Recipes from the back rooms and basement bakeries that produce Europe's best breads.
When Daniel Leader opened his Catskills bakery, Bread Alone, twenty years ago, he was determined to duplicate the whole-grain and sourdough breads he had learned to make in the bakeries of Paris. The bakery was an instant success, and his first book, Bread Alone, brought Leader's breads to home kitchens. In this, his second book, Leader shares his experiences traveling throughout Europe in search of the best artisan breads. He learned how to make new-wave sourdough baguettes with spelt, flaxseed, and soy at an organic bakery in Alsace; and in Genzano, outside of Rome, he worked with the bakers who make the enormous country loaves so unique that they have earned the Indicazione Geografica Protetta (IGP), a government mark reserved for the most prized foods and wines. Leader's detailed recipes describe every step that it takes to reproduce these rare loaves, which until now were available strictly locally. 32 pages of color illustrations
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Leader's new bread-baking book is distinguished from his earlier classic Bread Alone by its focus on regional specialties, from the Alsatian classic pain au levain to Tuscan black olive puccia, from German laugenbrezeln or pretzels to the dark Silesian rye of the Czech Republic. The book opens with 50 pages of well-written and thorough instructions on everything from ingredients to equipment. The most helpful part is the explanation of the basic steps of any bread-making process, which serves as a primer on the procedural elements that are universal across the various European traditions. Leader, who founded the heralded Bread Alone bakery in Woodstock, N.Y., is most interested in teaching holistically, so that his readers will feel comfortable becoming apprentices and then experts themselves. One can't help imagining, however, that bread baking is best learned in the flesh. Leader advises that the only way to figure out if the dough is ready is through experience, and a hapless home baker might agree. Still, the book is an excellent primer on the best breads of Europe, and the traveler who has returned home with a longing for the Roman specialty pane di altamura might be satisfied with a mouth-watering trip down memory lane. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
After perusing the remarkable recipes in Leader's compilation of the best of Europe's artisanal breads, only the most resolutely self-controlled baker will be able to resist marching to the kitchen to reproduce one of these captivating loaves. Leader explains how to create a sourdough from airborne yeasts, and he uses that starter for many of these breads to yield superior, deep flavor and thick, crunchy crusts. Ranging from baguettes to chocolate croissants, from Italian ciabatta to dark Silesian rye, and from Czech country bread to potato pizza, these recipes give access to bread bakers' highest art. For those lacking the courage and patience to ferment a real sourdough starter, Leader offers several different shortcuts to success. Line drawings guide the novice, and full-color photographs render ideals for Leader's students to emulate. Question-and-answer sections throughout the book succinctly clarify potential problem areas. Leader's Auvergnat blue cheese rye rolls alone make this book a must for devotees of the baker's art. Knoblauch, Mark
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
102 of 107 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Local Breads is a good addition to the bread bakers library. There are probably three types of people who would be interested in this book:
1) die-hard artisan bread-baking fanatics (or perhaps not quite fanatic). If you say "hmmm... this describes me pretty accurately, as you pick dried dough off of your forearms), you definitely need this book. No sense having an incomplete home artisan-bread-baking library. It also contains recipes I have not encountered in other books. There is bound to be at least one or two recipes that will enter into your rotation.
2) Arm-chair bread-bakers. If you don't bake bread everyday, but enjoy eating it (or perhaps you used to be a fanatic and no longer have time), this book is still for you. In addition to numerous recipes, the descriptions of bakeries, bakers, bread, and other experiences makes for a very good read (if you enjoyed American Pie or any of Maggie Glezer's books, you will probably like this one as well). Likewise, if you are interested in travel or the slow food movement, this book could be of interest to you.
3) Beginning bakers. This could be an acceptable first book for people just getting introduced to the world of artisan bread baking-- I would probably recommend Peter Reinhart's books instead of or, if you want as much knowledge as possible, in addition to Leader's. It probably makes more sense to have fundamental baking knowledge before diving into a multi-step sourdough recipe, for example. If you are prepared for some trial and error, the recipes themselves are very clear... there are just some things that cannot be understood perfectly without a little bit of prior experience. Leader does have a very helpful introduction with basic techniques and equipment. So, it could be appropriate for novices (although perhaps slightly overwhelming).
This book is probably best described as a hybrid between Hammelman's Bread and Glezer's Artisan Baking Across America. It definitely has enough unique qualities to justify its purchase and it may even end up earning a permanent spot in your kitchen (sending your previous favorite to the living room shelf)
Unfortunately (and Leader's book is not the only one suffering from this problem) the book could have benefited from more attentive editing. There are many typographical errors and other mistakes in this book, which is perhaps excusable for a first edition (e.g. he describes a pizza al pomodori. This should be either al pomodoro or ai pomodori. These types of mistakes should be corrected in a second printing.
