Rating: 
Summary: A must Have Book
Review: The unequivocal resource for whole grain baking! Perfect for
beginner to expert.
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Summary: Baking wholegrain with style
Review: This book offers more delicious wholegrain breads than all the other references I've found combined. There are even some breads in here that my husband (a confirmed whole wheat hater) likes! It also taught me how to make whole grain breads without requiring that I be an accomplished "normal" baker first. My copy is covered in flour half the time, I know no higher accolade.
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Summary: Excellent Whole-Grain Baking Guide
Review: This excellent title will walk a determined beginner from know-nothing to fairly confidant baker. At least, it's done so for me. I do still cook up the occasional disaster as I tend to neglect the timer, set temperatures incorrectly, and forget to add water before I shove the loaves into a blistering 450 F oven. All that is not the book's fault but mine. I was trying to bake whole-grain even before I found a copy of Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book at my library, and it was discouraging! After applying what I found between the library copy's pages, my loaves went from brick to edible. Sometimes I even show them to strangers, if I'm pretty sure they have a low opinion of me already. Ha! No, seriously, if you have the determination necessary to work with whole grains, this is a great starting point.The only thing I didn't especally like was the constant interjection of new-age-ish/enviromentalist philosophy, but the biggest concentration was somewhere in front of the book and so I just skip over those parts. For readers with those kind of leanings, that'll be an extra bonus, but I like to concentrate on the subject at hand. Anyways, they did do a SWELL job on breadmaking!...
Rating:
Summary: The first and last guide to making whole-grain bread
Review: This genial and practical book will teach you everything you need to know about baking with whole grains. Previous baking experience not required! The "Learner's Loaf" chapter contains the clearest instructions on breadmaking I've ever read. The chapters on baking with wheat and rye will furnish you with an ample (though not exhaustive) repertoire of recipes for working with these two fundamental grains. There are also instructions for rice and potato breads, saltless breads, breads made with sprouted grains, and more. So many beginner's baking books only provide a basic set of general instructions and then go straight into pages of little more than ingredient lists and suggested rising times. This book is filled with tips and specialized instructions for practically every single recipe. You learn to bake each loaf by the only method that can guarantee repeated success -- through explanations of the subtle points attending every step of the process.
Rating:
Summary: The first and last guide to making whole-grain bread
Review: This genial and practical book will teach you everything you need to know about baking with whole grains. Previous baking experience not required! The "Learner's Loaf" chapter contains the clearest instructions on breadmaking I've ever read. The chapters on baking with wheat and rye will furnish you with an ample (though not exhaustive) repertoire of recipes for working with these two fundamental grains. There are also instructions for rice and potato breads, saltless breads, breads made with sprouted grains, and more. So many beginner's baking books only provide a basic set of general instructions and then go straight into pages of little more than ingredient lists and suggested rising times. This book is filled with tips and specialized instructions for practically every single recipe. You learn to bake each loaf by the only method that can guarantee repeated success -- through explanations of the subtle points attending every step of the process.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Primer
Review: This is one of the three bread books to which I regularly refer (I'm on my second copy!). Grinding my own grains and baking has been a hobby for twenty-five years. I've never come across a book as well suited to a beginner. I wish it had been around when I started! There are many whole-grain baking books out there. So many of them are too radical for the average person. I've had books that state that only sourdough can be used for leavening, that baking powder and yeast are 'dishonest'. I've had books that categorically state that the only way to produce whole grain flour is by stone mill or grinder (not true). I've had books that use esoteric ingredients for bread not available to the average home cook. Laurel eschews dogmatic arguments about whole grain baking. She acknowledges that we all have busy daily schedules with families and work. Better than any whole grain book I've seen, she illustrates that whole grain baking can become an integrated part of a working person's life. Her recipes, particularly those for daily loaves, are reliable. As she states, in the 'old' days some of our loaves would work, some wouldn't. We've learned better, and she illustrates how. In addition to her recipes, the writing style of the book reminds me of 'Laurel's Kitchen', her all-around vegetarian cookbook. For the beginner, there is a very useful guide to the different ingredients of bread, and the different utensils and appliances available. Several years after its release, this cookbook remains the most practical and useful guide to whole-grain cooking. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites..
Review: This is one of two of my favorite books on baking bread. I like how the book is organized by the type of grains or ingredients in the breads. I'm interested in making multi-grain breads for the most part, but the cheese muffin recipe is wonderful, and now we always have them on hand for a quick, healthy (and portable) breakfast.(I make a double batch and then freeze half of them). The blueberry muffins are great too. I like having quick-bread and muffin recipes in addition to yeasted bread recipes. There are sections that include using fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouts-- even breads using rice flour and breads without salt. The book also has other useful information on ingredients and a section on breadmaking basics. A note on the recipes-- they do not specifically have the steps written out if you are using a stand mixer or food processor--although they do include that type of information in the recipe instructions. (If you like having steps written specifically for using a food processor or stand mixer, try Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads, which is my other favorite bread book). I've had this book for less than a year, and I use it so much some of the pages have come out!
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Summary: A lesson in baking with whole grains
Review: This is the first whole grain bread baking cook book that I have been able to make beautiful and light bread every time. The instructions are easy to follow and adaptable to your schedule. One of my favorites is the egg bread. It is so beautiful and absolutely delicious. It is not challah but it looks like it only it is whole wheat with that wonderful nutty flavor
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Summary: All Whole Grain
Review: This is the only bread book I have found where every single recipe is 100% whole grain. Other bread books list "whole wheat" breads with 5 cups of white flour and a cup of whole wheat for good luck. In this book, no white flour cop-outs. This is the real stuff.
Rating:
Summary: The only bread book with enough detail
Review: This is the only bread book that I have found that gives enough detail in the instructions and descriptions to make good whole grain bread if you don't already know how. It is not complicated, but there are many important concepts about making good bread that are not obvious if you are not already an expert. This book gives excelent descriptions and teaches the skill of baking.
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