Customer Reviews

The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I got this Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes and my first ever bread machine, a Sunbeam breadmaker 5891, from Amazon almost a month ago, and I am SO pleased about these purchase decisions!

Such a BIG and USEFUL book! There are 600 recipes from the author's previous 5 books: Bread Machine Cookbooks 1, 2, 3, 5 (Favorite Recipes from 100 Kitchens), and 6 (Hand-shaped Breads from the Dough Cycle)--this book is so informative for this first-time bread machine owner, has so many different types of recipes/preferences, and is so useful that I simply had to share the "goods" here.

Recipes with/without starters or sourdough, pizza crust, bagels, cheese, nuts, whole wheat, rye, cornbread, rolls, coffeecakes, doughnuts, toppings and fillings, international recipes, etc., etc... Unbelievable, I've never had so many recipes-to-try stickers attached to a cookbook! I've baked Pistachio Raisin Bread (twice; used butter), Whole Wheat 1 (once; used milk and honey; added pine nuts), Ricotta Bread (thrice; also added 1 tbl. of unsweetened cocoa powder), Almond Bread (once), and Apple Chunk Bread (twice; used butter, substituted homemade apple sauce and added 1 egg; increased yeast by ½ tsp and decreased salt by ½ tsp; hand shaped & oven-baked). Next, I'll be trying the Hawaiian Sweet Bread. So far, all the loaves have been VERY yummy. My husband, the big-time bread gobbler, and I, the newly no-fuss-just-wipe bread machine baker, have both been sighing with contentment.

Regarding the other reviewer's comment about the format of this book--the format is fine. Here is a book that is very functional and will be used FREQUENTLY. (Such straightforward recipes/ingredients producing such delicious bread--wow!) This hardcover book not only has widely diverse recipes/choices, it also has a sturdy {I have the hardcover version} moisture-resistant and wipe-able glossy cover. The recipes are listed for small (1 lb.), medium (1 ½ lb.), and large (2 lb.) loaves. Furthermore, the recipes are not "crammed onto the pages" as the other reviewer claimed; as far as photos go--the last loaf of bread baked by a bread machine tends to look like the 1st loaf, regardless of the recipe/ingredients.

Tip: If you want the "looks", or if you enjoyed a bread-machine loaf so much that you're curious about its oven-baked possibilities, don't be afraid to hand shape, let rise in the oven with the oven light on, and then oven-bake the loaf. The loaves made from the Ricotta Bread and the Apple Chunk Bread recipes were so good that I braided part of the dough into four 5 oz. mini-loaves and one large break/pull-apart loaf, brushed with egg-milk glaze, and baked at 350F until golden brown. The oven versions have very thin crusts and a very soft texture. I do like the oven-baked version better than the bread machine-baked version, but not by that great of a margin--considering the work and clean-up. I'd probably only use the oven-baked version for presentations (as gifts to friends).

Conclusion:

The inspirational recipes and choices really make this book worth its price. If you like to bake/eat a VARIETY of breads with a small amount of fuss, this book (and the bread machine) gives you the freedom to do just that. All the flavors and possibilities--this is a must-have book; get it and enjoy.

I spent some time comparing two bread machine cookbooks as I recently purchased a Zojirushi BBC-X20 bread machine and wanted some recipes besides the ones in the manual that came with the machine. This was one; the other was "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger.

This book is really a dazzling array of recipes and I like the fact that there are many that include unusual combinations and unusual grains like millet. There are also a large number of interesting ethnic bread recipes. Recipes are given for 1, 1.5 and 2lb loaves, but I will probably only use the 2lb amounts.

The recipes are good and the price makes it a good value. It is a hardcover book, which is nice for durability's sake. My biggest gripe is the layout. I might not have been bugged by it, but Beth Hensperger's book is a visual delight, so this one looks kind of cheap in comparison. These recipes are crammed onto the pages and there is nothing in the way of photos of the recipes, or even any real drawings. Perhaps, with 600 recipes, there just wasn't any room for niceties.

That may be a small thing and the recipes are good. But when push came to shove, I went for the other book...I'll add this one to my collection later. If you can't afford that one or don't mind the visual issues--and many people may not--this is still an excellent collection of bread machine recipes.

Book was recommended to me and it has met all my expectations.

Warning! There are a lot of calories in these breads.

After checking out several bread machine books from the local library, this one is my favorite. Many bread machine cookbooks have a good portion of their recipes using your bread machine as a food processor or blender, then removing the dough, batter, or whatever, and further processing it somewhere else. I'm the mother of two preschoolers, so obviously this isn't something I'm looking to do. Honestly, if I wanted to mix up a cake mix and bake it in the oven, I would not use my bread machine to do it!

The majority of the recipes in this book are completed entirely in the bread machine. There are several recipes for many kinds of rolls, bagels, cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, etc, that require removal, so there is a variety for those days you want to do something special.

My complaint: Many recipes end up being reused in a different section, with perhaps slightly different ingredients. This book is actually a collection of several smaller books, so this is not too unexpected. Not too bad considering the sheer number of interesting recipes included. I was really disappointed to not find quickbread recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth in the bread machine - no banana bread or other non-yeast recipes. I am aware not all bread machine have such a setting, but my new one does (a Sunbeam), and I haven't found any quickbread recipes designed for a machine.

