Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Reference Guide
Review: I purchased the 1987 edition of this book because I was interested in saving a few dollars. However, I'd recommend buying the updated version as things have changed significantly in the last 17 years. That being said, this is an outstanding reference for bread bakers; the tips and techniques are particularly helpful. Who knew that soft crust on French bread was the result of insufficient steam in the oven during the baking process? No other bread book I've consulted told me that and I was becoming increasingly frustrated. Other tips are just as valuable. The instructions are clearly written and logical in presentation. The book is divided into different sections based on different types of breads and is more specific in differentiating between these than other similar books. I'd definitely recommend this book for either the novice or seasoned bread baker!
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate cookbook for from-scratch bread bakers
Review: I recently told someone I bake all our bread from scratch--no bread machine for me. He looked at me in amazement and asked, "Then how do you do it?!" "Just the way your grandmother did," I told him. With Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads, anyone can bake flawless loaves of bread. Clayton has thought of everything, from explaining the many different types of flours and their differing attributes to formatting every recipe for hand mixing, electric mixer and food processor. I was given a recipe for Irish soda bread that listed the ingredients by weight, not volume, and Clayton even has a conversion table. I have made his recipe for Rudi's stone-ground wheat bread every week since I bought the book; the bread is so wonderful, my husband and I are addicted to it. But I have made perhaps ten other bread recipes, and without exception they have been delicious and professional looking. Clayton doesn't resort to tricks but uses techniques that are guaranteed to produce perfect results. I find the process of bread baking exhilarating: by mixing a few simple ingredients together I produce a living, changing dough that appeals to every sense: the resilience of the dough as I knead it, the excitement of seeing the dough rising in the bowl, the irresistible smell of the loaves as they bake, the crunch of the crust--and the taste of a fresh chunk of bread, hot from the oven, that makes me weak-kneed with pleasure every time.From flat breads to quick breads to pizza doughs to every variety of yeast bread, Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads will never let you down. How could it? Your spirits will rise along with your bread.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate cookbook for from-scratch bread bakers
Review: I recently told someone I bake all our bread from scratch--no bread machine for me. He looked at me in amazement and asked, "Then how do you do it?!" "Just the way your grandmother did," I told him. With Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads, anyone can bake flawless loaves of bread. Clayton has thought of everything, from explaining the many different types of flours and their differing attributes to formatting every recipe for hand mixing, electric mixer and food processor. I was given a recipe for Irish soda bread that listed the ingredients by weight, not volume, and Clayton even has a conversion table. I have made his recipe for Rudi's stone-ground wheat bread every week since I bought the book; the bread is so wonderful, my husband and I are addicted to it. But I have made perhaps ten other bread recipes, and without exception they have been delicious and professional looking. Clayton doesn't resort to tricks but uses techniques that are guaranteed to produce perfect results. I find the process of bread baking exhilarating: by mixing a few simple ingredients together I produce a living, changing dough that appeals to every sense: the resilience of the dough as I knead it, the excitement of seeing the dough rising in the bowl, the irresistible smell of the loaves as they bake, the crunch of the crust--and the taste of a fresh chunk of bread, hot from the oven, that makes me weak-kneed with pleasure every time.
From flat breads to quick breads to pizza doughs to every variety of yeast bread, Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads will never let you down. How could it? Your spirits will rise along with your bread.
Rating: 
Summary: The "bread bible" in my kitchen, but not my favorite
Review: I should have a kind of loyalty to Bernard Clayton, Jr.'s bread book. It's big, it's complete and it has just about any bread including crackers. (Like author Clayton, I love crackers.) But recent bread books,especially those artisan books, surpass The "New Complete Book of Breads" for getting that European effect, especially for free-form wheat breads like ciabatta and Tuscan bread.However, this book shines for the American kitchen, in which you might not be using all the latest gadgets or have re-created a stone hearth. The recipes work well with the flours available in the grocery store and health food store, whereas you might need to mail order high-ash French-style flours from catalogs if you are working towards artisan breads. The section on holiday breads like Panettone, Pandoro, challah and stollen are especially good. There is a Finnish bread that I especially admire. So I find I still pull this book off the shelf when I want to make good bread, but don't want to agonize over getting crackly crusts, gel-like crumb or other artisan features of specialty breads. Easy, reliable and plenty of variety here.
Rating:
Summary: This is THE bread book...
Review: I've been baking breads for over 20 years and this is still the book I turn to the most. There are many recipes here that I continue to make over and over and I still turn to it to find a recipe that I have not yet tried. I'm quite amazed at the breath and dedication that Bernard put into writing this book. If you have never baked before this is the book for you and if you have been baking bread for years, this book will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensable
Review: I've got a lot of bread cookbooks in my library, but
this is the one I always come back to. Excellent detailed guide to technique, wonderfully detailed recipes for those
using their hands, the food processor, or the Kitchen Aid.
(No bread machines here.) The maple oatmeal bread is absolutely stunning, but don't cheap out and use imitation
maple syrup. (Fortunately it makes two loaves. One of them is generally gone before it has cooled.)
Rating:
Summary: Nearly as good as the original
Review: If you can't get your hands on Clayton's original "The Complete Book of Breads" which came out in the early '70s (I've had mine equally long), this is a good second choice. While updating the methods with fancy kitchen gadgets, such as food processors, Clayton still remembers those of us who do it all by hand. Although his original is still my favorite, I've made many excellent breads from this book and don't bother with anyone but Clayton anymore when it comes to breads. In addition, it's well written and, with Clayton's innocent sense of humor, a pleasure to just sit down and read.
Rating:
Summary: Not One Bad Recipe!!
Review: If you like bread... this is definitely the book for you! The recipies are endless! I have never had any of Mr. Clayton's recipies "fail" on me... all are easy to follow and very thorough and accurate. Recipies are written for every kind a baker; from bread machines to kneading with a food processor to kneading with your hands. I love this book!
Rating:
Summary: Here are a few recipes I especially liked
Review: Just to add to the reviews above: I like making little breads. We've enjoyed the pita bread, the hot cross buns, the bagels, the cheddar-cheese crackers, the oliebollen, and once I made the incredibly delicious and time consuming croissant. One of my favorites and one of the easiest recipes is that for the Buttermilk Oaten Cakes, which are low in fat, chewy, and amazingly good. Someday, I will go through this book recipe by recipe. I like the format, too, with each step called out. Very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The only bread book you'll ever need
Review: My copy is so well-worn that the pages fall open to my favorite recipes. I wouldn't bother buying any other book.
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