>Beard on Bread is an excellent book for starting out and just to have. <
Absolutely correct!
I'm wondering if we don't subconsciously assume that everybody has read it? Go back over all our bread-making discussions, and it hardly gets mentioned. Heck, I did it myself in the below post.
I notice, too, that Dan Leader hardly gets mentioned. I've never warmed to his writing style or recipes, but there are many people who see him as a bread-making guru. So perhaps his books should be mentioned as well?
What I especially like about Beard's basic bread recipe (and why I bothered typing it out) is that it walks beginners through the process so they gain an understanding of bread making, rather than just slavishly following the recipe. Whereas the introductory material in BBA can be overwhelming to a beginner, Beard's style is so simple and straightforward that they learn the why (or at least some of it) as well as the how, without even realizing it.
I should have specified, however, for beginner bakers in particular, that Beard's basic recipe makes a European style white bread. If they're expecting a fluffy, Wonder Bread type loaf, that ain't gonna do it.
For American style white bread, Beard has a different recipe, using milk and sugar for that ligher, fluffier crumb preferred on this side of the pond. I've never made it, however, so have no idea what it actually tastes like.  |