Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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87 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good addition to the home bread-baking library, August 18, 2007
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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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb, October 2, 2007
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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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A WORTHY ADDITION TO ANY BREADBAKING LIBRARY, October 18, 2007
This book continues the commentable trend of publishing high quality, low price books on traditional (see proper) breadbaking.
'Local breads' bears a more than passing reseblance to Jeffrey Hamelman's book 'Bread'. They both have the same type of protective cover, the same quality of paper, similar layout, charcoal drawings to display the methods and sections of photographs in between the pages. I find 'Bread' to be somewhat superior though.
The book is not 448 pages but exactly 355 including the index.
It starts with a list of all the recipes that can be found in the book, and continues with basic advise on procedures and an introduction to the ingredients and equipment used. These are illustrated by charcoal drawings. It then goes on to introduce the reader (again using illustrations) to the basic method of making a bread recipe, from weighing to mixing, proofing, shaping etc(of course, not all recipes are made exactly like this). A 'menu'(sic) of European starters and sourdoughs is displayed eg levain, biga etc, followed by a method for making sourdough from scratch. A very nice touch is a chapter on frequently asked questions concerning breadmaking. The author suggests that the reader reads this first (and very rightly so). Mr Leader intersperses some interesting stories and histories in between the recipes and each new recipe has a very thorough introduction, which is a joy to read.
Many of the traditional European breads are here, including pain levain, baguettes, saltless Tuscan bread, ciabatta, pizza, pane de altamura, sourdough rye and even sourdough croissants. In, in between, before, after and on the side of the recipes there is an abundance of information, that assists the reader to understand the whole procedure for and logic behind each product.
The measurements are in Volume, Imperial, Metric and Baker's Percentage to fascilitate all users from around the world.
On the downside: I was not thrilled by the scoring on many of the loaves displayed. If one looks at the photos in both 'BREAD' by Hamelman and 'THE TASTE OF BREAD' by Calvel they can see perfectly scored and baked hearth loafs and underneath less attractive looking loafs baked in pans, convection ovens, without steam etc, that display less bloom in the cuts. Many of Leader's loafs look like the latter.
The second thing that I do not like is the fact that this book deals only with the breads of central and northern Europe, ie France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland etc. To quote the title: "Sourdough and whole-grain recipes from Europe's best artisan bakers". So do Spain, Greece, Malta, Serbia etc not have artisan bakers? Do they not have good bread? Some of the best bread on this earth is made in the small island of Malta. Greece has innumerable breads and a great artisan tradition. The olive bread made in my own island of Cyprus is much-much better than the olive bread in the book.(Not to leave you guessing, in 1 kg/2lb+3oz naturally leavened dough, mix some olive oil(half a cup), lots of black olives, chopped fresh coriander, chopped fresh mint and 1 large chopped onion. Shape as desired, usualy round, proof and bake 200C/375F).
Besides these faults though this is a great book to have and at this price, a bargain.
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