Let's Make Bread!: A Comic Book Cookbook

by Ken Forkish, Sarah Becan

An accessible and easy-to-follow comic book cookbook for baking delicious breads, featuring a basic universal method, guidelines for maintaining a sourdough starter, and recipes for classic loaves and fun new riffs, from the beloved author of Flour Water Salt Yeast New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Ken Forkish adapts his expert bread baking tips and recipes from Evolutions in Bread and Flour Water Salt Yeast for the fun, beginner-friendly comic book cookbook format. With comics artist Sarah Becan’s lively and colorful illustrations, Let’s Make Bread! invites readers to embark on the journey of making bread with this new visual twist. Forkish and Becan provide valuable tips for the first-time breadmaker, from the necessary equipment and ingredients to the basic eight-step bread method. They explain how to start, feed, maintain, and share a sourdough starter and include valuable troubleshooting tips for temperature, dough texture, proofing, and more. They also present seventeen gold-standard recipes for both traditional and customizable loaves, including The Saturday Bread, The Standard, Corn Kernel Bread, and Raisin-Pecan Bread, and more! Pairing foolproof techniques and recipes with an exciting and inviting comic format, Let’s Make Bread! is an enjoyable guide to making your own perfect loaf at home.

Genres: Cookbooks, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Comics, Food, Cooking, Graphic Novels Comics

160 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2024

Reviews

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore these comic cookbooks that seem to be on the rise! They’re wonderful for imparting a lot of knowledge packed into a small amount of pages. The illustrations are especially helpful here, where you can actually see how to make the levain (sourdough starter), fold and proof the dough, etc. I will always champion this format, because I believe it makes certain subjects accessible to people that otherwise would not have picked up a “regular” book on said subject, for whatever reason (ADHD is the first one that comes to my mind, having it myself).

Baking can be very intimidating, especially bread baking, but in this comic, the team of Ken Forkish (James Beard award-winning baker) and illustrator Sarah Becan break down the process into manageable steps that are easy to follow. I personally am not quite in the stage of life where I could devote a lot of time to this process (when I do a hobby, I go ALL IN, folks—think ADHD hyperfocus, so I can only have one at a time), but I really feel that I *could* bake sourdough bread after reading this, and that’s huge, since in the past I’ve immediately dismissed the idea due to being intimidated. I think that other people will feel the same, and I hope that this comic inspires a new generation of bakers! Also….bacon bread….mmmm….

If you enjoy this format, Becan has also illustrated two other comics in this vein, entitled “Let’s Make Ramen!” and “Let’s Make Dumplings!”, which I will be checking out soon (my husband *loves* Asian food), Ken Forkish is well-known for his book, “Flour Water Salt Yeast”, and he also has published other books on both bread and pizza. I will be reading his “The Elements of Pizza”—I love pizza and want to gain Forkish’s insights on making it at home.

My sincere thanks to Clarkson Potter, Ten Speed Press and Ten Speed Comics for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this! All opinions are my own.

Please keep making more of these, Ten Speed Comics! Accessibility is so important, and what you’re doing is amazing.

[h · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read Let's Make Ramen! and Let's Make Dumplings! before, so my thought is still the same that reading this makes me craving for a bread!!!! This graphic cookbook is gorgeous, informative, an incredibly fun.

Thank You to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic for this Advance Reader Copy.

[Ali Varghese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been super intimidated by sourdough and the general fermentation process when making bread. This book is so fun and gives step by step instructions, explanations and of course pictures to guide you! And it’s a great way to get kids involved in the process as well!

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a galley of this book via NetGalley.

Straight up: I want to buy this book. I’ve read many baking books that discuss how to cultivate and utilize sourdough starters, and this is the least intimidating, most friendly of the lot. Every recipe is fully illustrated with detailed instructions led by avatars of baker Ken Forkish and comic book artist Sarah Becan. The one downside is that the book doesn’t include many recipes, but several variations are included. Really, this book provides an accessible foundation to perfect sourdough techniques and innovate from there.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I selfishly really just wanted early access to this cookbook if I’m being perfectly honest. I own both Let’s Make Ramen and Let’s Make Dumplings and love a comic book cookbook!

