Hello all.

I wanted to ask you guys if you could recommend a good book for cakes and pastries that is amateur-friendly, with some coverage of technique or tips that could help improve my baking experience.

The reason I ask is that I have tried, on several occasions, to bake cakes from scratch following recipes from a generic baking book that I bought from Borders, but each time have been disapointed with the results. Each time the cakes come out flat and dense (I had much better luck with the croissants I baked). I thought that this could be the result of my poor technique/knowledge, the quality of the available equipment in my kitchen, the quality of the ingredients I have at my dispossal, or all of the above. Or (it occured to me) it could also be the result of a poorly written book (?).

In any case, if anyone could recommend a book to help an amateur, I'd appreciate it very much. :)

I decided to order two english bread books to my uncle's home, who will come and visit us in a couple weeks. Books are probably everywhere cheaper than in Switzerland, this way I will be able to save around 30 Dollars, which is a lot for a student like me.

Now, question: which books? I decided to order for at least 25 $, because otherwise I'd have to pay for the shipping anyway. I rather spend my money for books only. ;)

I've already got Reinhart's BBA and Hamelman's Bread.

I was thinking about one Whole Grain book, either Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads or Laurel's Kitchen Bread book. I'm not sure which one I should take. I'm looking for a good book with interesting formulas. not only american style pan loaves. I do like hearth breads as well. It seems to me that Laurel's Book includes more formulae, but I don't know what kind of bread they are. I don't mind a couple enriched, sandwich style loaves, but I'd like to have some lean doughs as well. Do I find this in Laurel's book? Reinhart's on the other hand seems to have less theory and less formulae, but a section with hearth breads. is it worth it?

Secondly, I'd like to buy a book which includes formulae which consist out of a variety of grains, not only white flour, some sourdough . . . They can be time consuming, but please, not only! I don't want to have three day-projects all the time. A preferment - fine, sourdough - fine, but to fussy recipes don't fit into my schedule. I was thinking about Leader's Local Breads. I know about the errors in the recipes, but I think it wouldn't matter to much for me as I mostly use weight measurements? And I've already got quite some experience with baking, so I hope that I'd be able to correct errors if I find some?

Any other propositions?

I'd be very happy about some help to make my decision. And I promise to post about my baking which will result out of these books. ;)

Salome

Having just finished reading the chapters pertaining to bread in Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas, I have to say that this book has already become my favorite from among all the bread books in my collection. 

While those who bake by 'feel' might not appreciate the detail into which the book delves, I believe those who take a 'scientific' approach to bread baking will find the book invaluable.  The discussion of short, improved and intensive mixing protocols and their relationship to bulk fermentation times and yeast quantities is, in itself, worth the price of the book.  

The book is not so much a collection of recipes (although it does contain a large number of them) as it is a complete education in bread and pastry baking, thus providing a jumping-off point for the baker to create his/her own recipes.  It almost seems as if the book was written to serve as the text for the Bread and Pastry Professional Training Program taught at the SFBI, of which Suas is the founder.  Although the book seems to be written with the professional baker in mind, I think that home bakers, like myself, will find a wealth of information which will serve them well in the family kitchen.

I stumbled upon the following article in the NY Times on a new book called, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

From the looks of it, it seems that the author takes a master recipe in which a wet dough is mixed, but not kneaded, and then popped in the fridge overnight, and then adds a lot of variations to create different breads.

Here are a few books I'd like to recommend.  I'd love to see some of your favorites - or just anything that's a good read.  Browndog and weavershouse, you started this idea, but I hope others can name a few also.

any of Anne McCaffrey's books

The Man Who Used the Universe
  by Alan Dean Foster

The Furies of Calderon (beginning of a series)
  by Jim Butcher

One For the Money (beginning of a series)
  by Janet Evanovich

Amazon just emailed me to say that my copy of Reinhart's whole wheat bread book has been shipped!  Yahoo!  I don't care how hot it is, I'm baking something!  Anyone else salivating out there?

Sue 

I just got this book from the library. Has anyone tried any of the recipes? Any opinions on the book or the techniques she uses?

Hi everyone,

I have been reading alot on sourdoughs and how to make startes lately.

I really really want to get it happening, but I just cant seem to get all this percentage stuff sorted in my head.

I have found (at least with baking bread) I am a kinetic learner-but I know I need to get a firm grasp of what I need to do before I start.