Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Ron Manville (Photographer)
Key Phrases: international breads, hearth breads, specialty breads, Enriched Breads, Salt Instant, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bread is back, Reinhart (The Bread Baker's Apprentice) asserts, and it's better than ever after being villainized during the anticarbohydrate diet fads; his manifesto of renewal, this enthusiastic tome featuring the kinds of whole grain breads he sees as the way forward, will be eagerly received by serious bakers. In three useful preliminary chapters, Reinhart describes how he developed the delayed fermentation process that makes these breads delicious as well as wholesome, dissects wheat's route from stalk to loaf and patiently walks through the new technique's theory and process, in order to arm bakers with every bit of information before they start kneading. The level of technical detail and demand for scientific precision may overwhelm amateurs, but anyone with some experience working with bread dough and starters, as well as a desire to get to the next level, will be gratified by Reinhart's intense but friendly approach. In the more than 50 recipes, from a variety of breads including multigrain loaves, whole wheat cinnamon buns, brioche and crispy lavash, Reinhart builds on the first chapters with detailed commentary on ingredients and preparation, encouraging bakers to own the process but never leaving them in the lurch. Whether or not a home baker is looking for healthier recipes, Reinhart's peerless way of writing about bread is sure to inspire a new respect for whole grains. Color photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)
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Review

“We’ve always known how good whole grain breads are for us, but we’ve also known how they’re usually heavy, dense, and sort of boring. Now here comes Peter Reinhart, a passionate bread scientist who has figured out fifty-five different ways to make whole grain breads light and delicious. His work is nothing short of revolutionary.”

–Sara Moulton, Food Network host and author of Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals


“No one is better qualified–either as a teacher or as a baker–than Peter Reinhart to tackle the complex subject of whole grain breads. His techniques and recipes are easy to follow and yield excellent results every time. Peter and his breads are the real thing.”

–Nick Malgieri, author of How to Bake and A Baker’s Tour


“Whole Grain Breads is a beautiful and important work, which is no big surprise coming, as it does, from Peter Reinhart. Everything here is a gift: the breads themselves (both described and pictured), the poetic voice, the story, the technique, and the generous spirit. Read this from cover to cover, and you will find yourself looking at all food differently, from a new height and a deeper appreciation.”

–Mollie Katzen, author of The Moosewood Cookbook


“I’ve spent years following directions from more than a dozen bread baking books. I’ve babied bowls of dough in various stages of fermentation, and I’ve only ended up with bread that tastes like an inner tube. Peter has unraveled the mystery of baking, and I now approach this intimidating subject with confidence.”

–James Peterson, author of Cooking


“Peter Reinhart is a gifted teacher who explains the science of bread dough in easy-to-understand language. Using Peter’s innovative techniques for enhancing both enzyme and yeast activity and following with his gentle, clear-cut guidance, even a beginner can master sourdough starters, pre-ferments, soakers, and mashes to make incredibly flavorful whole grain breads.”

–Shirley Corriher, author of Cookwise

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580087590
• ISBN-13: 978-1580087599
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,493 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #14 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Baking > Bread

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

214 of 219 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal book for a very specific audience, September 5, 2007

By	H. Grove "owling6683" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Let me make a couple of things clear up front. First, this book is not for the casual baker who likes to toss a recipe together on short notice, throw it in the oven, and be done with it; Reinhart goes the extra mile of effort to extract every last ounce of perfection from whole grain breads.

Second, it is entirely possible to make delicious whole grain breads without using his complex methods. I've done it using the recipes in both the King Arthur Flour Company's "Whole Grain Baking", and "Secrets of a Jewish Baker". If you are the aforementioned casual baker then I highly recommend picking up one (or preferably both) of those books instead.

However, this is the perfect book for the cook who's always fiddling with their recipes trying to make them Just Right. It's the ideal companion for the home baker who's willing to go the extra distance to get not just delicious and enjoyable whole grain bread, but perfect whole grain bread. It isn't the right book for everyone, but for the right audience I can't imagine a better read.

Do be sure to read the first few chapters, which explain the history and science behind Reinhart's methods. Not only is it fascinating stuff, but it's necessary to give you the understanding you'll need to make the most of the recipes. Unlike simple recipes where you can just follow a few steps and be done with it, these methods require you to have a feel for the doughs. The amount of kneading required, for example, can vary so much depending on which grains you've used, how you've kneaded them, and so on. If it weren't for Reinhart's "windowpane test," which has you test the gluten development of a bread by gently stretching the dough and seeing if you can stretch until it's somewhat translucent (illustrative photos are included), we wouldn't have known that the difference in airiness between the loaves we made was entirely due to kneading. But because he armed his readers with that knowledge, we were able to make a loaf of super-high-fiber oat bran bread that was fluffy. Yes, I did indeed just describe a whole grain high-fiber bread as fluffy.

No matter the grains you want to try in your breads, you'll find a formula to use them in here. Quinoa? Cooked rice? Bran? Doesn't matter--there's a recipe in here you can use. Reinhart has also included a number of `transitional' breads that use part-white flour and part-whole grains so as to ease your transition to whole grains.

