Customer Reviews

Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand: 200 Delicious, Healthful, Simple Recipes

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First of all, this is a lovely book with wonderful information.

But the title "Whole Grain Breads..." implied to me that the recipes would incorporate only "whole grains" to the exclusion of white flours. Nearly every recipe I looked at had a large proportion of white flour.

Oh well, Borders willingly accepted my return...I'm off to search again!

Some of the reasons I bought this book:

First, each recipe has mixing directions for using a stand mixer, a food processor, a bread machine, or by hand. Since I have each of these and have even mixed bread the old fashioned way with my hands, I like having all these options available.

Second, the recipes are more down to earth than many of the exotic bread machine cookbooks. They are more healthy and wholesome. The recipes utilize whole grains, but are not necessarily 100% whole grain. They utilize regular bread flour plus many different types of grain that the average joe would not normally associate with bread.

Some reviews have been critical that the recipes are not 100% whole grain. There are some 100% whole wheat recipes but not every recipe in the book is 100% whole grain. The problem here is using 100% whole wheat with another non-gluten 100% whole grain such as rye or spelt that has little or no gluten and getting the bread to rise properly. Many of the flours used in this book by themselves would not have enough gluten to make a decent loaf of bread and 100% whole wheat vs. bread flour also is challenged to make a decent loaf that rises and is not overly dense. Some of these exotic grains will only work if you use them to make quick, non yeast breads.

So, the 100% whole grain charge is only partly correct. For example, who would try to make a 100% whole rye flour bread? You can incorporate whole grains along with bread flour and still eat very healthy and have a much better tasting loaf

That being said, she does have an entire chapter devoted to non-wheat breads such as "Buckwheat & Spelt" bread.

My major critcism of the book is that just about every recipe I have tried with my bread machine, I had to add up to 30% more liquid than called for in the recipe. In fact, I usually just assume I need to add an extra quarter of a cup. When the bread machine starts to mix the dough, I baby sit and am ready to add additional water.

Not enough liquid killed my previous bread machine when I tried to make a heavy, coarse rye loaf. It is much better to have too much liquid to start with and then add flour vs not enough and watch the machine bog down and jam. Be careful with your bread machine if you are making a whole grain whole wheat bread! If the stuff in your bread machine pan starts to look like clay that belongs on a potters wheel, throw it out! You have less than 50 cents invested in the flours! The motors in these machines are not even close to being as hefty as a Kitchenaid stand mixer. If the recipe calls for 4 cups of flour, hold back a cup and see how it mixes up and gradually add the rest until it looks like a good ratio of flour to water has been achieved. You are the boss, the recipe is to help you, not enslave you.

So, overall, ther are many good, healthy recipes utilizing whole grains that can be mixed as you like.

Way to go Beatrice! This is a very good and practical book. I own about a dozen other bread cookbooks, but this seems to be the one that I turn to most. All of the recipes I've tried have been a success. There is a wide variety of excellent recipes in the book, ranging from basic & everyday to impressive for entertaining. I feel that this book has something to offer everyone, since it has simple enough recipes for the beginner, but would not bore the more advanced baker who likes sourdoughs and more artistic types of breads. Another thing I like about this book is its layout and organization. I have found that some of my other bread books tend to be a bit confusing with their directions. Not this book - the instructions are VERY, VERY CLEAR. I believe that anyone who wants to make their own homemade bread should have a copy of this book. Get one TODAY before it goes out of print - or you'll regret it!

There is only one 100% whole grain bread recipe in this book. Most of them are less than 50% whole grain. If you want healthy bread recipes try "Breadtime" by Cheney or "The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book" by Robertson. Every recipe in both of those books is 100% whole grain. I doubt that most people considering a book titled "Whole Grain Breads..." are looking for recipes that contain just a small portion of whole grain ingredients. With that being said I thought the book had some good recipes and was well written. Therefore, I am willing to give it 2 stars as opposed to none.

I have the hardcover edition of this book, and I've only tried the recipes in a bread machine. I wanted to like this book. That said, every recipe I've tried has needed significantly (up to 25%) more liquid. It's not necessarily a reason to avoid the book, but these are not set-it-and-forget-it recipes.

I wish she had given flour weights instead of just volumes. As we know, volume measurements can give significantly different ratios of dry to wet ingredients. (I admit I haven't gone back to see how she measures flour.) Of course they can be adjusted, but you have to remember to weigh the ingredients and adjust the recipes whenever you try a new one. She also measures the capacity of a machine in cups where most authors measure it in pounds of bread.

It's cool that she gives hand, mixer, food processor and bread machine variants for almost every recipe. I wonder if the developers tested every variant or made note of every adjustment made while kneading.

