The Book of Bread (Perennial Library) [Paperback]

Judith Jones (Author), Evan Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1986

"The Book of Bread . . . is a treasure. Written by two of the best-known food authorities in the U.S., the book makes the baking of bread a true labor of love."--San Francisco Chronicle

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (October 28, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060913592
• ISBN-13: 978-0060913595
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Jones is Senior Editor and Vice President at Alfred A. Knopf. She joined the company in 1957 as an editor working primarily on translations of French writers such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. She had worked before that for Doubleday, first in New York and then in Paris, where she was responsible for reading and recommending The Diary of Anne Frank. In addition to her literary authors, she has been particularly interested in developing a list of first-rate cookbook writers; her authors have included Julia Child (Judith published Julia's first book and was her editor ever after), Lidia Bastianich, James Beard, Marion Cunningham, Rosie Daley, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, Scott Peacock, Joan Nathan, Jacques Pépin, Claudia Roden, and Nina Simonds. She is the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of two books: The Book of Bread: Knead It, Punch It, Bake It! (for children); and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook. Recently, she has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and delicious, November 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Bread (Perennial Library) (Paperback)

Judging from the contents, this is a book of execellence. It contains over 200 recipes on a wide varieties of breads. Unlike other bread or baking books I have, the recipes here are easy to follow, correct in measures, and most of all, taste fantastic. It also contains many bread-making tips/techniques that made a huge difference in the results. If you make bread by hand, or are attempted to try, this is the book. The best $20 I ever invested. Warning. No color photo. Only hand drawings.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy addition to one's collection, September 27, 2002

By 

Matthew K. Morgan (Ruther Glen, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Bread (Perennial Library) (Paperback)

I bought this book when I was searching for a specific recipe. This title happened to have that which I was seeking at the time, and I brought it home. I will confess, it is not a book I use often, as I prefer a different style of bread than many of the recipes presented in it, but it still is a good volume with good recipes.

I am a bread baker who likes a plain, "honest" loaf of bread, not enriched with a lot of fruit, vegetables, nuts and cheeses. If I want that kind of bread, I make something like cinnamon buns or a stollen or something. This book is full of recipes that use a variety of these ingredients, and that is a style to which I personally do not adhere. There are recipes that require such things as pumpkin, carrots, and other things not normally found in regular loaf breads.

That said, the recipes in this book are top notch. I have made a few of the more "plain" recipes, and the results have never been less than exceptional. Even if I do not bake in the style presented in this book, I cannot fault the recipes. It's a style issue, not a quality issue.

The book is full of very interesting and informative tidbits that make this book an interesting read in addition to being a cookbook. One section describes the origin of doughnuts (and specifically, the hole in the middle). Another describes an interesting account of where Anadama bread gained its name.

This book has no photographs. Rather, it has lots of pencil drawings to go along with many of the carefully written recipes. The instructions are easy to follow, but the drawings add a nice touch that make the recipes even more complete in many places.

Overall, this book is very well written and organized.

This book has an exceptional recipe for Monkey Bread, the best I have used so far.

If you want a large collection of "plain" recipes, I recommend you look at something else instead of this book. However, if you like variety and you enjoy recipes that make use of unusual ingredients for bread (at least as far as normal loaf bread is concerned), this book will serve you exceedingly well. It's a great book for the adventuresome baker.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a 250+cookbook library, this ranks at the top., February 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Bread (Perennial Library) (Paperback)

I have cooked (and baked) professionally for 20 years. I have amassed a library of 250+ books and this book continuously gets more use than any other. Primiarily because I love to bake and trust The Book of Bread recipes.