Great, uncomplicated bread recipes
586319
I haven't actually had a chance to make any of the recipes yet, so I can't say how well they turn out. But just by reading them, the majority of them seemed doable and sound delicious.
4247806
I have just had time to make one recipe, lean crusty white sandwich bread, from the cookbook but was very pleased. The dough was easy to handle after it's stay in the refrigerator. My husband (who does not need to eat gluten-free) chose to have a piece, toasted, for breakfast. Looking forward to trying some other recipes, especially the rolls. I love to bake bread so this is giving me lots of options to try.
3988287
Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads is an excellent product. It has clear, concise instructions that are very easy to follow.
4761677
After reading an excerpt about this book on another website, I decided to give it a try.  You will not be disappointed by this book and the recipes it contains, nor the ease at which you can have fresh baked bread daily.  I've made the 100% Whole Wheat bread recipe many times now and have passed the recipe on to friends who I've given a loaf and they are just as excited as I am.  Don't hesitate if you aren't sure about buying this book.  It is truly wonderful!
1353788
My doctor recently suggested that I try going without gluten due to a series of symptoms that she said sound like an undiagnosed gluten sensitivity. I understand that this book is not strictly gluten free but I still found this to be extremely helpful.

I appreciate that the author took the time to outline who might benefit from this kind of diet and that she detailed what substitutes could be used for wheat ingredients and in what context those ingredients would make a good substitute.

I love these recipes. It makes wheat free cooking so easy and really emphasizes using other grains to replace wheat flour. The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow. As someone who really likes bread, I particularly appreciate the bread recipes included. There are also recipes for dinners, breakfasts, desserts, and sides. I am looking forward to making the cheesy bacon and broccoli pasta and the blueberry muffins.

This book is very accessible whether you are going wheat free for allergy concerns or for a diet. I really enjoyed this book and can not wait to use these recipes.

*** I received this book at a discount in exchange for an unbiased review ***
508924
This book is great.....you truly CAN have fresh bread every day.  It is
very simple and uses items you normally have in your kitchen.  There are
lots of recipes.  I highly recommend it.
3736579
I enjoy making bread. This has easy to follow recipes!  I am now adding some oatmeal to it, as my wife has to watch cholesterol. I would highly recommend this cookbook!
4630142
I've baked bread since the 1970's. I have a dozen bread books....this is the simplest approach to bread baking I've ever used. Including my excellent Panasonic bread machine. Lahey's method takes some practice and willingness to slog through problems, like rising (first one didn't expand) and handling an incredibly stick dough. My fourth loaf, however, was perfect. I bought a Lodge Dutch oven which has worked great...no sticking and it yields a gorgeous loaf that looks just like the cover. I used to stir my dough 100 times, let it rise, then knead for five to ten minutes and let it rise two more times. Finally into the bread pan for yet another rise. Great bread...after hours. Jim's method is the easiest bread I've ever tried. No stirring or kneading. Just mix flour, a bit of salt, water and a small amount of yeast and let it ferment for 18 - 24 hours. What could be easier than that? Several seasoned bakers have said experienced bakers don't really need the rest of the book. I disagree. I haven't tried all the recipes yet, but by the end of the year will have done so. Another bonus:  Jim Lahey's stories are entertaining and inspiring.
130313
I have made 6 of the recipes in this book and have been happy with each of them.  I have not tried any of the dessert or sweet breads as yet.  These are so good that I have to give some of each batch away to family or my husband and I would be putting or weight.  The bread does take ONLY 5 minutes a day.  It uses commonly available ingredients and most loaves make a boule sized bread good for 5 or 6 servings.  It certainly doesn't go to waste or have a chance to go stale.  Our favorite so far is the Oatmeal bread.  Please give this book and its recipes a try.  You don't have to be a devoted or experienced bread maker to achieve success.
849775
The Farmhouse bread makes great calzones, stromboli, and other hand sandwiches.  A quarter of the recipe makes a very large one; pat it out into a circle and add sauce, cheese, and whatever else you want.  I used pepperonis for one and meat balls for the next one.  The kids LOVED it.  My grandson took one in his school lunch and all his friends wanted HIS lunch.  I love versatile recipes that take a minimum effort, and most of the recipes I've tried from this book meet that criteria.  Just whip up a batch of dough, put in the fridge, and use as needed through the week.  I bought both the printed and the Kindle version.  The Kindle version has a TOC so you can just click on the recipe you want and go directly to it.  Works for me.
29305
Artisan Breads Every Day is the perfect book for someone who's just starting out making non bread machine breads.  It's highly accessible, the recipes turn out great and are generally easy to follow, and the process is considerably streamlined from some of his earlier, more technical books.  Once you've made it through this book, you'll have a good foundation for making various types of breads (as well as bonuses like pretzels, cheesesteak rolls, and bagels).