She could have saved many, many pages by giving the directions for each method once at the beginning, and noting changes from the basics with each recipe -- most of the directions are identical, at least for bread machines. Three paragraphs could be one line, over and over and over again.

As someone else said, most of the recipes in this book are mostly white flour. In a US "whole grain" bread book I expected most recipes to be at least 50% whole grain, but the latest one I've tried (tonight) is 1/3 cup whole wheat flour to 2 1/3 cup white flour -- whole wheat flour is 13% of the total. My modern Norwegian cookbook's basic bread dough is 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 rye flour -- it's ridiculous that in the US we think we can't make 100% whole-grain bread when the rest of the world does it every day (deliciously!)

Still, there are interesting variations on basic bread; perhaps they would turn out differently if made by hand or with a mixer; and many of the "sidebar" recipes sound tasty. I hoped for easy, healthy, bread-machine bread and didn't need the extras.

I'm sorry to rate it two stars, but I don't like inflating grades and I'm disappointed with the book. Had I known then what I know now, I would not have bought it. It does not live up to its "whole grain" billing; the size of the book is inflated; and the recipes are inaccurate for bread machines and perhaps other methods.

I did get my Julekage recipe from this author, but from her Great Scandinavian Baking Book. It is excellent! Better than Betty Crocker. Try Laurel's Bread Book and work out the machine equivalents if you want 100% whole grain bread.

I have enjoyed trying breads from this book. I would not really say the recipes are whole-grain as written, since generally there is twice as much white flour and whole-grain flour, but I usually change the ratios when I use these recipes (2 c whole grain flour to 1 c white flour.) It also orders the ingredients for bread machines (putting the yeast last) which has been a bit annoying, but many modern bread books now are based on bread machines, so I can't complain too much. The sweet breads at the end of the book are wonderful. One of the reasons I got this book was because of the large number of Scandanavian recipes, and I have been very pleased with them. I also love the fact that there are three different loaf sizes. It is nice to try the sampler loaves without doing all the math! I usually end up doubling the recipe for the largest loaf since my family loves bread. I do recommend this book.

I bought this book shortly after I got my Breadman Pro bread maker. All the breads I've made have come out perfectly, from the 100% whole wheat to the focaccia to the hot cross buns.

Usually, I look at a cookbook, and see at most 30% of the recipes that I can really imagine myself making. This book has page after page of recipes that had me going, "Oooooh!", "Mmmmmm, that sounds good!", "Oh, I've _got_ to make that!" I've already tried 3 or 4 of the recipes, even though I've only had it a week! Also, though I've baked bread by hand for years, I have have only recently converted to the machine; this book is teaching me a great deal about how to adapt other recipes to the machine. Excellent information. And the addition of recipes for spreads and dishes to serve the breads with is a wonderful touch. I can see that this book is going to get used to death. (Maybe I ought to buy an extra copy, for when I wear out this one!)

There are literally dozens of bread books and bread machine books on the market today that are excellent resources for the home baker. What sets this book apart (besides the excellent recipes) is that it is very versitle in how the bread gets mixed and then baked. Each of the recipes may be mixed by hand, by a stand mixer, by a food procesor or in the bread machine. Many of the recipes for the bread machine may be baked in the bread machine or the dough may be baked in the oven in rounds or in traditional pans. This book gives me many options and good instructions in how to utilize the 4 mixing methods. The only other book I know of that keys on the food processor for mixing bread is the book "the best bread ever." You may have some hand mixed recipes that you would like to adapt to the bread machine or food processor. This book will help in this area to gain experience in different methods.

This book, the book on rustic European breads from your bread machine, and the Bread Lover's bread machine book by Hensperger are perhaps the top 3 most substantial bread machine books. If you want to push your machine to the limit, these 3 books are a marvelous resource to help you in your quest.

The Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand will be useful to the experienced baker or the beginner. The instructions may seem a bit redundant to those who are old hands, but these can be quickly looked over, while the newcomer will appreciate the extra detail.

My only complaint about the Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand is that the water specified in every recipe I have tried is not enough in my Bread Machine. As the dough comes together I typically must add a quarter to a half cup more water than the recipe calls for for in a one and one half pound loaf. With other bread machine recipes I will have to add 1 to 3 tablespoons of water.

I first became interested in baking bread since I felt it to be the most challenging cooking/baking a person could do. And challenging it was - rock hard loaves, loaves that never rose.... Then I got a breadmachine from a family member. Looking for recipies, I happened on this book (3 days ago). After two successful loaves, I love it! It gives me the flexibility to knead and rise my bread in my breadmachine, then bake it in the oven. It lets me know how to troubleshoot any problems. It lets me drop ingedients to meet my families allergies. And, above all, I make my house a home. People rush to the stove to get a smell, I get applause over the results, and I can't wait to get home to bake antoher loaf. I'd recoomend this book to any beginner bread maker!!!!