1) die-hard artisan bread-baking fanatics (or perhaps not quite fanatic). If you say "hmmm... this describes me pretty accurately, as you pick dried dough off of your forearms), you definitely need this book. No sense having an incomplete home artisan-bread-baking library. It also contains recipes I have not encountered in other books. There is bound to be at least one or two recipes that will enter into your rotation.
2) Arm-chair bread-bakers. If you don't bake bread everyday, but enjoy eating it (or perhaps you used to be a fanatic and no longer have time), this book is still for you. In addition to numerous recipes, the descriptions of bakeries, bakers, bread, and other experiences makes for a very good read (if you enjoyed American Pie or any of Maggie Glezer's books, you will probably like this one as well). Likewise, if you are interested in travel or the slow food movement, this book could be of interest to you.
3) Beginning bakers. This could be an acceptable first book for people just getting introduced to the world of artisan bread baking-- I would probably recommend Peter Reinhart's books instead of or, if you want as much knowledge as possible, in addition to Leader's. It probably makes more sense to have fundamental baking knowledge before diving into a multi-step sourdough recipe, for example. If you are prepared for some trial and error, the recipes themselves are very clear... there are just some things that cannot be understood perfectly without a little bit of prior experience. Leader does have a very helpful introduction with basic techniques and equipment. So, it could be appropriate for novices (although perhaps slightly overwhelming).
This book is probably best described as a hybrid between Hammelman's Bread and Glezer's Artisan Baking Across America. It definitely has enough unique qualities to justify its purchase and it may even end up earning a permanent spot in your kitchen (sending your previous favorite to the living room shelf)
Unfortunately (and Leader's book is not the only one suffering from this problem) the book could have benefited from more attentive editing. There are many typographical errors and other mistakes in this book, which is perhaps excusable for a first edition (e.g. he describes a pizza al pomodori. This should be either al pomodoro or ai pomodori. These types of mistakes should be corrected in a second printing.
71 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After reading all the other reviews about this product, I decided to check out a copy at the library before buying. I began reading the book and was enthralled. This book has everything that should make it a success: knowledgable author, adventurous storyline, details on the how-tos of breadmaking, unusual recipes, and great photos. EXCEPT: when you dig deeper you see that the great recipes are flawed! What a disappointment!
For example:
How much does 1-1/2 cups of water weigh? Answer: In this book, it depends on which recipe you are making.
On pg 67 & pg.144, 1-1/2 cups weighs: 340grams/12oz.
On pg. 96 & pg.126, 1-1/2cups water weighs 350g or 12.3 oz.
Move on to pg. 170 and 1-1/2 cups water now weighs 375g/13.2 oz.
Why does the weight of water matter when all these pages call for 1-1/2 cups water? Easy. The author, Daniel Leader has clearly stated on several website/boards that he gave the original recipes in Metric measurements only. He didn't even want to add volume measures (cups, teaspoons,etc.) but his editor insisted. Someone other than the Daniel Leader also did all the U.S. weight and volume conversions. Too bad that someone had no basic understanding of arithmetic principles!
I could spend a lot of time listing all the measurement inconsistencies in this book. Still, that wouldn't leave enough time to mention the blatent errors---for example, pg. 283 has a recipe that calls for 22 cups of water (yes, twenty-two). The weight of 22 cups of water is: 300g/10.6 oz.
After a browse through this book, I began to develop a real love/distrust relationship. The book is very attractive--and very flawed.
Other reviewers have suggested that maybe you could just use the metric table for the recipes. I have two issues with that:
1) I don't currently own a scale that is extremely accurate at measuring small amounts of items such as yeast, salt, etc.
2) I am not convinced that the metric measurements are correct/dependable either. In his book, Daniel Leader always provides a "Baker's Percentage' of which the total weight of the flour is, of course, 100 percent. Everything else is a percentage of that total flour weight. So, it is feasible to *prove* that the metric weights are indeed mathematically correct per the baker's perecentages given. But, honestly, who has to the time to spend working out the ratios for every recipe just to verify that the gram weight of each recipe ingredient is correct? Without doing that, however, I have no way of knowing if the recipe flaws extend to the metric measurement. Given the rampant errors/typos in the this text, what are the odds that there are NO typos in the metric measurements?
My advice: check this book out at the library, read the storyline and breadmaking parts, play with a recipe or two (if you are daring), and then REFUSE to spend your money supporting an author and editor who never actually cared enough to EDIT the final version of the book.
I plan to spend my limited dollars on a bread book that won't make me wring my hands in frustation!
For example:
How much does 1-1/2 cups of water weigh? Answer: In this book, it depends on which recipe you are making.
On pg 67 & pg.144, 1-1/2 cups weighs: 340grams/12oz.
On pg. 96 & pg.126, 1-1/2cups water weighs 350g or 12.3 oz.
Move on to pg. 170 and 1-1/2 cups water now weighs 375g/13.2 oz.
Why does the weight of water matter when all these pages call for 1-1/2 cups water? Easy. The author, Daniel Leader has clearly stated on several website/boards that he gave the original recipes in Metric measurements only. He didn't even want to add volume measures (cups, teaspoons,etc.) but his editor insisted. Someone other than the Daniel Leader also did all the U.S. weight and volume conversions. Too bad that someone had no basic understanding of arithmetic principles!
