Customer Reviews

Quick Loaves: 150 Breads and Cakes, Meat and Meatless Loaves

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We got a copy of Quick Loaves and my wife started a list of required recipe items: very interesting. Then I got to watch the preparation process: mysterious and intriguing. Finally, I was able to enjoy the results of the process, starting with the Little Thai Turkey Loaves (excellent) and finishing with Dense Dark Chocolate Loaf (superb). The entire process was entertaining and the end result well worth the wait. And we still have plenty of made-ahead dough for future meal installments from Quick Loaves. We have many of Jean Anderson's cookbooks, and she never disappoints.

I received a copy of Quick Loaves as a gift from a friend who knows I like to bake, and got so hungry just looking through it that I baked the Whole-Wheat Banana-Raisin Bread right away. There are loaves of every sort--meat loaves, salads, vegetarian loaves, and cakes as well as lots of breads. I have tried several cakes using the homemade cake mix that is in the first chapter of the book. They were delicious, very quick, and--best of all--chemical free. I have just ordered copies for my daughters who are newly married. It would make a great Mother's Day gift or wedding shower present.

`Quick Loaves' is by Jean Anderson, one of our foremost authors of cookbooks who has achieved a high distinction by high volume on better than average books, especially with `The Food of Portugal' and `The American Century Cookbook'. This book, like `Process This!' and `Micro Ways' addresses one aspect of fast and easy cooking by the amateur home cook who wants just a little more depth than what you can get from Rachael Ray's excellent collections of recipes.

For starters, I think this book is superior to `Process This!' if only because I think that while the food processor is a major investment in a high maintenance appliance, this book requires investing in no special equipment. And, even if you do not yet have some basic baking pans, some inexpensive equipment can be had for less than twenty dollars ($20). And yet, Ms. Anderson may have painted herself into a corner with this book by limiting her audience to those who like to bake things often at home but who do not want to spend a lot of effort doing it.

Ms. Anderson's primary theme in this book is in the preparation of home brewed mixes for making baking a wide range of both sweet and savory breads, cakes, meatloaves, and veggie loaves and puddings. In doing this, she has offered advice on good baking technique that agrees with simply everything I have ever read about baking. She has even offered the first advice I have read on the new lines of silicone plastic bakeware, with advice on how to work with them and on the most widely respected brands. I have not even seen any word about these things in `Cooks Illustrated' yet.

I bake fairly often compared to most men, yet I do not bake more than once every two weeks, and, over half of what I bake involves yeast breads or pastry, but Ms. Anderson's book does not address yeast bread baking in detail (there are some quick yeast breads, but I subscribe to the well established doctrine popularized by Peter Reinhart that the best yeast risen breads are those which rise slowly) and she does not deal with classic French pastry crust doughs. One of the greatest ironies is that while Ms. Anderson's first mix is remarkably similar to the dough used to make buttermilk biscuits, she strongly recommends a standard all purpose flour such as Pillsbury or King Arthur rather than a soft southern flour such as White Lily. And yet, White Lily is my preferred flour for making buttermilk biscuits, which takes up about 20% of all my baking activity. So what is a fella to do with this book?

This excellently priced trade paperback has five chapters beginning with a short chapter on `Basics' which agree in every way with everything I have ever read about good baking technique. This should be no surprise whatsoever from someone who has written over 20 cookbooks. This book presents the eight basic `make ahead' ingredients, two of which are the cornerstones of all baking in Chapters 2 and 3. One of the most important facts about the flour mixes is their shelf life. Both are good for about two months in the freezer. The big question for a reader of this book is `Will I make two or more recipes using these mixes before they expire. I know I cannot be sure of doing this, even when I bake about once every two weeks. The four remaining chapters are all about the same size and deal with four different kinds of loaves.

Chapter 2 is `Quickbreads and Coffeecakes plus a Few Fast Yeast Breads'. The poster child for this chapter is a spicy version of Irish Soda Bread with nutmeg, sugar, and currants. A close relative to this is a very attractive looking recipe for Welsh Speckled Bread' with some strong orange flavoring from rind and marmalade.

Chapter 3 is `Cakes, Pudding Loaves and Other Desserts'. The flagship recipe in this chapter is a `simple yellow cake with a brown sugar and coconut topping. Shortbread cookies are in this chapter along with crumb cakes, and a flourless Bavarian Hazelnut torte. This last recipe is a great exemplar of a family of central European flourless recipes, my favorite of that is the Hungarian walnut cake that uses a meringue rather than whipped cream for its lift. One important aside here is that the author is simply gaga over hazelnut recipes, so if you are a big hazelnut fan, I suggest you ignore everything else I have said in this review and rush right out to buy a copy of this book.

Chapter 4 deals with meatloaves. I know there are people who really like to try a lot of different meatloaf recipes. I am not one of these people, but my mother is. I am perfectly happy with my basic `Cooks Illustrated / The Best Recipe' version which comes out just right every time I make it. But, if you are like my mother, I really suggest you get this book, along with all the hazelnut addicts out there. The first recipe is for an `Easy Italian Meatloaf' which cuts time from the prep work by including a prepackaged pasta sauce. The second recipe includes the same prepared marinara sauce. The third recipe includes a prepared barbecue sauce. Since I prefer to not use such prepared sauces, and since I am quite happy with my old familiar recipe, this chapter holds no charm for me.

Chapter 5 offers the comfort of a meatloaf to vegetarians who eschew beef, pork or anything else that travels on four hooves. The Mushroom and Pecan loaf opener is attractive even to me who is especially fond of anything with mushrooms.

This is really a very good book and if any selling point appeals to you, then I recommend it with no reservations. I recommend it especially to anyone who likes to bake a wide variety of things but who welcomes shortcuts.

This cookbook is a fabulous new tool in my quest to add interesting, delicious and healthful meals to my repertoire. The best part is that it is so easy. Every recipe I have made, from the Little Thai Turkey loaves to the Dense Dark Chocolate Loaf has been a breeze and resulted in rave reviews. The additive-free mixes are a bonus. In this busy world, this is a must-have cookbook for anyone who loves to cook, eat well and never has enough time. It is on the top of my gift-giving list for those I love.

We love loaves in our house, both for family and guests. This is the best collection of meat loaves and dazzling variations we have ever seen.And they 're easy, some very exotic, even dessert and bread loaves. We must have about 10 of Jean Anderson's cookbooks in our kitchen. (She is not related!) After a good many years, we never even bother to look at anyone else's.

If you have a large food processor and an interest in stocking your freezer with Anderson's required "mixes", (necessary in order to use many of her recipes), then you'll probably like this book. I have neither the food processor nor the freezer space, so the book was a big disappointment to me. I've always disliked cookbook authors who expect you to do everything exactly the way they do, with no other options. Unfortunately, Anderson is one of those authors. The mixes you have to prepare ahead of time may shorten the actual preparation time for a recipe, but it also requires you to have time to stock up on these mixes in advance. Why would I want to allot time to prepare several of these mixes in advance and stuff them into my freezer when I don't even know which recipes will take my fancy on any given day? And all of this assumes I can afford to go out and buy a large, expensive food processor! Most of these recipes give you no other option. Very disappointing.