Bread Machine Book

Rating:
Summary: Some interesting recipes
Review: A good recipe book for those who want additional dough-making recipes that need to be baked in the oven and not in the bread machine. I would have liked more recipes that are actually baked in the bread machine itself. Also, the print for the recipes could have been a bit larger, thus making it easier to read.

Rating:
Summary: Some interesting recipes
Review: I bought this book more than a year ago and reserved my review until I carefully and thoughroughly tried many of the recipes. My conclusion is that it is EXCELLENT in regards to being a machine oriented bread book.

What is good about the recipes is that I could alter them a bit (with different berries, or nuts, added or deleted) and the bread still turned out very well. I found with a well rounded grocery list of staples, I could get a huge variety of breads that satisfied the entire family.

Bread Machines are great, especially if you use them to do the dough and go to the extra effort to put them in your own oven. I was really impressed with the variety in the book. I especially love the machines when cold weather comes upon us, as there is just nothing better than fresh baked bread on a winter/fall day.

If you are reluctant to experiment, try this book. It is pretty much a sure bet for just about any recipe.

Rating:
Summary: What Variety!
Review: This is an excellent book if you want a great variety of bread recipes from around the world -- from sweet rolls, to Sunshine Bread, to Mexico's anise-flavored "Bread of the Dead."

Pro(s):
- Excellent variety. If you have a desire to make unusual bread (e.g. traditional ethnic, holiday, dessert), this is a great resource!

- Good pictures. Many of the breads (approximately 60-70%) are featured in large, full-color pictures. This is helpful if you want to check out a finished product.

- Good instructions. So far, the 6 recipes I have made have been accurate and the directions have been easy to follow.

Con(s):
- Many of these breads require time in the bread maker and time in the oven. I like this because I can create bread in a variety of shapes, sizes and textures. However, some may frustrated because the book doesn't concentrate on "set it and forget it"-type (i.e. breadmaker *only*) recipes.

- You may have to play with the measurements a bit. Of the 6 types of bread I have made, 2 of them have come out rather dry. (The Sunshine Bread, in particular, bordered on sawdust-y.) However, I realize this may be an issue of personal taste rather than a criticism of the book.

- There is essentially one recipe for each type of bread. As such, if you want to concentrate on Sourdough or Rye bread, for example, you will likely want to purchase a different or supplemental cookbook.

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: What Variety!
Review: This is an excellent book if you want a great variety of bread recipes from around the world -- from sweet rolls, to Sunshine Bread, to Mexico's anise-flavored "Bread of the Dead."

Pro(s):
- Excellent variety. If you have a desire to make unusual bread (e.g. traditional ethnic, holiday, dessert), this is a great resource!

- Good pictures. Many of the breads (approximately 60-70%) are featured in large, full-color pictures. This is helpful if you want to check out a finished product.

- Good instructions. So far, the 6 recipes I have made have been accurate and the directions have been easy to follow.

Con(s):
- Many of these breads require time in the bread maker and time in the oven. I like this because I can create bread in a variety of shapes, sizes and textures. However, some may frustrated because the book doesn't concentrate on "set it and forget it"-type (i.e. breadmaker *only*) recipes.

- You may have to play with the measurements a bit. Of the 6 types of bread I have made, 2 of them have come out rather dry. (The Sunshine Bread, in particular, bordered on sawdust-y.) However, I realize this may be an issue of personal taste rather than a criticism of the book.

- There is essentially one recipe for each type of bread. As such, if you want to concentrate on Sourdough or Rye bread, for example, you will likely want to purchase a different or supplemental cookbook.

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Dump and stir cookbook only. Little background on recipes
Review: While I must admit there are some very good recipes in this book, this isn't the greatest bread cookbook I've ever read. Many of the recipes are the type that comes with your bread machine - essentially filler material (basic white bread, etc). In addition, for every really great recipe in here (apple bread is fantastic), there is a loser (orange-cumin - innovate but not that tasty). All of the recipes are fairly simple and use common readily available ingredients. Recipes are very clearly written and the photos are quite nice - though more illustrative of the final product than the process.

My biggest problem is that this is essentially a "dump and stir" type cookbook - it really doesn't give much explanation or background into the bread-making process so that you can adapt the recipes or improvise. For example, recipes call for dry milk rather than fresh and none call for eggs - more than likely because the author assumes people may use a timer on their machine and these ingredients could spoil - though this is never explained. If you don't much like to cook but are simply looking for some variety, this is probably a good book for you. For these reasons, this book is best suited to beginners or average cooks. If you really like to bake and want that "perfect" loaf or want to experiment with new and unusual ingredients, this probably isn't the best book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Dump and stir cookbook only. Little background on recipes
Review: While I must admit there are some very good recipes in this book, this isn't the greatest bread cookbook I've ever read. Many of the recipes are the type that comes with your bread machine - essentially filler material (basic white bread, etc). In addition, for every really great recipe in here (apple bread is fantastic), there is a loser (orange-cumin - innovate but not that tasty). All of the recipes are fairly simple and use common readily available ingredients. Recipes are very clearly written and the photos are quite nice - though more illustrative of the final product than the process.

My biggest problem is that this is essentially a "dump and stir" type cookbook - it really doesn't give much explanation or background into the bread-making process so that you can adapt the recipes or improvise. For example, recipes call for dry milk rather than fresh and none call for eggs - more than likely because the author assumes people may use a timer on their machine and these ingredients could spoil - though this is never explained. If you don't much like to cook but are simply looking for some variety, this is probably a good book for you. For these reasons, this book is best suited to beginners or average cooks. If you really like to bake and want that "perfect" loaf or want to experiment with new and unusual ingredients, this probably isn't the best book for you.