Bread Machine Baking

Rating:
Summary: A bread machine book for the bread connoisseur
Review: As a native of S.F., sourdough capital, I absolutely enjoyed the results of the recipe for Sourdough Potato Dill Bread. I served it to my family with some homemade potato leek soup. Usually the soup takes center stage, but this time it was the bread from this recipe. I've tried making sourdough before but didn't have much luck until I tried Brody and Apter's approach which enabled me to go right to the directions that suited my machine. Finally a thorough and sensible approach to the world of bread baking. I can't wait to try out more recipes. Bread Machine Baking is an asset to any bread maker's collection--a must have!

Rating:
Summary: A bread machine book for the bread connoisseur
Review: Despite all of the other bread machine books I've perused and used, this remains my favorite. Unlike most of the other machine books, which seem to present an endless litany of "whole wheat bread, white bread, cinnamon bread..." this book strays from that narrow path to offer treats such as Toblerone Chocolate Bread and machine versions of some of the traditional ethnic breads from the writer's childhood. If you're looking for recipes that are definitely not "run of the mill" - you'll find them here. In addition, the general information on machine baking, and how it differs from "traditional" baking, is extremely helpful. The writer clearly is a BREAD baker who enjoys using a bread machine, not a "newbie" bread machine baker, and her love for her subject, as well as her wide-ranging knowledge, shines through.

Rating:
Summary: skip this book
Review: I am an avid bread machine baker (my family hasn't purchased a loaf of bread in almost a year). I read many outstanding reviews of Lora Brody's book, but I must say that I have been very disappointed with the results from the recipes in this book. The book opens with one fabulous recipe (buttermilk maple white bread). The other very good recipe is the one for honey whole wheat bread. But the others that I have tried have all fizzled. The balance of ingredients has not been right. Even after hovering over the machine during the mixing and kneading cycles, I still end up with loaves that are dense or dry or uneven. Since I have not experienced these things with recipes from other sources, I believe that the recipes are at fault.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: I am an avid bread machine baker (my family hasn't purchased a loaf of bread in almost a year). I read many outstanding reviews of Lora Brody's book, but I must say that I have been very disappointed with the results from the recipes in this book. The book opens with one fabulous recipe (buttermilk maple white bread). The other very good recipe is the one for honey whole wheat bread. But the others that I have tried have all fizzled. The balance of ingredients has not been right. Even after hovering over the machine during the mixing and kneading cycles, I still end up with loaves that are dense or dry or uneven. Since I have not experienced these things with recipes from other sources, I believe that the recipes are at fault.

Rating:
Summary: Only book you need
Review: I live in Thailand, and it's hard to get decent bread here. I thought I'd solved the problem when I bought a bread machine, but it turned out that I'd swapped one frustration for another. While I'd occasionally get a decent loaf, most of the time I'd end up with an inedible hockey puck. I was about to put my bread machine up for sale on e-bay when I found this book while on vacation in Hawaii. I gave the machine one last chance and I made the best bread I've ever had. Since then I've been getting more adventurous with ingredients and I also bought Brody's book on how to make pizza dough in the bread machine. I highly recommend this book - the recipes have worked nearly every single time for me, and it really got me excited about the possibilities of home baking.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I tried at least seven recipes from this book. The only one that worked was a banana oatmeal bread. One problem was, the definition of a large zojirushi machine was one that makes a 1.5 lbs loaf, not a 2 lb loaf like MY large zojirushi.
The too small loaves tended to bake in two heaps rather than one loaf, and often did not rise properly. Because they were so short, they did not brown properly on the top.
The trouble shooting section was quite good, but it did not help the recipes in the book.
I'd suggest Bread Machine Baking for All Seasons by Connie Merydith, if you can get it. Even though the recipes came in several sizes, they all worked.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I tried at least seven recipes from this book. The only one that worked was a banana oatmeal bread. One problem was, the definition of a large zojirushi machine was one that makes a 1.5 lbs loaf, not a 2 lb loaf like MY large zojirushi.
The too small loaves tended to bake in two heaps rather than one loaf, and often did not rise properly. Because they were so short, they did not brown properly on the top.
The trouble shooting section was quite good, but it did not help the recipes in the book.
I'd suggest Bread Machine Baking for All Seasons by Connie Merydith, if you can get it. Even though the recipes came in several sizes, they all worked.

Rating:
Summary: Novice Bread Baker Approves
Review: I've always wanted to bake my own bread, but was intimidated by the process, not to mention the bread machine I received a few years ago for a wedding present was beginning to amount to nothing with that layer of dust. When I finally put it to use, I'm so glad that I had BREAD MACHINE BAKING with me. I went straight to the "Focaccia Bread With Sun-Dried Tomatoes" and will never have to spend tons of money at the gourmet grocery store again. I'm hooked! It was delicious. I can't wait to try "Pesto Bread" and the "Rosemary Pepper Bread." Many thanks to Lora Brody and her mother, Millie Apter for the gift of BREAD MACHINE BAKING and for making it "foolproof" too!

Rating:
Summary: skip this book
Review: I've tried several recipes from this book, and none of them have been more than adequate. You get a lot of pages that you don't need, because each recipe is repeated, with some change of ingredients, for bread machine types. I do not recommend this book - it really doesn't rate even one star. A better one is More Bread Machine Magic; every loaf I've baked from its recipes has come out quite tasty.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent recipes, needs better format
Review: Like most folks, everything I've made from the book has been excellent. My machine (2001 Williams-Sonoma) is included in this book. The large variety of recipes and spiral-bound format are pluses. On the down side, in their attempt to provide for a wide range of bread machines, they've made it difficult to locate recipes in the book. Each featured bread will cover several pages to provide recipes for all machines they cover. It's hard to find things doing a quick flip through the book. A tabbed format separating the various sections and a table of contents on each tab would make the book easier to use. It would also be nice if they would include some guidelines on how to adjust recipes if your machine is not listed or your bread just doesn't come out right. A good book explaining ingredients and adjustments is Better Homes and Gardens - Best Bread Machine Recipes.