Customer Reviews

Gourmet Dog Biscuits: From Your Bread Machine

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

 

 

This book is a waste of time and money. For starters - it just uses the bread machine as a mixer - it is not anywhere near as easy as using your bread machine to make bread. So the title can be misleading. And as another reviewer said - it isn't for dogs with allergies. That was the whole point of me baking my own - to provide my dog with treats that he can't have otherwise because of his allergies. And the book is just too scatchy on the details. It doesn't tell you for each recipe how dark the treats should be when done - so you don't know if they are raw or burnt. I will return to the internet to search for some recipes for my dog that he can have despite the allergies and which I can make without guesswork.

I got this book as a gift, and have just started facing some allergy problems with my dog. I haven't made any of these recipes yet, because every one of them calls for cornmeal and wheat flour, which are the most common things for dogs to be allergic to. There is also a whole chapter devoted to beef flavored recipes, which many long haired breeds are allergic to. It turns out that my dog probably is allergic to corn, so if I can find a substitute for cornmeal, I will try some of these recipes.

I was very disappointed that the author did not have a chapter devoted to allergen free recipes. To me, one of the biggest reasons to bake rather than buy treats, is to provide something that the stores don't provide. This book definitely does not do that. It gives you the opportunity to experiment with different flavors with your dog, but if your dog has a sensitive stomach, you probably don't like to do that anyway.

This is definitely more of a "fun, whimsical play with your dog" kind of book than it is a "provide the right nutrition for your dog" kind of book.

I bought this book in a fit of self-indulgence... I am 40 pounds overweight and I love to cook all sorts of ethnic and gourmet meals. I was facing the prospect of trying to diet, and I was feeling very sorry for myself, not only for the fact that I'd have to eat much more sparingly, but because that also meant I would have to COOK much more sparingly. I don't like to be obligated to cook, but I sure do like it as a hobby, and I've failed many a diet before by convincing myself that food isn't fattening if it's homemade.

When I saw this book, I realized I had a key ingredient to my OWN successful diet. I could spend time in the kitchen, but I could spend it baking for my DOG. I've made dog cookies before, and while I enjoyed it once, the whole dough-blending process is laborious, and not something I wanted to repeat too often. And I own a bread machine, which I love to use, but which lies around gathering dust because when I bake bread, I eat bread, and I get fatter.

This book is just great. Each recipe is sort of a variation on a theme, and even though the recipes have a zillion ingredients, I have found them to be very tolerant of reasonable substitutions, once you figure out which ingredients are sort of interchangeable. And yet, the huge variety of recipes, complete with their cute little margin stories, make each round of baking a little adventure. I've made four recipes so far, some of which my dog has grudgingly shared with her various doggie friends and cousins. The reviews have been great across the board.

My recommendations if you buy this book: Do check the dough, as advised, 15 minutes after blending starts, because it's not uncommon to need a little more oil or water. Buy a nice size jar of yeast and a nice size jar of brewer's yeast and stick 'em in the fridge; have a shopping spree on a bunch of weird kinds of flour and brans and such, put them all in tupperwares so it'll all last, and then just bake, bake, bake. I've been baking about once every other week, and I'm not at ALL tired of it yet.

And I've lost eight pounds!!

Sondra Macdonald's Gourmet Dog Biscuits From Your Bread Machine will become an instant favorite with its easy directions, helpful hints, storage tips, ingredient lists, and both serious as well as whimsical recipes for dog biscuits that will taste better, prove fresher, are more nutritious, and cost less than the commercial brands. Divided into sections devoted to treats made with chicken broth, beef broth, nonfat treats, and healthy vegetarian dog treats, Gourmet Dog Biscuits is unique, wholesome, and welcome contribution to the personalized care and feeding of an animal companion.

I have been baking my own dog treats for years- even devoloping my own recipes so I had a lot of experience going in. I have to say that this book would definitely win my award for the 'dumbest recipe titles ever' going way beyond 'cute' and moving into truly 'stupid'. However, the recipes themselves are excellent! I always use my bread machine for mixing even when I bake bread so using it to mix the dog biscuits is very easy. The recipes are very creative. Although most recipes in this book use wheat flour- you could always substitute spelt flour for the wheat - the author would have done well to mention that in the beginning of the book.
Overall- great book with very creative recipes.

A most entertaining and wonderfully illustrated book with delightful pictures, amusing stories and excellent recipes. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The recipes are easy to follow and fun to make. Thank you Sondra for showing us a way to keep our beloved pets healthy and fit.

In checking out the "LOOK INSIDE" feature, I see three recipes that include raisins. Grapes (and raisins) are highly toxic to dogs. The fact that the author includes them in her recipes scares me. If you have purchased this book, please be careful. [...]

This is a cute book with loads of healthy treats for dogs. My 7 year old granddaughter and I made the bacon variety and all the dog samplers loved them. We tasted them and they weren't bad and much healthier than the people food we often eat. I noticed that some recipes called for raisons which we are now advised NOT to give to dogs (book was written some time ago). We'll be using this book alot!

Ingredients for the receipes in this book are not readyly available. Only avail at healthfood stores - a bit costly. I DO cook for my animals and found this book difficult to work with.

I smiled and chuckled through EVERY PAGE! Not only was it fun to make the biscuits , but the reading was so enjoyable. Everyone I know who loves dogs and has a bread machine is going to be getting this as a gift!