That said, the book is on the shorter side, so it's by no means a comprehensive guide to making all types of breads.  Instead it serves admirably as a sort of measuring stick to see if you should embark further down the path of serious breadmaking.  If you choose to do so, you'll likely want to pick up some of Peter Reinhart's earlier books.

If you already have his treatise on breadmaking or whole grains, is there much added by this book?  I certainly think so, primarily because of his additional experience and streamlining of recipes that can be seen in this work.  You can then translate these newer techniques back to his earlier books.

Chef Reinhart's passions for baking and teaching come through clearly in this latest work.  If you've interest in breadmaking, it's certainly worth at least a close look.
811926
I anticipate this will be a multi-phase review, as I test the method over time and try more recipes. I purchased this book last week and was excited to give their refrigerated dough method a try.

1-17-12: I made up a batch of the basic recipe yesterday, refrigerated a few hours to chill the dough, and made a loaf with dinner. The bread turned out very well (better than a miserably failed attempt with a different recipe the weekend prior) and I am excited to see how the flavor develops over time. The crust didn't get very thick, but it was a nice chewy consistency. I think I could have baked it a few minutes longer (or had the patience to let it cool before cutting into it) for a slightly more well-done center.

So far I'm very impressed with how easy the process is and how thoroughly the chefs/authors have thought through different ways to save time & effort without sacrificing quality. This is some seriously simple and seriously tasty bread! For a novice bread maker, I was impressed with myself for producing such a great loaf with such little effort!
4923297
This book has some great gluten free bread recipes. The author states that you need to purchase a newer bread machine in order to obtain the best results, however I used my old bread machine using the first rise setting. Dumped the dough into a bread pan and baked it in my oven with great results. I normally use the first rise setting as I do not like the shape of my bread machine pan. I highly recommend the cheesy bread recipe as mine turned out great. I am looking forward to trying more of the recipes.
1933030
Beth Hensperger is one of my favorite cookbook authors! (I love her Ultimate Rice Cooker and Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbooks, too, check 'em out!)

This cookbook offers a wonderful variety of recipes for your bread machine.  It contains broad coverage of traditional loaves of bread, as well as a treasure trove of creative ways to use the bread machine to prepare dough for other things - foccacia, dinner rolls, pizza crust, etc.

I use my bread machine weekly - wore out the fins, as a matter of fact.  I use this cookbook exclusively for the bread machine.

Instant-potato bread, Virginia light rolls, scandanavian light rye, basic pizza dough (homemade margharita pizza - yum!) and cracked wheat bread are all family favorites I make on a regular basis.

Start with a few basics - bread flour, instant yeast (keep it in the freezer; it doesn't matter what brand you buy) and vital wheat gluten. Make some of the classic recipes, then broaden your repetoire from there.  I like to select a new ingredient from King Arthur or the health food store - eg wheat berries or spelt flour - and experiment with some of the less common recipes.

I have enjoyed using this cookbook immensely, and years later I am still discovering wonderful new uses for the bread machine in this cookbook. It's on my "A List" of cookbooks I keep in the kitchen and use regularly.
4457931
Like everyone else that has purchased the small loaf bread machines I had difficulty locating recipes for a 1 lb. loaf of bread (even at King Arthur Flour)

This little book has more recipes than I will ever get around to trying as well as explanations of different ingredients and what they do in producing the perfect loaf of bread.

The troubleshooting section is invaluable as it is very detailed in helping understand WHY a loaf may not turn out as anticipated.

It also gives a very understandable description of what the dough should look like and feel like which the manual that came with my bread machine did not do.  Gives range of liquids for each recipe which is very important for high/low humidity variances in all climates.

I like the size of the book which may not mean a lot to most but the fact it is small and doesn't take up much space on the countertop while measuring ingredients is a plus for me.

It has a description of all flours and whole grains as well as the nutritional value of each recipe.

Very glad I bought this book.
1796884
My wife and I enjoy making fresh bread, and we have gone through two bread machines in the last 6 years. This is by and far the book we most use to make our bread, the binding is broken and we have a dozen scraps of paper in it holding the places of our favorite recipes. Often times we will use a recipe from this book, make the dough in our bread machine and then bake it in our conventional oven, because you bake much better bread this way. One thing that I like about this book, is that the recipes we most like have additional instructions regarding baking your bread in an oven. Some thing that I differ in opinion over with the author is that he usually calls for honey in his recipes, I like to use plain white sugar instead and the bread comes out better, I think. Lots of good recipes, and they are easy to follow.
3116026
The book is a great handbook for those that love bread and want to know more.  The recipes were not overwhelming and the bread that I have been producing is 50 times better than loaves of the past.

Highly recommended