Williams-Sonoma Collection: Bread

Rating:
Summary: simply the best
Review: I also bought this book in college, and now 12 years later, it is my bread bible. Hensperger's instructions are simple and the breads--no matter what kind--always are delicious. Always. I've tried other bread cookbooks, but always come back to this one.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration in Bread
Review: I'm a 30 something male who's idea of cooking is: BBQ-ing a nice piece of meat out on the grill; slapping a grilled cheese & turkey sandwich on the stove; spaghetti with store bought sauce on it; or opening a can of Chunky Soup and stirring it twice before it starts to bubble on the burner. The Williams-Sonoma Bread book featuring the new picture on the cover (Banana Nut Bread) caught my eye. Not because it's one of my favorite things to eat, but because the cover photograph looked like a piece of "art". It looked PERFECT. So I opened the book and out popped all those wonderful pictures of assorted breads. Not only are the recipes (I've only made a few, the banana bread, the corn bread, the pita bread) right on... everything is laid out nicely on the page (with ingredients and the basic instructions), even for a novice like me. This is a great book on breads, and if skimming thru the pages doesn't start to make you mouth water... you're either to busy counting your carbs or your dead. This book gave me the inspiration to bake.

Rating:
Summary: Too many recipes call for heavy-duty mixer
Review: The book I received did not look like the photo, so I'm assuming it's the same with a "new" cover. I understand this is a reprint of an earlier favorite book. This version however, requires a heavy-duty mixer for many of the recipes. I do not have one and was looking forward to "hand-made" bread. I am not sure how to translate mixing and kneading times from mixer-time to handwork-time. The extra copy I bought for a gift I am no longer sure will be as appreciated for the same reason. A bit disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: Too many recipes call for heavy-duty mixer
Review: The book I received did not look like the photo, so I'm assuming it's the same with a "new" cover. I understand this is a reprint of an earlier favorite book. This version however, requires a heavy-duty mixer for many of the recipes. I do not have one and was looking forward to "hand-made" bread. I am not sure how to translate mixing and kneading times from mixer-time to handwork-time. The extra copy I bought for a gift I am no longer sure will be as appreciated for the same reason. A bit disappointing.