Ultimate Bread [Hardcover]

Eric Treuille (Author), Ursula Ferrigno (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1998

Ultimate Bread brings bread-making to the home kitchen in an exquisitely illustrated primer.

After visiting a gallery of the world's breads, the authors, French-born baker Eric Treuille, and Italian-born baker, Ursula Ferrigno, introduce you to the "Baking Essentials" a complete illustrated guide to the key ingredients and equipment used in breadmaking. Then it's time for the "Basic Techniques" -- mixing, kneading, shaping, and baking -- that turn the humble ingredients of flour, water and yeast into an amazing assortment of breads. Never again will you wonder how your dough should look after the first knead or how the crust should feel when it comes out of the oven. The step-by-step photographs and easy-to-follow instructions demystify all the steps. The heart and soul of Ultimate Bread, however, is the more the 100 inspiring recipes drawn from bread-making traditions around the world. Each bread is a variation on a simple theme: flour, water, leaven, and time. It's best to begin with the starter bread recipes which utilize methods illustrated in the basic techniques. When ready to move beyond the basics, flavored breads provide an extra taste dimension, while enriched breads transform basic bread dough with the addition of oil, butter, and eggs. Quick, flat and festive breads offer delicious possibilities from around the world. After working through the recipes in this book, your repertoire will range from simple Pain Ordinaire (Basic White Bread) to the grand and festive Panettone (Milanese Christmas Bread).

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Take one French food authority and author, one Italian food authority and author, give them a subject like bread and a publisher like Britain's Dorling Kindersley, and the result can't help but be one of the more engaging books on bread and bread baking. DK Publishing is of the seeing-is-believing school of cookbooks, and this philosophy works particularly well in their Ultimate Bread. The opening plates of the world of bread are enough in and of themselves to drive anyone--beginner or expert baker--right into the kitchen.

The "Baking Essentials" section shows and explains the differences in various kinds of flour, wheat and nonwheat, as well as the basic ingredients (yeast, oil, eggs, salt--not a long list) and tools. The "Basic Techniques" section shows you exactly what dough should look like in the various stages of bread production. The photos are so thick with color you can almost touch and smell the dough.

But the majority of the book is dedicated to recipes. Here you will find Country Oatmeal Bread, French Baguettes, Pretzels, Ciabatta, Pain aux Noix, Brioche, Nan, Pita, Corn Bread, and Challah. There are dozens of breads in all, from the very basic to the festive. And finally, there's even a section devoted to problem solving--although the biggest problem you may have is deciding which recipe to start with. --Schuyler Ingle

From Library Journal

Combine DK's gorgeous visuals with two authors skilled in the art of breadmaking, and you have the perfect book for anyone who has ever been afraid to try baking bread. Treuille, who coauthored Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques (Murdoch, 1997), and Ferrigno, whose last cookbook was Pizza, Pasta, and Polenta (Merehurst, 1995), begin with fundamentals such as essential ingredients and equipment before turning to basic techniques such as kneading and using a starter. Recipes for more than 100 different kinds of breads, including quick, flat, and festive breads, are offered. Each recipe has clear, precise step-by-step instructions with both metric and nonmetric measurements and time estimates. While there is no shortage of bread books to choose from, including The Book of Bread (LJ 1/97), which focuses solely on the history of bread, Ultimate Bread is an essential choice for all public libraries and any academic library with an interest in the baking arts.?John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1st edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789435136
• ISBN-13: 978-0789435132
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The recipes from this book "call out" to you...., December 22, 1999

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Bread (Hardcover)

I loved this book. The pictures are enticing, and the detailed instructions will enable even the most inept baker to produce beautiful and tasty loaves of bread, fromt he very plain to the very festive. It gave me the courage to try making Sourdough from scratch, including the starter. I've been making sourdough every 2-3 days ever since! I would like to caution novice bread bakers that the cooking temps for most of the breads are 425 to 475 degrees, and I was not able to do that in my over or the loaves would burn on the bottom. I baked mine at the traditonal 350 degrees for a longer cooking time and they came out great!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A READER correction., February 15, 2005

By 

H. J. Nelson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Bread (Hardcover)

"Page 144 the "Pain D' Epice" French Honey Spice Bread, 1 loaf. Calls for 1 1/2 cups honey, 1 1/3 cups milk, 2 eggs, spices AND 1/2 cup of flour."

Actually, page 144 calls for 3/4 cup plus two table spoons of whole-wheat flour AND 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons of rye flour.
I have baked this twice and it always comes out perfect.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Bread Book I have ever seen., February 5, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Dover, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Bread (Hardcover)

After getting this book from the library and trying out several recipes before taking the book back, I decided I have to buy this book. It is the most informative book on bread and bread making I have seen. The pictures are great. It is very informative and easy to follow. Even for a beginner, they make it look so easy. I can't wait to get my copy.