The recipes do involve a certain amount of flipping around from section to section, and you need to start them the night before. (In the case of those recipes involving a wild yeast starter--which he does tell you how to make from scratch--you'll need to engage in even more advance preparation.) The book is complex in ways that normally I would hold against a cookbook. However, in this case I won't. These aren't unnecessary complexities at all.

Reinhart set out with a very specific goal in mind--the creation of the perfect whole grain loaf of bread--and did everything he had to do in order to achieve that goal. Through playing with the recipes I'm convinced that everything he has you do is, in fact, integral to achieving his fantastic results. It may take you a few tries with any given recipe to make it come out perfectly as you learn how to gauge the feel of the doughs, but with practice... well, let's just say I'm going to take a break after this review to go back to the fridge for some more oat bran bread. Surprisingly yummy, fluffy oat bran bread.

95 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Whole Grain Bread with a Twist, February 11, 2008

By	IMNSHO "Diane" (Upstate NY United States) - See all my reviews

I have been baking bread for many years. I also like to read about bread baking practice and theory, so when Peter Reinhart published his new book, I was eager to try it.

On the positive side, I like the fact that the recipes focus on whole grains. The photographs are done well throughout the book. I also applaud Reinhart for thinking out of the box, trying new techniques.

Essentially, Reinhart's technique is to prepare two mixes the day before: a sourdough starter or biga, and a soaker or mash. This advance preparation coaxes out the flavors in a relaxed way, so that the following day, you combine both parts to flour, salt, and yeast, and then proceed with traditional timing. Reinhart refers to this amalgamation as epoxy glue, an unfortunate image.

Because the purpose of this book is to promote whole grains, I find it counterproductive that practically every recipe includes quite a bit of sugar, brown sugar, honey, or agave nectar. The complex, tantalizing taste of a freshly made whole grain bread should be plenty reward for most.

Reinhart explains in great detail the attributes and construction of using a soaker and a mash. However, out of a total of 55 bread recipes, only 4 recipes utilize the mash.

Some of the recipe quantities are curious: 1/2 cup plu 2 TB water or 5/8 tsp salt. Bread baking is not an exact science because so much depends on variables, such as type and age of flour, humidity, etc.


I am hesitant about recommending this book. If you are a first-time bread baker, you will find the techniques advanced. And, unless you like to read about bread, you may find reading the very long personal narrative gratuitous. Finally, baking hints, rather than organized by topic, are placed sporadically throughout the text.

In sum, Whole Grain Bread: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor is a good concept, but, for me, at least, I found redundant recipes with ordinary editing.

87 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great-- if you think whole grains are great, August 24, 2007

By	D. Smith - See all my reviews

This book is appropriate for anyone looking to expand their whole-grain or artisan baking repertoire and for people who are *really* into whole grains. Reinhart is serious about his whole grains-- there are VERY few recipes that call for any white flour (and when there is white flour, it is a very small amount... these are not WGINO (Whole Grain In Name Only) recipes.

In addition to recipes, you get a long explanation on his method and why/how it is different than other whole grain baking formulae. He insists the result will not be bitter, flat, or gritty, but he makes some suspicious suggestions along the way (give a recipe three or four tries before you give up). I have also had problems getting my dough to pass the so-called 'windowpane' test-- not surprising considering the low gluten/protein content of the flours/grains. Likewise, the loaves seem dark and flat-- again, not surprising considering the percentage of whole-grain flour. One of the recipes I tried was tasty (and surely healthy), but there was not enough strength in the dough to support a very high rise.


Most recipes involve some combination of a biga, mash, starter, and, of course, whole grains. Like other artisan baking methods, there is enough flexibility in the recipes so you do not need to stand over your dough doubler waiting for the precise moment to do the next step.

If you are not interested in eating A LOT of whole wheat or rye, this book is not for you.

Here are his chapters:
1. following the flavor (anecdotal account of his own experiences with Whole Grains and the rise in popularity of whole grains)
2. From wheat to eat: a tutorial
3. The theory and practice of delayed fermentation (this is a unique aspect of the book that sets it apart from some other baking resources)
4. The breads
this chapter includes:
enriched breads
(whole wheat sandwich breads; oat bran broom bread-- this is called broom bread since, according to the author, it cleanses the colon; rye sandwich meteil, etc.);
hearth breads
(whole wheat hearth bread, three rye hearth bread, etc.)
specialty breads
(power bread, 100% sprouted grain bread, spent-grain bread etc)
International breads
(transitional german-style many seed bread-- he's not kidding--, vollkornbrot, swedish limpa rye, santa lucia buns, etc)
Bagels and Flatbreads
(whole wheat pita, whole wheat naan, roti, focaccia, etc.)
crackers
(lavash, matzo, seeded crackers)

In sum a good resource for whole grain fanatics, Peter Reinhart fans, artisan bread bakers interested in whole grain baking.
NOT a good resource for people who do not want to work exclusively with whole grains or for people who want to mix together some ingredients and have bread ready after 2-3 hours.

This is probably a four-star book for people who are very interested in whole grains.. probably a three for artisan bakers who are not enthusiastic about whole grains. Daniel Leader's new bread book is a better alternative for skilled bakers who do not want a book exclusively devoted to whole grain.