I, along with most of America, dove hard into the sourdough craze of Covid. Flour Water Salt Yeast was one of my purchases during that period and when I saw Let’s Make Bread was written by Ken Forkish I actually squealed. If only this book existed back in 2020, it would have saved me a whole lot of internet digging. The tutorials were so precise, from maintaining your starter, to the proper folding method, to troubleshooting the bake on your bread. Before the recipes even began I felt like I completed a Masterclass, but without the hassle of replaying segments over and over. I know because I’ve already endured one.

This book collectively presents everything you could possibly need to know in order to bake a loaf of bread. While other cookbooks (trust me, I probably own them all) feature merely a collection of bread recipes, Let’s Bake Bread gives you recipes specifically pertaining to your levain, with additional variations. The supplemental recipes using the levain discard further prove that the entirety of this cookbook is catered to the actual baker, rather than the admirer. Flour Water Salt Yeast was a beautiful cookbook that is perfectly fine sitting on a coffee table, but Let’s Bake Bread is one that will permanently have flour stuck on the spine.

Thank you to the publisher for providing the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's Make Bread! is a superb visual introduction to the process of making bread from scratch, including creating and using "levain," also known as sourdough starter. As someone who has made a lot of bread, I learned a few tips, but overall didn't find it super interesting. However, I think someone very new to the process would learn a lot from this book, especially if that person was a visual learner.

The only thing I'd say this book is missing is a bit of humor. Although it's a serious book, more cookbook than anything else, I think the expectation for graphic novels is an element of humor. The content was solid and informative, but some humor in the illustrations would have made the overall book a little more engaging.


Thanks to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books illustrated by Sarah Becan are like having a conversation with someone who has an incredible depth of knowledge on the topic of bread making or ramen - but take the time to thoughtfully bring you along with them in simple (but not dumb) steps.

If you're interested in bread making or ramen, for example these books will either confirm you want to jump in and get busy making that from scratch or at least give you the feeling that you explored the idea well enough to know you don't.

Near perfect introductions to the topic of sourdough starter creation in this one and more importantly where and when to use it.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just started making bread so this book came at the perfect time. It is an extremely easy to read, concise graphic novel about the process of bread making. It features guided tutorials, such as which direction to knead your dough, and variations on recipes. I will say, as an amateur bread baker, some of what's included can be a bit too precise. I've been making bread without weighing ingredients, for example, but at the very beginning the author lists a scale as a needed equipment. Overall, a great recommended book for bread bakers!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those odd types of books that I never thought I would see around.
A comic cookbook on bread. That is basically what it is.
I think this could be a good tool though for people who may struggle with understanding step by step processes that are put in black and white terms like classic cookbooks. There is a flair about being able to walk with the author through the processes being described that make the idea of breadmaking a bit less daunting and more interesting.

[Chris Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best book of all time. Better than Ulysses. Better than War and Peace. Better than the dictionary. I've struggled making bread for a long time, but this unlocked it for me and enabled me to actually have fun doing it. You may need to buy a scale and a couple of other pieces of proper equipment, but if you are, and can summon a little patience and carefully follow directions, success is within your reach.

[Miranda Noonan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 Overall I found this to be a pretty comprehensive book for someone new to bread making. I still have a few questions that the book didn’t answer, but overall I think it was a great start to help me learn how to bake bread. The visuals made it even better!

[timber rose, book witch (semi-hiatus)]

literally beyond excited to read this in may!!!!!

[Ashlyn Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

It does have some good info, it was just a very weird concept to me to have a comic cookbook (that makes me sound old I guess). Interesting, but I'm going to stick to my regular cookbooks

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! I've always had a hard time making bread and having the pictures for literally every step was just what I needed. It made it seem like something I could actually do! Many of the recipes are specialty and sour dough, but there was one regular recipe and that is the one I'm going to try first!

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had interesting history and fun recipes. The comic format made it easy to follow and a lot of fun to read. As someone who doesn't cook or bake this made it seem less intimidating

4 stars

[Sara Flubacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.

Ken Forkish with Sarah Becan have created a beautifully made comic book cookbook! Bread can be a tricky thing to master, and since I’m a visual learner, but videos are too fast for me, this is PERFECT for me. It gives all the science and need-to-know information of bread baking in simple language and easy to follow steps while being shown what you need to do. With information from the equipment, measurements, temperatures, type of ingredients, how to make a sourdough starter and finally a good handful of bread recipes!
The first recipe is basically the “foundational” recipe where once you get the hang of that, the other ones just build on top of that.