I was fortunate to find this book several years ago. Have purchased them for my daughter-in-laws also. I am still trying new variations found in the book. I like the spiral back until it comes out of the holder. Also, there are 5 different books included in the book. mmm fresh bread!

Of the three bread machine cookbooks I have, the recipes I've tried in this book are the most successful. My favorites are Granola Bread & Tropical Banana Chip Bread. I like to try breads with fun ingredients. This cookbook offers a lot of choices.

I wish the cookbook included pictures - that's my biggest complaint. I like the way the ingredients are listed for small, medium & large size machines - bullets in column form & each recipe is prefaced by information about its origins & hints to optimize its success.

Discovered this book on my Mom's bookshelf. She'd received it as a gift. After making one of the recipes, I decided to purchase a copy for my kitchen. Aaaaack! $228 ? ! Are you kidding ? ! I honestly thought it was a typo and then discovered that's the real price they're asking. I don't care if they say it's 6 books in one. The book isn't any bigger or better than any other cookbook its size. This is no rare edition and my budget doesn't allow for $200 cookbooks. And I own alot of cookbooks. Let me know when the price drops to a reasonable amount. I'm still in shock at the nerve to ask over $200 for this book.

{Review written Jan 2005}

I've owed and used all 6 books of the author's "The Bread Machine Cookbook" series. However, as of this writing, I have not yet purchased a copy of this particular edition, whose cover art seems to indicate that it "includes 5 books in 1". I'll assume that means it's an omnibus edition that includes (and replaces) the older series by the same author. Accordingly, I'll review the newer all-in-1 edition, rather than each of the original books ...

If you've just purchased an ABM (Automatic Bread Machine), and if you're still learning the ropes of basic breadmaking, then this is a great series.

STRENGTHS:

a) The author includes a dizzying array of recipes ... the cover says over 600, and the page count is listed at 360 pages. That solves 2 complaints I had against the original series, which used a silly long, slender and awkward 'chap-book' format that not only didn't fit on book shelves cleanly, it also limited the recipes to 1 per page in order to maximize page count. The newer edition appears to improve upon this. In any case, the recipes span a wide variety of flavors ... from potato breads, to corn breads, to breads with dried fruits, dried herbs, etc.

b) The author included helpful information on which of several batch sizes for any given recipes should be used based on what make & model ABM you own. I assume this information has since been updated and carried forward to the omnibus edition, but I have not verified this.

c) Recipes were usually simple, terse, easy to prepare, and (in most, but not all cases) fairly reliable.

WEAKNESSES:

1) ABMs, by definition, have a whole spectrum of inherent limitations, and can only make, at best, mediocre quality bread. Just like the training wheels on the first bicycle you owned as a child, ABMs are a tool for convenience and learning - but they should be left behind as quickly as your learning curve and experience permit ... otherwise, despite your enthusiasm, your skills will quickly plateau at 'mediocre'. When you're ready to attempt ascending to the next level of mastery (handmade/artisanal breadmaking), get yourself a large pizza stone, some parchment paper, and a peel, a digital thermometer and a plant mister, and a pastry brush, and learn to work without a net by doing it all by hand. Soon, the only limit to your results will be the quality of your oven, your sour dough culture, and your kneading & rising techniques. With further experience, the latter 2 limits will dissipate too, and it'll just be the quality of your oven (i.e., even radiance & heat retention, higher temperatures, automatic moisture controls, etc.). In any case, the author largely glossed over all that in the first 5 books of her original series, and then touched on such things only briefly in Book 6 (i.e., pizza dough, baguettes, stuffed breads, etc.) - and even then she did so in extremely limited depth, and she STILL advocated using ABMs to make the dough, even for hand-shaped breads. I don't know if that stance/mindset has changed any in the newer edition. Anyway, let me spell out the big picture about why I'm not feeling especially hopeful on that count - an author specializing in ABMs is unlikely to go out of their way selling you on techniques that dont require ABMs, because doing so would be a conflict of interest. As far as I'm converned, that's like selecting a doctor whose goal is to keep you sick (in order to keep you coming back).

2) Book 4 of the original series (Whole Grains) had many problems with inconsistent density & texture (gleutin-related issues), and moisture control in the resulting breads - most of that was due to both the author's inexperience, and the inherent limitations with the ABMs of the day, and with ABMs in general. As of this writing, I do not know if any of these problems have been revisited to any extent in the new omnibus edition. ABMs have improved and become more feature laden since they first came out - but they're still a limiting factor for aspiring home breadmakers.

3) The original series included no pictures - just a few B&W hand drawings. I dunno if the new omnibus has improved on that any.

BOTTOM LINE: If you've just purchased (or been given) an ABM, and if convenience and ease of use are important to you, then this series is highly recommended for it's ambitiousness, creativity, and variety. If that's what floats your boat, then there's enough recipes there to keep you interested and entertained for years. As for myself - I gave away my ABM several years ago, along with half my books on ABM breadmaking, and moved on to the hand & stone method, and I haven't really looked back.

Ordered the item 1/9/07 with an anticipated delivery of 3 weeks.Received two

times requests to accept further delivery delays or cancel. Hopefully it will

ship now beginning of April.