Customer Reviews

The Panera Bread Cookbook: Breadmaking Essentials and Recipes from America's Favorite Bakery-Cafe

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

 

 

The Publishers Weekly review was correct in stating there no authentic Panera "Bread" recipes in this book. The only authentic items are a few sandwich and salad recipes (and these recipes are not very hard to figure out after eating the product at the restaurant). The bread recipes in the book are basic, such as white, wheat, rye, etc.

The other chapters on Sandwiches and Soups and Salads, etc., are decent, but are dominated by recipes that I would not expect to be in a Panera Bread book. The few recipes from Panera Bread include the Tuscan Chicken Sandwich, Asiago Roast Beef sandwich, and Asian Sesame Chicken Salad. The recipes that are stunning but definitely not expected in this type of book are: Boiled shrimp and Tomato Bahn Mi wiht Lime Mayonnaise and Avocado, Curried Egg Salad Croissant with Daikon Sprouts and Roma Tomato, etc. When purchasing this book, I did not expect to search out 'speciality' indgredients (daikon sprouts, Hungarian Paprika, etc.). Many supermarkets do carry these, but many do not. So just be forwarned before purchasing the book.

In short, the recipes look good, but were definitely not expected! I was expecting a book with lots of bread recipes, soups, salad, sandwiches, and desserts, like those at my local Panera Bread. However, I obtained a book with a broad spectrum of recipes that look good, but was not what I wanted.

My advice: Flip through the book at a bookstore before buying! Happy Eating!

Like the bread and was disappointed when I read that only the basic breads were in this book - wanted the actual Panera Bread Recipes. Changed my mind about buying it for this reason.

I checked this book out from the library hoping to find the recipes for many of the breads Panera makes and markets. No such luck. Like previous reviewers state, the only authentic Panera restaurant recipes are for a few sandwiches and soup items. Still the focaccia bread recipe was very good as was the sourdough (though this recipe is available on Panera's web site). I don't think I'll buy the book because I can get recipes similar to the basic bread recipes the book offers just by surfing the net.

As with most cookbooks, I checked this one out from the libarary before buying it. Am I ever glad that I did! Hoping to recreate the onion soup, along with other menu items, at home, I dove into the book. There were no Panera Bread recipes from the menu that I recognized. Save your money and buy another cookbook with real recipes!

As other reviewers have mentioned the bulk of the recipes in this cookbook are NOT recipes to make items off the Panera Bread menu. If you buy the book with this end goal in mind you will probably be disapointed as there are not many and they are likely the recipes you could have figured out on your own.

That said, there are still a lot of very good recipes in this cookbook that make use of bread or are designed to compliment bread. I have tried several recipes including the Salad of Ciabatta, Celeriac, Grapes, Walnuts, and Apple that is a really fun and unique take on a bread salad. The recipe for the Turkey Bacon Bravo sandwich is also very good and tastes just like the sandwich on the menu. However, even with strong recipes like these it doesn't come close to my favorite cookbooks for sandwiches, salads, and baked breads. Instead I would highly recommend books like Raising the Salad Bar: Beyond Leafy Greens--Inventive Salads with Beans, Whole Grains, Pasta, Chicken, and More, which offers some really unqiue and easy to make salad ideas.

Overall I highly recommend browsing this book at the library or a bookstore before purchasing it. It does contain a lot of delicious recipes, but not very many copycat recipes for the items on its own menu.

I tried several of the recipes and got excellent results for the most part. The text also provided interesting background information and a bit of history of the art of breadmaking. I shared the info and bread that I'd made with quite a few people, some I knew well and others I became acquainted with, so it ended up being way more than just an interesting book to read! I may never attempt the tricky appetizers but the basic bread, i could handle.

I really liked this cookbook. It was a great bread-making guide for a beginner like me. I don't shop Panera often (too expensive) but got the cookbook to put a little pa-zaz in our home made breads; I got that and more! They have great bread tips and hints, plenty of recipes and advice on how to put your own variations on the recipes.

I did a few beginner loaves, then moved on to the advanced, and I felt like this book did a great job walking me through it. My breads turned out GREAT! My kids are officially begging me for whole-wheat breads. Mission ACCOMPLISHED!

I noticed some comments complained the specific bread recipe they were looking for from the menu, wasn't in the book... well duh. I wouldn't put all my recipes out there either. They have to keep some people coming back for something. Then again, I'm not a huge Panera shopper, so maybe I don't know what I'm missing. I guess I view this as a bread making book, not a "spill-all" recipe book.

I felt like this was a stellar book and certainly worth the purchase. I always need a good go-to bread making book and I'm glad this one is on my self.

What a ripoff! I bought this book solely for the intent of re-creating
the asian sesame chicken salad. This recipe in this book IS NOT, the same as in the restaurant.

You have been warned.

The book was a christmas gift. I didn't get to look a the book to close, but it looked to be well written and well illistrated.

For those of us who could eat at Panera seven days a week-here's how to do it in the comfort of your own home. Delightful recipes, many healthy ones, make for a delicious cookbook.