The Tassajara Bread Book [SPECIAL EDITION] (Paperback)

by Edward Espe Brown (Author) "Yeasted bread is made principally with wheat flour, which is what gives bread its distinctive elastic texture..." (more)
Key Phrases: egg wash, bread book, powdered sugar glaze, Whole Wheat Muffins, Yeasted Breakfast Bread Dough, Tassajara Yeasted Bread (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The bible for bread baking."—Washington Post



"Rarely has such a book of such simplicity underscored so well the joy of culinary discovery."—Bon Appetit

"This was the first cookbook I ever bought for myself, back when it was first published. To this day, I consider The Tassajara Bread Book to have been a major influence not just on my cooking and baking, but on my attitude and philosophy about food in general. Thank you, Ed Brown, for this lasting gift."—Mollie Katzen, author of The Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

Product Description
The anniversary edition of the book that started a generation of Americans baking--now with exciting new recipes--hailed by the Washington Post as "the bible for bread baking." Includes 113 fabulous recipes for breads, pastries, desserts, and more. 2 halftones. 31 line drawings.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 25 Anv edition (August 22, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157062089X
• ISBN-13: 978-1570620898
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,131 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only bread book you need, February 11, 2002

By	jumpy1 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

If you want to live simply but not blandly, this is the only bread book you need. Written in a gentle voice, this book encourages all to bake wholesome, delicious breads - sweet and savory - and love every bite. Now, I have many bread cookbooks and I do love all of them - from Elizabeth David to Amy to Laurel - but I cannot stress how much pure enjoyment and encouragement I've gotten from this modest tome. Reading his words and following his advice (which is open and even inexact at times) has always led me to greater independence and faith in my own instincts and never fails to turn out wonderful results!

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An ideal starting book, October 1, 2003

By	William D. Colburn "buys things on amazon far... (Socorro, NM USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wrote my first review of this book back in 2003 when I had first learned to bake bread. I didn't have much to say about it, other than I liked it.

It is now more than three years later. This is the book that I give to people as a gift quite often. I suggest it to people interested in learning to bake bread. I even suggest the book to people with stress problems since I've found that hand kneading dough can be quite therapeutic.

There are a lot of great bread books out there, and a literal mountain of bad books. This one doesn't dwell on the science of bread, or dedicate pages to explaining how modern flour is inferior to old flour, or to rallying against modern yeast as opposed to traditional sourdough. The author merely gives some relatively simple insutrctions which, if followed, will produce praiseworthy bread.

If you want to learn to bake bread, I suggest never using a food processor or stand mixer for it. At least in the beginning. Mixing by hand provides familiarity with the materials and the techniques. Save the gadgets for after you know how to bake bread. This book is purely about hand mixing and hand kneading.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for first-time bread bakers, February 5, 2005

By	Anne-Kari "annekari" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This book is THE BEST for anyone with zero experience baking bread - or rolls, or bagels, or breakfast pastries -- this book covers EVERYTHING.

Best stuff:
1) Clear, very detailed instuctions on all the nuts-n-bolts tecniques that seem so intimidating, like how to knead the dough properly (well described and well illustrated)
2) Wonderful array of variations on the basic bread recipe
3) breakfast pastry section will really wow anyone coming over for brunch
4) Said it before but I'll say it again: Anyone who wants to learn to bake bread will succeed. Really, anyone.
5) Bread machines simple do not turn out anything as good as the 'real deal'.

Hard-to-find book but WELL worth the search.