The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking [Paperback]

Laurel Robertson (Author), Carol Fliners (Author), Bronwen Godfrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 1985

The original, classic cookbook devoted to baking honest, delectable and nutritious whole grain breads. In a special section, the author has compiled a comprehensive and meticulous breadmaking "handbook".

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Original, thorough and comprehensive...Should help to demystify the process of baking with whole grains.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Here at last is a readable source of information heretofore available only to professional bakers.”
—East West Journal

“Sets a new standard with clear, easily followed recipes that not only tell you ‘how,’ but ‘why.’”
—Newsday

“We get lots of requests for 100 percent whole-grain bread machine recipes. Thanks to Laurel, we can fulfill these requests. What a wonderful, well-researched book! There are many delicious and varied recipes, and best of all some really innovative ideas on how to make whole-grain bread machine baking easy and successful. This will definitely be added to our baking library.”
—Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway, authors of Bread Machine Magic

From the Inside Flap

The original, classic cookbook devoted to baking honest, delectable and nutritious whole grain breads. In a special section, the author has compiled a comprehensive and meticulous breadmaking "handbook".

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Random House (October 12, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394724348
• ISBN-13: 978-0394724348
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #926,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Primer, December 10, 2000

By 

J Keistler "[e-mail]" (Lake Jackson, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking (Paperback)

This is one of the three bread books to which I regularly refer (I'm on my second copy!). Grinding my own grains and baking has been a hobby for twenty-five years. I've never come across a book as well suited to a beginner. I wish it had been around when I started!

There are many whole-grain baking books out there. So many of them are too radical for the average person. I've had books that state that only sourdough can be used for leavening, that baking powder and yeast are 'dishonest'. I've had books that categorically state that the only way to produce whole grain flour is by stone mill or grinder (not true). I've had books that use esoteric ingredients for bread not available to the average home cook.

Laurel eschews dogmatic arguments about whole grain baking. She acknowledges that we all have busy daily schedules with families and work. Better than any whole grain book I've seen, she illustrates that whole grain baking can become an integrated part of a working person's life. Her recipes, particularly those for daily loaves, are reliable. As she states, in the 'old' days some of our loaves would work, some wouldn't. We've learned better, and she illustrates how.

In addition to her recipes, the writing style of the book reminds me of 'Laurel's Kitchen', her all-around vegetarian cookbook. For the beginner, there is a very useful guide to the different ingredients of bread, and the different utensils and appliances available.

Several years after its release, this cookbook remains the most practical and useful guide to whole-grain cooking. Highly recommended.

89 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bread book for those on carb-sensitive diets, September 18, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking (Paperback)

In the age of carb-conscious diets where bread has fallen out of vogue, it is difficult to find a good collection of recipes that follows the requirements of the South Beach or Atkins diets. This is especially painful for those who dearly love bread and are willing to switch to whole-grain breads in compliance with such diets. After searching for some time for such a collection, I discovered this title and purchased with high hopes. I have not been disappointed.

This book touts itself as a 100% whole-grain bread book, and it lives up to that claim. Every recipe is based on something other than white flour, usually whole wheat flour, but frequently rye and other good flours are used in primary roles. The authors explain, rightly, that whole grains are better than highly processed flours and that they set out expressly to bring the art of whole grain baking to the readership.

The book begins with a rather lengthy discussion of why the authors have elected to concentrate on whole grain breadmaking. This includes the health issue, but also the "lost art" argument as well. From this preface, they launch into a fascinating collection of recipes: whole wheat breads, rye breads, breads with beans in the dough, milk and egg breads, grain breads, fruit/nut/seed breads, small breads, sprout and potato breads, breads with no salt, breads with rice, and finally muffins and quick breads. After the recipe collection, the book includes a very unique section describing how to rescue failed breads, followed by discussion revolving around the ingredients, a short section about equipment and utilities, and finally bread machine bread making (with a small but decent selection of recipes).

I have tried several of the recipes in this book ,and they have all turned out quite well. One recipe yielded a surprise - the Oatmeal Bread recipe made a good loaf, but the loaf was actually better on the second day. Another choice recipe is the pocket bread (pita) - it makes a lot, and they turn out infinitely better than that found at the grocery store.

Each recipe is laid out in much detail, describing possible pitfalls and things for which to look. There is more detail in this recipe collection than in most, and there should be no trouble in understanding what is required for each step in every recipe.

There is one thing about this book that is not immediately apparent unless you look for it - the recipes do not call for processed sugar as a sweetener. In fact, several recipes do not require sweeteners at all but allow for them on an "as desired" basis. Those that have sweeteners included in the recipe as a required ingredient almost always call for honey, and usually in small amounts. In addition, the authors state their general distaste for processed sugars as sweeteners, which is a good thing for those on special low-carb/low sugar diets.

This book is a must for anyone who wishes to make very good whole-grain breads. It is especially useful to those who are on carb-sensitive diets and cannot bear to part with bread.

73 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Desem, June 7, 2003

By 

Makiko Itoh "maki to all" (Earth) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking (Paperback)

The one thing that sets this book apart from all others is not the thorough instructions, or the fact that all the bread recipes use whole grains. It's the recipe for desem bread. "Recipe" doesn't adequately describe the extremely detailed instructions for making this what maybe the ultimate whole-grain, natural-yeast bread. It almost resembles a science experiment, and can be a great project for anyone who is interested in the way flour and water mixed together interacts with whatever bacteria (?) is floating in our air to create natural leavening agents.

And the results? Well, they are simply amazing. This bread literally tastes different every time it's baked - it keeps getting better and better as the desem (which is like a 'mother', a bit of dough you feed and carry on from baking to baking) matures. It's also quite a lot of work - I've let several desems die over the years due to neglect. If you are going away on holiday for some time, expect to have to start over or spend a lot of time reviving the desem (unless you can find a willing friend to pet- I mean, desem-sit for you!) Perhaps keeping a desem doesn't fit a modern lifestyle. Still I keep on starting new desems simply because the flavor is so unforgettable. In any case, get this book, enjoy the other whole-grain breads in there - and eventually, I urge you to try the desem bread.