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92 of 96 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good addition to the home bread-baking library, August 18, 2007
This review is from: Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers (Hardcover)
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.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting read but inaccurate recipes, March 10, 2009
This review is from: Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers (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!
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb, October 2, 2007
This review is from: Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers (Hardcover)
There are many fine books detailing the art and science of crafting artisan breads. Among the best are those authored by Bernard Clayton, Jeffrey Hamelman, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Peter Reinhart, Maggie Glezer, Nancy Silverton, and Beth Hensperger. Now comes Daniel Leader with his second book, "Local Breads" and it's nothing short of extraordinary. While Clayton's book boasts 300 recipes, "Local Breads" has only about 50 (with variations). Where "Local Breads" shines is technique - tools and expert advice - that will serve the baker - at any level of experience - across all breadmaking endeavors. How can you ignore an author whose first directive is to "seek out flour with integrity"?
Among the book's best features are the FAQ's throughout. Leader anticipates virtually every possible question about creating bread - from start to finish - and answers them in a straighforward manner. The section on "Ingredients and Equipment" is well-researched and enormously helpful. "Kitchen Notes" and beautifully rendered illustrations are equally beneficial. The layout is logical and navigable and the entire book has a clarity that makes intimidation impossible. Even the choice of paper stock (enamel paper would have made the book too heavy) and fonts were wise, making the book easy on the eyes. All ingredients are given in metric weights as well as U.S. measurements, although temperatures are in Farenheit only - a very minor oversight. Perhaps a second printing might include a temperature conversion chart. Much thought was given to the book's overall design, however - a credit to its eminent editor, Maria Guarnaschelli. This is not a volume meant to be "edgy" or "cool". It's a beautiful book, intelligently written, and would make a thoughtful gift for any baker. Above all, this is an instruction manual - delivered with passion, not pontification. It's like having a Master Baker in the kitchen with you - a Rabbi of Bread, teaching and encouraging you through every step of the process.
I initially took the book out of the library (and have since purchased it) and was up until 3:00 a.m. completely engrossed within its pages. From the beautifully written "Introduction" to the final pages dealing with "Czech and Polish Ryes", I was hooked. Even if you never bake a loaf of bread, you will enjoy Leader's tales of traveling throughout Europe in search of bread Nirvana.
Warning: The recipes given in this book are largely rustic European loaves. Leader gives us truly authentic breads from France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. Sadly, breads from Scandinavia, Russia, and India are not represented - but Leader did not set out to cover those parts of the world in this volume. If you're searching for soft American-style white or wheat breads - you won't find them in this tome. This is NOT the Pillsbury book of bread making. Most of the bread recipes advocate the use a wild starter or pre-ferment (sourdough), rather than store-bought yeast but there are recipes in each chapter that use packaged yeast for novice bakers or those who might wish to speed things up a bit.
You may think this is a book for advanced bakers only. Nothing could be further from the truth. Whether you're a beginner, a baker with some experience, a serious amateur, or a professional, this book belongs on your shelf - but it won't stay there long! It's also a great read for anyone interested in food writing and especially for those who support the Slow Food movement. Although I have not yet baked any of the breads in the book, I have full confidence that following Leader's steps, I will produce some fine loaves ("French Sourdough" ,"Ricotta Bread", "Little Blue Cheese Rye Loaves" and "Light Silesian Rye" are at the top of my list). More importantly, I can take what I have learned and incorporate Leader's counsel and techniques to other breads in my collection. This book is a joy and should garner the James Beard Award.
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