Rating: 
Summary: Best Whole Grain Bread Book Around
Review: I have never taken the time to write a review on a book that i have purchased from Amazon. Thanks to all of you who do. This time was the exception. This book is incredible! Every recipe can be tailored to your stlye of breadmaking. It has directions for a bread machine, mixer, or the old fashioned way. I have tried a half dozen of the recipes so far and they are all delicious. My compliments to the author. The money has been well spent. Thanks!
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly tested for machines?; not 100% whole grain
Review: I have the hardcover edition of this book, and I've only tried the recipes in a bread machine. I wanted to like this book. That said, every recipe I've tried has needed significantly (up to 25%) more liquid. It's not necessarily a reason to avoid the book, but these are not set-it-and-forget-it recipes.
I wish she had given flour weights instead of just volumes. As we know, volume measurements can give significantly different ratios of dry to wet ingredients. (I admit I haven't gone back to see how she measures flour.) Of course they can be adjusted, but you have to remember to weigh the ingredients and adjust the recipes whenever you try a new one. She also measures the capacity of a machine in cups where most authors measure it in pounds of bread.
It's cool that she gives hand, mixer, food processor and bread machine variants for almost every recipe. I wonder if the developers tested every variant or made note of every adjustment made while kneading.
She could have saved many, many pages by giving the directions for each method once at the beginning, and noting changes from the basics with each recipe -- most of the directions are identical, at least for bread machines. Three paragraphs could be one line, over and over and over again.
As someone else said, most of the recipes in this book are mostly white flour. In a US "whole grain" bread book I expected most recipes to be at least 50% whole grain, but the latest one I've tried (tonight) is 1/3 cup whole wheat flour to 2 1/3 cup white flour -- whole wheat flour is 13% of the total. My modern Norwegian cookbook's basic bread dough is 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 rye flour -- it's ridiculous that in the US we think we can't make 100% whole-grain bread when the rest of the world does it every day (deliciously!)
Still, there are interesting variations on basic bread; perhaps they would turn out differently if made by hand or with a mixer; and many of the "sidebar" recipes sound tasty. I hoped for easy, healthy, bread-machine bread and didn't need the extras.
I'm sorry to rate it two stars, but I don't like inflating grades and I'm disappointed with the book. Had I known then what I know now, I would not have bought it. It does not live up to its "whole grain" billing; the size of the book is inflated; and the recipes are inaccurate for bread machines and perhaps other methods.
I did get my Julekage recipe from this author, but from her Great Scandinavian Baking Book. It is excellent! Better than Betty Crocker. Try Laurel's Bread Book and work out the machine equivalents if you want 100% whole grain bread.
Rating:
Summary: A Winnah!
Review: I have used and loved Beatrice Ojakangas's books for years, and I have always been pleased with the results. This book, Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand continues the tradition.I have baked bread for years, and have used all four methods, depending on time, and the state of my arthritic hands. It is refreshing to have a bread book whre the author does not consider mechanical mixing to be a "crime."As others have mentioned, the additonal recipes for main dishes, side dishes, condiments and desserts are equally as good, but a real plus is the last chapter, about baking for those who have allergies.The only shortcoming I can think of, is a lack of technique illustrations. Otherwise, this is a fine book for home bread bakers of any level of experience. In fact, I wrote out one of the recipes (properly cited, with page number,) to a friend who is a total bread-baking novice, and she was able to make a delicious loaf with no problem.If there was a 6 star rating, I would give this book 6 stars.
Rating:
Summary: A Winnah!