I could spend a lot of time listing all the measurement inconsistencies in this book. Still, that wouldn't leave enough time to mention the blatent errors---for example, pg. 283 has a recipe that calls for 22 cups of water (yes, twenty-two). The weight of 22 cups of water is: 300g/10.6 oz.
After a browse through this book, I began to develop a real love/distrust relationship. The book is very attractive--and very flawed.
Other reviewers have suggested that maybe you could just use the metric table for the recipes. I have two issues with that:
1) I don't currently own a scale that is extremely accurate at measuring small amounts of items such as yeast, salt, etc.
2) I am not convinced that the metric measurements are correct/dependable either. In his book, Daniel Leader always provides a "Baker's Percentage' of which the total weight of the flour is, of course, 100 percent. Everything else is a percentage of that total flour weight. So, it is feasible to *prove* that the metric weights are indeed mathematically correct per the baker's perecentages given. But, honestly, who has to the time to spend working out the ratios for every recipe just to verify that the gram weight of each recipe ingredient is correct? Without doing that, however, I have no way of knowing if the recipe flaws extend to the metric measurement. Given the rampant errors/typos in the this text, what are the odds that there are NO typos in the metric measurements?
My advice: check this book out at the library, read the storyline and breadmaking parts, play with a recipe or two (if you are daring), and then REFUSE to spend your money supporting an author and editor who never actually cared enough to EDIT the final version of the book.
I plan to spend my limited dollars on a bread book that won't make me wring my hands in frustation!
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really love this book. I want to apprentice in Daniel Leader's bakery.
I started my journey into artisan baking with Daniel Leader's first book, Bread Alone. This book is more advanced than Bread Alone and he has changed and refined a few of his techniques.
If you are like me, an amateur artisan baker who wants to take the next step, this book is for you. With the help of this book, I have grown my first wild yeast starter and have baked three types of bread from it. The Quintessential French Sourdough that just came out of my over is almost as good as I have ever sampled from any artisan baker.
If you have not baked hearth breads before but are an adventurous baker who is interested in learning how to create artisan loaves, then this book would work for you as well if you remember that artisan baking is 75% technique and craftmanship. Read his directions well (cover to cover), do everything exactly as he says and you will have good results.
I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is probably best for bakers with at least some experience.
This is a great book and a must for anyone doing hearth breads.
I started my journey into artisan baking with Daniel Leader's first book, Bread Alone. This book is more advanced than Bread Alone and he has changed and refined a few of his techniques.
If you are like me, an amateur artisan baker who wants to take the next step, this book is for you. With the help of this book, I have grown my first wild yeast starter and have baked three types of bread from it. The Quintessential French Sourdough that just came out of my over is almost as good as I have ever sampled from any artisan baker.
If you have not baked hearth breads before but are an adventurous baker who is interested in learning how to create artisan loaves, then this book would work for you as well if you remember that artisan baking is 75% technique and craftmanship. Read his directions well (cover to cover), do everything exactly as he says and you will have good results.
I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is probably best for bakers with at least some experience.
This is a great book and a must for anyone doing hearth breads.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Beautiful and Useful for Sourdough Baking
If you are a sourdough baker (or want to be), you would be hard pressed to do better that this book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by G. Mesick
Amazing book
I bought this bread recipe/cook book for my boyfriend for Christmas this year since he absolutely loves baking breads and he hasn't closed it since. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Fox n' Sox
Another gift from my husband
This is a very nice all purpose bread book that is easy to understand and follow. I love the french, italian and baguettes and most of the free from pan breads the best. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Judi T
Great and Easy
I purchased this book for my husband who has recently begun to make his own breads at home. I am now enjoying true artisan breads with many of the recipes from this book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by bellydancer
Not a worthwhile cookbook ... just for light reading
This book is chock-full of errors and mistakes, in measurements, instructions, and descriptions. The author has made no effort to offer corrections. Read more
Published 9 months ago by CORA EMMA
Not great
I didn't like the format of the recipes in this book, it's overly long-winded when all I want is a recipe.
Published 17 months ago by Sue S
Horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, but do not waste your money. The breads do sound good, but can you really make them?! The author never proof read the final book. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Sophia Lenz
Great book, really like european breads
This book, is always on top of my counter, at least one day a week, i make one recipe of any bread on the book, the recipes are really clear and in two ways of measurment, in cups... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Guillermo
Personal and thoughtful...
Local Breads is a worthy successor to Leader's Bread Alone--it's very heartening to hear a master baker explain how his technique (both in baking and recipe writing) has evolved,... Read more
Published 20 months ago by rosasharne
Local Breads,Sourdough & Wholegrain Recipes .... Daniel Leader
"Bread Alone" is one of my favorite bread books: this second book by Daniel Leader will stand next to it on the shelf. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mr. D. Brown
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