English Bread and Yeast Cookery (Penguin Cookery Library) [Paperback]

Elizabeth David (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2001 | Series: Penguin Cookery Library

In this universally acclaimed book Elizabeth David deals with all aspects of flour-milling, yeast, bread ovens and the different types of bread and flour available. The recipes cover yeast cookery of all kinds, and the many lovely, old-fashioned spiced breads, buns, pancakes and muffins, among others, are all described with her typical elegance and unrivalled knowledge.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elizabeth David was the best food writer of her time, and even today is considered to be without peer. ENGLISH BREAD AND YEAST COOKERY was first published by Viking in 1977. Elizabeth David died in 1992.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (April 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140299742
• ISBN-13: 978-0140299748
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,014,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent choice, January 3, 2008

By 

Helen Calvert Carter "Helen." (Guadalajara, Mexico.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: English Bread and Yeast Cookery (Penguin Cookery Library) (Paperback)

I love this book because I learn something every time I open the pages. Approximately half the book is an extremely comprehensive (one chapter on salt alone) history of bread and breadmaking in the UK, and the other half is recipes. These recipes are not set out in the way one might be used to from other cookery books - there's no 'one recipe on each page with a glossy picture on the other' going on. This work could best be described as a compendium of recipes historical and more contemporary. There are a few pictures, but more for historical illustration than to make one rush out and buy the ingredients to make the item.
Why I love this book so much is that it's pretty impossible to get tired of it. There's simply so much to learn, little simple things about bread making which make things so much easier. I've learned so much about yeast - you could even make your own at home if you wanted to, following the instructions, although I kinda skipped that part! All measurements are in imperial measurements with metric equivalents. Many of the recipes hail from the English country house tradition and were written down by housekeepers: some require 'seven bushels 'of this or that, which really doesn't matter, as realistic equivalents are given and it's really easy to make the recipes for a household of one or two people if the original quantity of ingredients stated seems rather excessive.
I live in a high altitude zone and this can cause problems with baking, but I have never had a problem with any of the recipes in this book, although I have noticed it is necessary to be extremely strict (to the minute) with cooking times. Everything has turned out beautifully and what does not get devoured immediately from the oven gets put in the freezer and warmed through in aluminium foil in the oven at a later date. It tastes exactly the same. I am an expat and these recipes remind me of home so much, but nicer, becase a) you have all the fun of making them yourself and b)whereas you might remember some mass-produced product (hot cross buns for example) from UK they're a million times better when you do them yourself, not even mentioning the sense of accomplishment one achieves. The book includes every regional speciality one could think of; my Mexican husband has developed a thing about Staffordshire pikelets with bacon. If you love not only baking (and I'm not much above the experienced novice stage) but would like to know more about it - WHY you're doing a particular procedure for example, then this is the book for you. There are quite a few 'little old lady' recipes as well - the teacakes from the old lady on the Isle of Wight are fabulous.
All in all, if you want shiny pages and large glossy photos, this is not the book for you. If you want one of those books which has heritage recipes like granny made which are pretty fool-proof and don't mind not having a shiny picture of how the finished item is supposed to look, AND you are prepared to be educated, absorbed and entertained by Ms. David's style, snap this book up.