Review: I have used and loved Beatrice Ojakangas's books for years, and I have always been pleased with the results. This book, Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand continues the tradition.I have baked bread for years, and have used all four methods, depending on time, and the state of my arthritic hands. It is refreshing to have a bread book whre the author does not consider mechanical mixing to be a "crime."As others have mentioned, the additonal recipes for main dishes, side dishes, condiments and desserts are equally as good, but a real plus is the last chapter, about baking for those who have allergies.The only shortcoming I can think of, is a lack of technique illustrations. Otherwise, this is a fine book for home bread bakers of any level of experience. In fact, I wrote out one of the recipes (properly cited, with page number,) to a friend who is a total bread-baking novice, and she was able to make a delicious loaf with no problem.If there was a 6 star rating, I would give this book 6 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Great variety of loaf sizes
Review: I was impressed with the variety of recipes and was very pleased with how they are laid out. The three loaf sizes makes it easy to choose how much you want to make and the steps are simple to follow. It certainly makes bread baking easy. I was disappointed however, that even though this was a book on baking with whole grains, there was almost no historical or nutritional value given on the different grains themselves. However, this does not deter from the truly easy to make and delicious recipes.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 methods for mixing whole grain breads
Review: There are literally dozens of bread books and bread machine books on the market today that are excellent resources for the home baker. What sets this book apart (besides the excellent recipes) is that it is very versitle in how the bread gets mixed and then baked. Each of the recipes may be mixed by hand, by a stand mixer, by a food procesor or in the bread machine. Many of the recipes for the bread machine may be baked in the bread machine or the dough may be baked in the oven in rounds or in traditional pans. This book gives me many options and good instructions in how to utilize the 4 mixing methods. The only other book I know of that keys on the food processor for mixing bread is the book "the best bread ever." You may have some hand mixed recipes that you would like to adapt to the bread machine or food processor. This book will help in this area to gain experience in different methods.This book, the book on rustic European breads from your bread machine, and the Bread Lover's bread machine book by Hensperger are perhaps the top 3 most substantial bread machine books. If you want to push your machine to the limit, these 3 books are a marvelous resource to help you in your quest. The Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand will be useful to the experienced baker or the beginner. The instructions may seem a bit redundant to those who are old hands, but these can be quickly looked over, while the newcomer will appreciate the extra detail. My only complaint about the Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand is that the water specified in every recipe I have tried is not enough in my Bread Machine. As the dough comes together I typically must add a quarter to a half cup more water than the recipe calls for for in a one and one half pound loaf. With other bread machine recipes I will have to add 1 to 3 tablespoons of water.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource
Review: Usually, I look at a cookbook, and see at most 30% of the recipes that I can really imagine myself making. This book has page after page of recipes that had me going, "Oooooh!", "Mmmmmm, that sounds good!", "Oh, I've _got_ to make that!" I've already tried 3 or 4 of the recipes, even though I've only had it a week! Also, though I've baked bread by hand for years, I have have only recently converted to the machine; this book is teaching me a great deal about how to adapt other recipes to the machine. Excellent information. And the addition of recipes for spreads and dishes to serve the breads with is a wonderful touch. I can see that this book is going to get used to death. (Maybe I ought to buy an extra copy, for when I wear out this one!)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource
Review: Usually, I look at a cookbook, and see at most 30% of the recipes that I can really imagine myself making. This book has page after page of recipes that had me going, "Oooooh!", "Mmmmmm, that sounds good!", "Oh, I've _got_ to make that!" I've already tried 3 or 4 of the recipes, even though I've only had it a week! Also, though I've baked bread by hand for years, I have have only recently converted to the machine; this book is teaching me a great deal about how to adapt other recipes to the machine. Excellent information. And the addition of recipes for spreads and dishes to serve the breads with is a wonderful touch. I can see that this book is going to get used to death. (Maybe I ought to buy an extra copy, for when I wear out this one!)
Rating:
Summary: Wide variety of excellent recipes, outstanding layout
Review: Way to go Beatrice! This is a very good and practical book. I own about a dozen other bread cookbooks, but this seems to be the one that I turn to most. All of the recipes I've tried have been a success. There is a wide variety of excellent recipes in the book, ranging from basic & everyday to impressive for entertaining. I feel that this book has something to offer everyone, since it has simple enough recipes for the beginner, but would not bore the more advanced baker who likes sourdoughs and more artistic types of breads. Another thing I like about this book is its layout and organization. I have found that some of my other bread books tend to be a bit confusing with their directions. Not this book - the instructions are VERY, VERY CLEAR. I believe that anyone who wants to make their own homemade bread should have a copy of this book. Get one TODAY before it goes out of print - or you'll regret it!
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