: Techniques and Recipes for Professional Quality Baking in the Home Kitchen

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`From a Baker's Kitchen' by poet, teacher, and writer Gail Sher is easily one of the very best books on bread baking I have seen, out of the dozen or so I have reviewed in the last year. This is not to say that the many volumes by Peter Reinhart, Joe Ortiz, Nancy Silverton, Bernard Clayton, and Rose Levy Beranbaum are not some of the very best cookery books I have seen overall. It is just that in this classic tutorial on breadbaking, Ms. Sher has presented this material in a way which is more accessible to more home bakers than the more technical works of Reinhart and company.

One of the most liberating statements early in this book is Ms. Sher's claim that the home bread baker is actually in a better position to bake quality bread than the commercial baker, who is constantly encumbered by pressures to produce a correct number to match sales, use materials and labor economically, and make a backbreaking schedule while maintaining a reasonable quality in their product. Within reason, the home baker should not have any time pressure and the cost of a small quantity of good ingredients should be of no concern. The home cook does need to be aware of things that are no problem for the professional. These typically are using fresh ingredients and sensing baking endpoints simply by sight. The professional baker gets fresh ingredients in daily or weekly and does the same thing daily, so these come naturally.

One of the first things, which convinced me that this is a really great introduction to baking, is when the author gives an overview of all leavening methods, giving each one equal attention. When I started baking, I was fully aware of the importance of yeast and only aware of chemical leaveners in passing. It was almost two years of baking and reading before I realized the importance of aerating leaveners, epitomized by foams of egg whites in, for example, angel food cake, but also accomplished with other ingredients such as butter layers in puff pastry.

The first section of the book deals with `bread ingredients'. While Ms. Sher does not go into as much detail on the chemistry of gluten formation and the biology of the wheat berry as, for example, Rose Beranbaum, this book covers the whole range of flours, including such odd bodkins as triticale, potato flour, and millet. The triticale flour has a combination of properties of wheat and rye, with a light sweetness from the contribution of rye genes.

The second section deals with the `methods and principles of bread baking'. The motto for this book is the first paragraph in the chapter on dough where it says:

`The Point cannot be stressed enough that bread baking is an art replete with choices. You can slow it down or hurry it up, overbake for a crunchy crust or overrise for a chewy loaf with big holes. The correct thing is what you want. You are in control and, if you understand what bread is about, you can tailor any dough to suit your exact specifications.'

What a liberating notion. This whole book, of course, is dedicated to telling you what bread is about.

There are many small things about this book that I love, but the one big thing that will make this book eminently useful to the amateur as an introduction to yeast breads is the fourth section of the book on `the sponge method'. For those of you who are familiar with artisinal bread baking, I should point out that this book simply does not cover this topic. It's strength is in a broad survey of bread baking techniques suitable for the home plus an in depth tutorial on the steps involved in the sponge method using commercially packaged yeast. The main advantages of using a sponge are that it gives the yeast free rein to grow in the absence of inhibitors such as salt and fats. Once the sponge has got a good head start at developing the gluten, other ingredients can be added much more easily than with a conventional dough where the yeast is simply bloomed and added to all the flour and water, followed by salt and fat(s).

Building all the following yeast bread recipes on this one method enhances the careful exposition of the sponge method. This means that the making of each recipe builds on a single skill whereby you become more familiar with all the choices you can make to branch off from one common technique.

Following the exposition of the sponge method and its recipes, the book deals with many different recipes for non-yeast quickbreads such as corn breads, spoonbreads, biscuits, teacakes, batter breads, gingerbreads and muffins. For its size, my favorite section by far is the selection of recipes for leftover bread. You can find dozens of these techniques spread across hundreds of cookbooks on French and Italian cuisine, but here we have all the best ones in one place.

While the book does not go into as much detail as some more recent titles, there is still a lot here I did not know. For example, while many writers have touted instant dried yeast over `active dry yeast', the author points out a few drawbacks of this product. The author also gives an excellent overview of the many different ways bread can be rolled and laid in baking pans and the many different ways in which bread can be scored. I have seen most of these techniques in other places, but this is the only book that pulls all of these things together in one place.

Ms. Sher gives much credit for her inspiration to Elizabeth David's book on English baking. As I am a big fan of Elizabeth David's writings, I am looking forward to reading the fountainhead of Ms. Sher's excellent book.