I tried this recipe and thought I had messed it up, but it WORKED. AND TURNED OUT GREAT! I thought the first bread usually turns out bad, but this helped me so much that it turned out great!

This is a great beginner’s handbook and I wish I had the physical copy! I almost want to get up and start baking bread NOW!

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com and subscribe to my updates!

Thanks to Ten Speed Graphic Books and NetGalley for a complimentary digital ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was blessed to have my mother teach me how to stay closer to my food sources in many ways including having a large garden, canning and dehydrating foods, but breadmaking wasn’t one of them. My oldest brother, who has always enjoyed cooking and baking, has an IG page called Flute Reed Ovens that showcases his incredible works with breads. I recently decided to try my hand at making sourdough and other artisan breads because we had been enjoying loaves from a grocery store’s bakery. The prices were $2.99 a loaf just over a year ago, and now they’re $5-$6.

This comic book cookbook is a good introduction to breadmaking in an accessible, visual way. I appreciate that as I am definitely a more visual learner. This is the first bread book I’ve read (I have several checked out from the library to tackle), and it seems to cover the basics fairly well. I found it interesting that only one bread option uses a mixer. I mean, I’ve had my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for 26 years and have yet to use the dough hook, and I was looking forward to it. I’m not quite sure my arthritic hands can handle all the kneading that needs to be done the way the book describes, so maybe the book isn’t as accessible as I thought. YMMV.

There are two different methods to making breads featured in Let’s Make Bread! In a standard loaf pan, or a Dutch Oven. I liked that both methods were featured, as some types of bread I wish to make I don’t want in rectangular loaf form. There are a few pieces of equipment I need/can’t substitute with what I have on hand, so I can’t practically say how good the recipes are as I haven’t made any, but the recipes are pretty straight-forward.

With a massive influx of “homesteaders” and “preppers” appearing in my social media feeds these days, this comic book cookbook is a good introduction to the making of artisan breads that many people might not normally think they can do. Props also to illustrator Sarah Becan for her easy-to-understand graphics.

[Andrea Wahle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t let the graphic novel style of this book fool you. This book is about serious (but fun) bread baking. The step-by-step approach with illustrations are helpful – sometimes I have a hard time picturing what words alone are trying to convey. The recipes in this book do require a kitchen scale – the author explains “baker’s math” and the percentages of other ingredients in relation to the amount of flour used. The science of bread baking and Mr. Forkish’s methods are covered so completely that recipes don’t start until page 63.

Mr. Forkish uses levain instead of a sourdough starter. While similar to sourdough starter, a levain starter does not impart sour flavors. It is a leavening agent made from a mixture of flour and water and used to bake bread. The flour and water mixture takes on the wild yeasts in the air, and ferments.

I appreciate that all the recipes include directions for both including and not including the levain. I am way too scattered to track the feeding of a starter and keep it alive. While the process is very similar from loaf to loaf, each recipe includes the step-by-step illustrations, so you don’t have to flip back to a previous page for reference. I’ve never made bread using his methods of combining the water and flour and then letting it rest for 15-20 minutes before adding the salt and yeast. There is also a very particular method for kneading that I have not encountered. I had high hopes of trying some of the recipes, but I have not gotten around to it. The directions are a little fussier than my go-to buttermilk bread recipe. Maybe I will try when I have some time off work.

I don’t think this book is for everyone, but I do think it makes the process of making “artisan” loaves more approachable. Sarah Becan’s illustrations are fantastic.

I received a galley of this book from NetGalley.

[Karen Cohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first section of this volume explains the elements of bread making, including the ingredients and how they interact. It also explains the authors' preferred method of making bread. Those who are familiar with bread-making may find the method - which is largely no-knead breads, which are turned and folded a relatively minor amount, but not actually kneaded - to be somewhat unusual, but the method is in keeping with standard bread-making practices. The rest of the volume contains a variety of recipes, starting with a basic recipe and the multiple variations on each basic recipe. Be sure to check the recipe you want to follow before you start, as not all of the equipment listed is necessary for every recipe. Likewise, be sure you follow the instructions about how to use a food scale if you're not used to it, as the recipes are all given by weight, with no reference to volume measurements.

