Bread Alone: Bold Fresh Loaves from Your Own Hands

by Daniel Leader, Judith Blahnik

"Good bread is hard to find and easy to make," says Dan Leader as he draws you into the ancient world of traditional bread baking. Unlike any other bread book, Bread Alone will provide you with a comprehensive guide to creating—at home—the country-style breads that have consistently captured the imagination and the taste buds of the world.

In a richly told tale, Leader chronicles his crossings of America and Europe to locate the most vital ingredients at the source, to learn from the methods of the world's great bakers, and to perfect their traditional techniques. His recipes are ones that have been used for centuries: large sourdough ryes, rich and dark raisin pumpernickel loaves, real French pain au levain, big round wheats with walnuts, crusty baguettes, high and airy breads, and more. Made from organic, stone-ground grains, these breads are slow-leavened, hand-shaped, and baked to perfection on heated baking tiles. As you read through the recipes, you can almost smell the ancient aroma of baking bread. And as you begin to bake, you will learn the importance of the primary ingredient in great bread: your own observations.

These are some of the breads and techniques you will master:


In the chapter "Becoming Bread," you will learn to identify and shop for the highest quality flour available. And you will seek it out because you'll taste the difference.


Making a poolish will become second nature to you as you master the Learning Recipe: Classic Country-Style Hearth Loaf and its delicious variations.


Whatever your schedule, there is a bread for you. In the chapter "Straight-Dough Breads: Traditional Breads for a Modern Life-Style," you are shown how to start and finish a recipe in five hours, or morning-to-night, or night-to-night.


You will bake sourdough bread in its many forms. By gently introducing the concept of sourdough—how it is made, how it is maintained, and how to get the best flavor from it—Leader demystifies it and makes it accessible to you.


Discover the wonders of rye bread: From the dense and chewy Finnish Sour Rye to the fragrant Danish Light Rye, everyone's tastes are served.


The mystery of pain au levain, French for "bread from a sourdough or wild yeast," unfolds into an understandable, user-friendly process. From My Personal Favorite Pain au Levain, a typical large Parisian loaf, to Pain au Levain with Pecans and Dried Cherries, the "Family of Traditional Pain au Levain" includes some of the best loaves baked around the world.


A perfect baguette is a beautiful thing. From shaping to scoring, you will learn how to make the authentic French baguette at home.


The purpose of an organic certifier—find out how and why one farmer becomes dedicated to his role as land steward.


Brioche, Chocolate-Apricot Kugelhopf, Panettone, and Semolina Sesame Rolls are a few recipes you will find in "A Family of Breads Inspired by Traditional French and Italian Breads."


Finally, when a quick bread is all you have time to bake, you will find recipes for such delights as Vanilla Bean Butter Loaf; Dried Pear, Port, and Poppy Seed Loaf; and Provolone Sage Corn Loaf.


Bread Alone is the bread book that cooks and bakers have been waiting for. From the wheat fields of the Midwest to the hot and steamy boulangeries of Paris, you will travel the long and delicious road to flawless bread baking. You will emerge a better baker and with a deeper understanding of what it takes to make perfect loaves. Bakers entertain you with stories of their love of baking (even in the most adverse situations). Bread Alone is the bible of bread books and a must-have for bread lovers everywhere.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Adult

336 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 1993

Reviews

[Taylor Friese · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the world of bread has changed so much in the last 30 years that this book isn't exactly usable.
A lot of the resources are no longer available, and dry yeast must have changed because the amounts he has for each loaf is way too much.
I made the brioche last night and the honey was undetectable because the yeast ate it all.
A solid representation of where bread was at the time, and I love the profiles of the bakers. On that note though, I do wish they had gone out of their way for a more diverse group of bakers.
If you're just looking for ideas for flavorings this is a good option.

[Aron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book that goes into detail on the science and theory of good bread making, includes stories, instructions, tips, and recipes. I'll keep it in my back pocket for when I dive into artisan bread making.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this book was geared towards experienced bakers and encourages high end ingredients to achieve bakery level products. Wonderful detail, information. It has different terminology- “ a chef” = a starter. It has both yeast and sourdough recipes.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book but perhaps not the best intro for new bakers

[Aasinathena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex,in detail bread making book !

[Vanessa Santourian · Rating 4 out of 5]

In-depth bread information and recipes

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the descriptions of how he became interested in baking bread and of the kinds of breads that he makes are luscious, the bread itself is far too complicated. I was going to try making his rustic loaf, but the specific flour he calls for is no longer available from one company and the other company is out of business. That, combined with the intricacy of the steps to making the bread (I'm all for intricacy if it has a point; I'm not sure his does) means that I haven't tried to bake his bread. Looks delicious, from the photographs....

[Katie Kenig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is as much about the artistry of making beautiful breads as it is a cookbook, and is a wonderful read. It inspired me to buy stone tiles for my own oven, and got me to bake home made bread for the first time. I absolutely adore this book and recommend it highly. It makes an ancient art truly accessible in our modern world.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A flawless, thorough guide to mastering artisan bread-making. Dan Leader is a great teacher. Full of great recipes and information on the why and how of bread-making with a good list of references and resources.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I got my hands on this book about five (six? seven? god. I think it's been almost eight years.. I read it when joseph was not yet one.. my how time flies) years ago, my adoration and practice of bread began. I really like how he presents it from grain to loaf.

[Dean]

This is a good book about baking for people who love bread. There are bits in here that are beyond bread,and talk about a lot of things like the psychology and history of bread.
A must have for the baker.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for bread bakers and bread lovers! I still feel that it is hard to bake a great loaf of bread without someone to come alongside you and teach you how. Bread baking is an art, this book is a fabulous way to begin to understand and appreciate the artistic process of great bread.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that kicked off my passion for baking. Dan Leader interleaves equal part (exceptional) recipes and his journey to being a master baker and building the Bread Alone bakery in upstate New York.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've learned quite a bit from this book and made some good bread through his recommendations. It's also a good resource for new bread recipes and for simply being inspired to turn on my oven...

[Cheryl S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book left me somewhere between terrified and intrigued when I consider attempting the bread making process.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

So informative!

[Meredith Henning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome!

[Rachael Lauritzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quintessential book for making slow, crusty breads. They explain EVERYTHING.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you follow the direction in this book you will have a great loaf of bread. Most take all day to make but it is well worth the time.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a landmark book in bread-baking techniques for me. My dog-earred copy is well-used and well-loved. It is a resource I return to again and again.

[Dineen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leader was among the first to pioneer artisan breads state-side. He brings old-world knowledge from European masters to his stand-out book.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book -- perhaps a bit complicated for the beginning baker (do you really care about the hundreds of bread flour varieties?) but a wonderful resource for the person on a bread-baking journey!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

My go-to cookbook for bread. If you want to develop an addiction to gluten, this is the place to start.

[Eleanor Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A minutely detailed book about bread making from types of flour, salt and oven. A page turner for bread lovers

[BarbaraAllison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex, with emphasis on different wheat flours, mostly. I much prefer The Breadbaker's Apprentice for clear instructions. Good book, very knowledgeable author.

[Inukshuk71 Paquin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delicious book on simple bread making that reads like a story. Wonderful!

[Rea K]

Our executive chef at work thinks my boss and I need to read this book. We both agreed that this better not be dull and boring or we were going to get the sparknotes version.