Superb introduction to home bread baking. Highly Recommended!

I wanted to know an easy way of making bread at home, and this book delivers very well. If you are only looking for recipes this isn't the book. There is a lot of information on the details of equipment, flours and methods. The recipes are a little confusing because the numbers correspond to the each step for the sponge method, which are not written down in each recipe, so it helps to memorize the method steps. Practicing does help a lot!

Now in a special twentieth anniversary edition, Gail Sher's From A Baker's Kitchen is a classic essential "how to" reference and recipe collection for home bakers interested in learning to make professional-quality bread. Individual chapters address all of the basic methods and principles involved in bread making (including molding, slitting, glazing, baking, and storage), steps for the Sponge Method, recipes for breads of various grains, "quick breads" such as corn breads, biscuits, gingerbreads, and muffins, and more. Careful attention to instructional detail distinguishes this time-tested, "must-have" instructional cookbook for breadmakers of all skill and experience levels.

I bought a copy of this book used many years ago and it took me from being a good baker to a great one. I grew up in a family that was always baking and cooking, so I was no stranger to the kitchen. But Sher is such a clear writer and teacher that she could teach a complete beginner, too. I learned how to use the sponge method (an extra step to let bread rise) to make my dense, whole wheat breads lighter. I learned the best muffin and tea bread recipes - the kind people go out of their way to ask for over and over again. She teaches the science, technique, and art of baking with such intelligence. I cannot say enough about this book. I logged on to buy several copies to give as gifts. I chose the book originally because after just one glance, I could understand her chapters, liked the recipes, and couldn't wait to get home to try them. My original copy is badly stained... always a sign of a much-loved cookbook!

I found this a readable, useful guide as I begin to re-enter the world of baking (after 20+ years away). Interesting recipes - some challenging, others not, but all delicious, It stays on our counter, as we're baking every weekend now.

I bought this book in 1985 and it is the best baking guide I've ever had. It is the reason for my long passion for bread baking. Sher provides understanding and knowledge as well as instruction and technique. Plus she's a clear and accessible writer and generous teacher. Anyone who wants to know about baking should be thrilled that this excellent book is still in print!

This is my first, but not to be last, serious bread cook book.It introduced me to the use of a sponge in preparing to bake bread, something that had escaped me before. The explanations of the ingredients used for yeast and quick breads are valuable to my understanding of procedures and the end product. Even though the original edition was published more than twenty years ago, the knowledge she passes on remains useful.
I find that most of the recipes are for more loaves than my wife and I can eat in a week so I'll have to find room for the fermented dough or finished loaves in the freezer. Some of the ingredients that Ms. Sher uses aren't going to be found in a lot of supermarkets but that doesn't dampen my enthusiasm for trying out what I've learned from her book.

I have never made a loaf of bread before, but my wife wanted to make bread so I bought this one based on the book's reviews. Before she had time to read it, I picked it up and read through the book (easy to do in an afternoon), and when my 7 year-old saw me reading, she asked to make a loaf with me. What dad could say "no." So together the cooking incompetent dad and the 7 year-old made four loaves that came out great.

As for the book: It starts with a very good review of the ingredients and what each means to the bread. Lots of do's and don'ts that will save a lot of pain. It then discusses the basics of equipment (most of which you have in your house already), processes and the "sponge" method, along with how it can apply to any recipe that the reader happens to be using. It then follows with tons of recipes. It is an easy read, flows naturally and clearly has the novice in mind.

It is done in a way that a non-baker can understand both the how and more importantly the why, without overwhelming the reader with jargon or specialty terms. After reading the book I am comfortable that I can make a variety of different types of bread. Maybe I will let my wife have a turn baking and enjoy the fun of making bread with the kids.

Highly recommended for any dad looking to bake with the kids.

A very nice book from my husband. Good recipies and somewhat technical but not too bad. Fairly easy to follow. I prefer just using plain yeast but they give you all sorts of instructions in various starters and what not. You may like to do it their way.

Great book with lots of explanations. Just wished there was some colored pics of the breads to make. I now use the "sponge method" as suggested in this book - along with my Kitchen-Aid mixer (current fad). A book for all to read.