If you like step-by-step directions and are new to bread-making, this is a great introduction. If you're an experienced baker, you may find that comic-book format, while readable, to be too detailed, as recipes stretch over as much as 10 pages. A summary recipe in a more standard format at the end of each recipe, or a compilation of such at the end of the volume, would be beneficial for those who prefer a 1-2 page format; as someone who has been baking bread for over 4 decades, I prefer to be able to see the entire recipe, including the ingredients and directions, in 1-2 pages that I can keep open for reference, without needing to turn pages to complete the recipe. That's a stylistic preference rather than a comment on the quality of the recipes, which seems quite good.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cool way to show the art of baking bread. It's already an intimidating idea, especially as a beginner, but seeing the comic book cookbook immediately gives a sense of whimsy. The table of contents includes: The First Rise, Basics & Methods, Levain, Recipes, and The Final Proof. Ken Forkish is the founder of Ken’s Artisan Bakery and a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author. He, and illustrator Sarah Becan, walk you through all the ingredients and equipment you will need. They assure us in the comic that with a bit of patience and effort there is no need to be intimidated about baking bread. Also it helps that no fancy equipment is needed except for one recipe.

I found the breakdown of the wheat berry to be really interesting. I admit the levain parts are still intimidating, at least the patience it takes is. The recipes can all be made in either a dutch oven or a bread pan, except for Butter Bread that requires a mixer and a dough hook attachment. The guide to the recipes is a quick overview of the recipes to follow and each recipe has a sample schedule. This is where having the comic book illustrations come in handy. Sometimes you just need to see it all mapped out down to the different times of day. Sarah Becan’s illustrations were so helpful and cute at the same time. It must have taken so long to illustrate every part of the process. The planning, patience, and persistence they talk about when baking bread must have been the same process when creating this book. It’s so great.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

[Marinna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s Make Bread is a beautiful comic book that both educates and entertains. I was familiar with Ken Forkish’s works before picking this up and was excited to see what the Let’s Make Bread Comic Book Cookbook would be like. This feels much more digestible (pun intended!) than typical cookbooks and the illustrations allow for an easy to follow step-by-step guide. I especially love this format for teaching young children how to bake. I plan to pick-up the other comic books illustrated by Sarah Becan with my kiddos.

I’ve been baking bread for about a year, and by no means consider myself an expert, but I was excited with how much there was to take in with this comic book. There are 11+ recipes and a great education related to grains and sourdough. I did not know that the French word for sourdough is ‘Levain’ and I think I like that term much better! I love the information on where to buy heirloom grains. I was excited to see a shout-out to Janie’s Mill, where I get all of my flour from.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic, the author Ken Forkish and illustrator Sarah Becan for this highly enjoyable ARC!

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Ten Speedy Press for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This was something new to me - a cookbook in the form of a graphic novel. I have had some cookbooks that were illustrated, but this is the first time I have encountered one with such depth.

Let's make bread strikes a conversational tone. It breaks down the technical details of bread making, the language and processes and then walks you through all the steps to making bread yourself.

The recipes are clear, every step is illustrated in great deail, making it easy to follow along. Sometimes having photos can be a barrier when you want to cook when your attempt does not match closely enough. The illustrations provide enough detail to clearly follow, without being a picture perfect image that can stop a perfectionist from trying in the first place.

I really liked how this was done, and picked up some interesting details about bread making.

If you want to try making bread, but are finding some of those other books intimidating, give this one a go.

[Michelle Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to see this book was coming out. I loved Let’s Make Ramen and Let’s Make Dumplings. The illustrations and explanations were easy to follow and understand. Bread making has always mystified me. You take flour and yeast, water and a pinch of salt and move your hands in a certain way and magic happens. I have never had luck making bread except in my 30 year old bread machine that you just dump in the ingredients and turn it on.
There is nothing like the smell of fresh baking bread to lift your spirits and raise the appetite. Thanks to Forkish for his easy to follow recipes and tips on making levain, I have a sourdough starter in my fridge and we are baking a loaf of bread weekly. Becan’s illistrations are easier to understand than photographs of the process. I was able to knead my bread and feel confident I was doing it correctly for the first time ever.
This one deserves a Beard award. Let’s Make Bread is a must have for all home kitchens.

[marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Ten Speed Graphic for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

This has been the first cookbook that I've actually managed to read through! I had never really seen the draw of cookbooks because, as a visual learner, I have always opted to click play and pause on a YouTube recipe instead. However, Let's Make Bread!'s graphic novel approach to their cookbook worked and now I'm obsessed. Everything is broken down beautifully into steps. I especially love the recommendations for when to start the breadmaking process (especially with my experience of having to wake up at 3 AM to do stretch and folds).

I've always loved making bread, and making my own sourdough starter has been a dream of mine for a while, but I've always been too intimidated to give it a shot. After reading Ken's charming instructions and Sarah's wonderful illustrations, I finally feel like I can do it, and I can't wait to try out some of the recipes in this book!

[Claire Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would buy this book as a present for someone because it is a quick and comprehensive way to learn how to make various types of bread. The comic format is easy to understand and makes it faster to learn the steps with picture guides and words. It is a start-to-finish guide, with a full set of instructions from the sourdough starter to baking, plus multiple recipes expanding on the basic dough. “With just a little bit of patience and effort, you’ll see just how accessible incredible homemade bread can be,” says Ken Forkish in his book, encouraging the reader to try baking some loaves. This book is a perfect how-to for anyone interested in breadmaking, whether they already have some knowledge or are a total novice. The steps are simple and straightforward to follow, and present baking in a way that takes away the intimidation and makes it seem doable for anyone. Forget your fears and delve into the wonderful world of bread with 'Let’s Make Bread!' by Ken Forkish and Sarah Becan.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel cookbook with illustrated instruction of how to make your own levain, keep it alive, and instructions for a couple different kinds of breads you can make with it.

So this book solely focuses on leavened bread recipes (those using yeast). It doesn’t include any flatbreads or quick breads. If you are looking to make your own sourdough or sandwich breads, this was very informative and easy to follow in its instructions. I didn’t know anything about making a sourdough starter before, and now I feel very informed (and have also decided it is way too much work for me…I have enough other things on my plate 😅). It does make me appreciate the bakers who supply my bread more though.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: The author/illustrator are depicted as people of European descent.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: None

[Tory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before publication.

My mom went to culinary school and I have fond memories of watching her bake in our kitchen to practice for school. We ate a lot of great things, most notably bread. While reading this book I was able to come to my mom with what I’d learned, as well as questions I had.

I can’t say that I’m a baking monster after reading this book because I have yet to wade into the pile of baking supplies in my pantry, but I feel more confident in my ability to give this bread making thing a shot. I have never seen clearer directions in a how-to book. There was a lot going on with the back and forth of prepping the dough, but through the art in the graphic novel the different steps began to make sense. I’m clearly a visual learner when it comes to baking. None of this would’ve made sense to me in only text. I can’t wait to order this book and try out the recipes.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Readers who loved Let's Make Dumplings!: A Comic Book Cookbook and Let's Make Ramen!: A Comic Book Cookbook will be excited to pick up this new book. The illustrations are adorable as always.

I didn't get a ton out of this book, as I've read a fair few bread/baking/sourdough books, so there wasn't a lot of new info for me. If I did decide to get into sourdough, this would be a top contender for the book I'd buy, though!

eARC from NetGalley.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first look into the comic cookbook series and what a cool book it is!

I’m absolutely a visual learner, meaning if I see something explained visually, the information stays with me more clearly than if given verbal directions. A comic cookbook is a perfect crossover and the directions are clear and concise. Lots of different recipes, techniques, and ingredients are shown and explained through comic-style drawings. Lots of cookbooks have photos of the finished product, but this book includes drawings of mixing, kneading, and shaping techniques, which is a great help to a novice (or nervous, like me) bread baker!

I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining book! Love the comic book format. But besides all that, the author wrote how to make bread in excruciating details. You can’t miss making bread from this book, your bread will come out perfectly by following the instructions. The cartoon people reinforce that bread making is for every person of all ages. The only downside is the author uses grams as a measurement. Not a problem if you’re comfortable with that. There’s a handy sidebar converting grams to cups but it’s not enough for me.
I love to bake bread and have over the years made regular, sourdough, milk bread, raisin bread, and more. It’s a wonderful pastime and hope more people bake up a loaf of their own.
I received a free copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.