The Tassajara Bread Book

Rating:
Summary: A Nicely-written Bread Book
Review: Mr. Brown writes from the perspective of starting as a cook's helper, learning cooking by trail-and-error, and graduating to head cook of a monastery kitchen. His writing also reflects a Zen monk's reverence for food and the ritual of cooking.

The Tassajara Basic Yeasted Bread is discussed in detail. Chapters on yeasted bread, yeasted pastry, unyeasted bread, sourdough, pancakes, muffins and quickbreads, and desserts follow. Recipes stress the use of natural foods and grains. Most recipes include alternate ingredient suggestions.

I first used this cookbook to make the Tassajara Basic Yeasted Bread. I never before had made bread. The whole wheat dough was stiff. Mixing the dough was extremely hard work. Kneading the dough was agony. Making this bread taught me respect both for bread and for anyone who makes bread.

I recently rediscovered this cookbook while seeking a cornbread/muffin recipe that did not use shortening. I made muffins substituting molasses for honey and adding marjoram. My muffins were excellent both alone and with bean dishes.

Cooking is vastly underrated. One who cooks economically and maintains a clean, safe household is free to "Be All That You Can Be", an accomplishment that would make an Army drill sergeant or a Zen master proud. Mr. Brown's writing reflects that pride.

Rating:
Summary: Tassajara (and Ed Brown) stand the Test of Time
Review: My current copy of the Tassajara Bread Book is a 1970 edition, and it is still my favorite (along with Tassajara Cooking, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be available). It has stood the test of time over the years, too many great recipes to just single out one. The Whole Wheat Pancakes, with some fresh blueberries added, is my favorite way to spoil guests. The best thing about the Tassajara books is that they indeed show you a method for cooking or baking, not just recipes to be followed.

Oil stains, flour stains, unidentifiable traces of the years, I don't think I'll ever part with my original copy, but with binding paste falling out now each time I open it and the cover unattached, I think it's time to get an updated copy. You won't go wrong with this book!

Rating:
Summary: More of a "cooking book" than a "cook book".
Review: My ex-husband has "my" copy of the original 1970 version of *The Tassajara Bread Book*, so a few years ago I just had to run out and get the "Revised & Updated Edition" published in 1986. More than merely a book of recipes, it is a truly bonny bread book with marvelously detailed instructions and diagrams as was the original, but I must say Edward Brown's recipe for Tibetan Barley Bread alone is worth the price of this book.

*The Tassajara Bread Book* is more of a "cooking book" than a "cook book". [e-mail] says *The Tassajara Bread Book* is "a great introduction to baking bread" because "this is a great basic how-to book". As with bread itself, "basic" is simply some flour mixed with enough water to form a dough; anything else we do to it merely makes it "civilized". I do not know how "civilized" Janet's baking is, nor do I know how much time she has just for bre! ad making, but for those of us who lead hectic lives always on the go but still want to minimize the amount of preprocessed and junk foods we eat *The Tassajara Bread Book* is top drawer.

My only dissatisfaction is that Edward Brown's *The Tassajara Cooking Book*, an excellent companion to this one, seems to be out-of-print at this time. Of course, my ex-husband has "my" copy of the original 1970 version.

Rating:
Summary: More of a "cooking book" than a "cook book".
Review: My ex-husband has "my" copy of the original 1970 version of *The Tassajara Bread Book*, so a few years ago I just had to run out and get the "Revised & Updated Edition" published in 1986. More than merely a book of recipes, it is a truly bonny bread book with marvelously detailed instructions and diagrams as was the original, but I must say Edward Brown's recipe for Tibetan Barley Bread alone is worth the price of this book.

*The Tassajara Bread Book* is more of a "cooking book" than a "cook book". [e-mail] says *The Tassajara Bread Book* is "a great introduction to baking bread" because "this is a great basic how-to book". As with bread itself, "basic" is simply some flour mixed with enough water to form a dough; anything else we do to it merely makes it "civilized". I do not know how "civilized" Janet's baking is, nor do I know how much time she has just for bre! ad making, but for those of us who lead hectic lives always on the go but still want to minimize the amount of preprocessed and junk foods we eat *The Tassajara Bread Book* is top drawer.

My only dissatisfaction is that Edward Brown's *The Tassajara Cooking Book*, an excellent companion to this one, seems to be out-of-print at this time. Of course, my ex-husband has "my" copy of the original 1970 version.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand! A 15 year old can make bread!
Review: Since I'm out of school and too young to get a job, this summer I've spent most of the time going through cookbooks and baking. The other day my mom showed my this book. The book intrigued me, the whole Zen stuff. The next day I made the bread all by myself! It was delicious! And easy! I was so excited that the bread turned out well I made muffins as well. One hint though. The last time the bread rises, it sits in the oiled pan andd rises for about 20 minutes. You flip the dough over and cook. Well, I did all that, but it wouldn't come out of the pan when done! You have to oil it again and then put the dough in and cook.
Buy this book, the bread is delicious and easy to make! Most of all it makes the breadmaking process enjoyable!

Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand! A 15 year old can make bread!
Review: The Tassajara brings out the finest in all breadbaking techniques. Following the directions are easy, and the end results have been without fail! I grew up watching my dad bake bread, and when the day came in 1978 that I needed to bake on my own, his gift to me was the Tassajara Bread Book. I've carried it with me through a(failed) marriage in which I never baked a loaf of bread, but when I wanted to read or imagine a loaf of bread, I could bring out the Tassajara and there it was! Whenever I find a recipe for bread to try now, I check Tassajara first and adapt to Ed's method. It works everytime, making the most delightful bread I've ever created.

Rating:
Summary: Tassajara is the best method.
Review: The Tassajara brings out the finest in all breadbaking techniques. Following the directions are easy, and the end results have been without fail! I grew up watching my dad bake bread, and when the day came in 1978 that I needed to bake on my own, his gift to me was the Tassajara Bread Book. I've carried it with me through a(failed) marriage in which I never baked a loaf of bread, but when I wanted to read or imagine a loaf of bread, I could bring out the Tassajara and there it was! Whenever I find a recipe for bread to try now, I check Tassajara first and adapt to Ed's method. It works everytime, making the most delightful bread I've ever created.

Rating:
Summary: "The Bible for Bread Baking"
Review: The Washington Post calls this book the bible for bread baking, and they are right on. This book is the best bread baking book I've come across. It gives techniques on actually making and baking a wide variety of breads. If you're looking for a way to make bread that comes out crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside, this book will help you. It's even beyond a bread baking book because it includes 118 recipes-everything from breads and rolls to pastries, muffins, and desserts. The recipes are easy to follow and ingredients are available at grocery stores-perfect for the at-home cook. The whole wheat pancake recipe is one of the many stand outs- absolutely mouth watering. If you're interested in baking breads among many, many other bread related recipes, I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for first-time bread bakers
Review: 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. As in, even me!
5) Bread machines simple do not turn out anything as good as the 'real deal'.

Hard to find book but well, well worth the search.

Rating:
Summary: a great introduction to baking bread
Review: This is a great basic how-to book, explaining the process of baking bread clearly and simply. The illustrations are very helpful, and the recipes are wonderful -- my favorite is the Swedish Summer Rye. As with all well-loved cookbooks, my copy is battered and stained. If you want to learn to bake bread, this is the place to start.