The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread: 125+ Recipes for Every Baker

by King Arthur Baking Company

From the beloved baking authority, the most wide-ranging bread book to be published in a decade—with 125 recipes that meet you where you are, whether novice or bread-head, in a stunning package.

Authoritative and accessible, The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread is exceptional for its range: the 125 recipes for yeasted and naturally leavened breads are designed to appeal to novices and advanced bakers alike, as well as those who are deep into sourdough.

Everything you want to know about how to make a perfect loaf is here: from techniques for folding and shaping, to information about flour, yeast, and temperature, along with key tips such as how to work with temperamental dough and best practices for storing different breads. Each recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous four-color photo, and the instructional information includes step-by-step photography along with QR codes throughout that direct you to how-to videos. The book also includes an elegant ribbon marker.

At the heart of The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread is the most expansive and inclusive list of any bread-baking book, and it boasts new and classic recipes such as the following:
-Flatbreads: Focaccia, Naan, Pita, Scallion Pancake, Lavash, Seedy Crackers
-Pan Loaves: Everyday Bread, English Muffin Toasting Bread, Tiger Milk Bread
-Sourdough: Baguette, Sandwich Bread, Cinnamon Swirl
-Hearth Breads: Classic Miche, Chocolate Levain, Sesame Whole Wheat Loaf
-Buns, Bagels, and Rolls: Conchas, Bolo Bao, Jerusalem Bagels, Buttermilk Buns
-“Fancy” Breads: Basic Babka, Big Sticky Bun, Stollen
-Things to Make with Bread: Cheddar Kimchi Strata, Sourdough Lasagna, Migas

The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread demystifies bread baking and will make any newbie a confident baker while expanding the skill and repertoire of experienced bakers.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, Food, Foodie

464 pages, Hardcover

Published October 22, 2024

Reviews

[Susan Kendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. Get it? Devoured? It’s a cookbook? 😂Anyway, this one will go on my Christmas list (the copy I read is from the library) because it is so well organized and systematic in its scope and teaching style. I am not sure why suddenly baking seems so appealing, but here we are. I guess I’m just really late to the Covid baking craze.

[Grace Mal · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book has so many fascinating recipes. Can't wait to try them!

[Natalie Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear instructions, beautiful photography, and plenty of inspo for baguettes, tortillas, gözleme, ciabatta, pan de cristal, etc. Safe to say - imma be eatin a lot of bread.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard book to review because it's not something you could really just pull one or two recipes out of to try. It's more of a reference book for the home baker. The recipes are organized by type of bread - flatbreads, pan breads, sourdough, hearth breads, buns, bagels & rolls, fancy breads, and things to make with bread. There were so many recipes that looked AMAZING. This is definitely one I'd like to own when I have more time to put into home baking. I also liked that each recipe had a timeline at the top with how much time each part of the process would take - again most of these recipes are not quick but require fermentation, rising, shaping, resting, all before baking. I would definitely like to spend more time in this cookbook one day.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pre-ordered because of how many recipes I make from their site and it doesn't disappoint. Well organized, beautiful photographs, helpful instructions, clear print--they did it right. This is the kind of cookbook that makes you want to set the (long term, very long term) goal of baking everything in it!

[Nancy Klarich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great baking bread bible! Borrowed this from our local library and was so happy I did. Lots of bread baking basics and lots of good recipes to try. Great pictures of the techniques for reference and pictures of the final products. Still scared to attempt to try sourdough starter and many of the recipes included that.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

What did I learn reading the book? I am not destined to start my own sourdough culture.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes.

[Rosalie Lochner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Booo. King Arthur, you should be ashamed. This book feels like it was written by committee, or maybe by AI. The audience for this book is clearly for “home bakers” but it takes a condescending tone. In the teaching section “Key Take Aways” the author(s?) letting the reader know that, “since many scales aren’t sensitive enough to register small amounts, you can measure small quantitates of ingredients like salt and yeast with measuring spoons.” (18) Oh I can? Gee thanks. In fact, this whole “key take aways” section is wordy and depressing. It is organized so that “the key take aways” (26) are buried within giant paragraphs and then tips like spraying plastic wrap that will be used to cover dough (p28) are not mentioned in actual recipes.

So now, on to the recipes. The first recipe I tried, and then had trouble finding again because it’s located in the index filled under “basic” not “brioche” was the “Basic Brioche Bread.” The recipe actually omitted an initial rise before refrigeration!!! I blissfully figured the authors knew what they were doing and the bread was an absolute fail. So, I went and did some research, every brioche recipe in every other cookbook I looked at requires an initial rise before refrigeration. To add insult to injury, their pullman loaf requires a half pullman pan because they didn’t bother scaling the recipe to a normal loaf pan. Bite me King Arthur. While the recipe worked, because it had such a limited rise time, the flavor was very limited. I prefer the pain de mie/pullman recipe listed on the King Arthur website, which is a totally different recipe. Lastly, I made their focaccia, but again there were problems. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of olive oil and doesn’t bother to mention the 3-4 more tablespoons you will need to finish the bread! Hope you read the whole recipe to figure out how much of each ingredient you need. So, my recommendation is to SKIP this cookbook. If you’re really curious, borrow it, but there are way better bread recipes out in the world.

[Ann Zhao · Rating 5 out of 5]

look, i’m a novelist and rarely come to goodreads to post reviews for even my peers’ work, let alone a cookbook by a major baking ingredient manufacturer. but every single recipe i’ve made in here is absolutely delicious, and their explanations of why we do things the way we do when making bread have helped me understand so much better why i, for example, need to use warm water in my dough or obtain an 8.5x4.5 loaf pan instead of using the 9x5 i already have. sandwich bread used to be a bit of a struggle for me whenever i was finding internet recipes to make, but now i just use this book and i’ve made good bread every single time. to be quite clear i’ve mostly used their pan loaf recipes—i have my own method for making sourdough because we have a small steam oven, and i haven’t tried any of the flatbreads yet. but just for what i’ve used in this book i need to give it this review so people will see it. this is THE bread book for me now

[Shelby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have several King Arthur cookbooks, and I was really looking forward to this. I borrowed it from the library first, because there were a lot of complaints about the other cookbooks I bought that they hardly had any photographs. I already use a lot of their bread recipes on their website, and they're great. I have a problem with all the QR codes - if I'm in the kitchen or just reading, I don't want to interact with a book and screens. I either look up a video or read - not both. I'm one of many who have QR code fatigue.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loads of info and unique bread recipes

I love King Arthur Flour products and that’s the only brand I buy. I’ve made MANY of their recipes that always turn out great. I love to bake fresh bread, and I’m obsessed with leaning to make sourdough bread. I also want to expand my repertoire with bread recipes,that are “different” and a challenge. The info on shaping is helpful as is the QR code to see videos. Some recipes were interesting to read, but I doubt I’ll make them. I’ve bookmarked a few breads I’m anxious to make. The photos are beautiful!

[jude goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

as other reviewers have already said so well, this book was done right. it's a great compendium of all things bread, has great range, great instructions, great photos, and works well. i'm a seasoned baker and have my own tried and true recipes already, including some from king arthur. i found the first chapter on flatbreads the most interesting and unique to me. can't wait to make the bread from sweden and stuff it with mashed potatoes and hot dogs, the way they do.

update: made the tunnbrod (rye flat bread) from sweden, laced with fennel. easy and delish!

[Andi Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the recipes I’ve made from KAB, only one didn’t work out for me and I can’t even remember what it was. Their site and blog are my go-tos for recipes and troubleshooting. Obviously, I haven’t made all the recipes to give it five stars according to someone else, but it’s going to be five for me. I know these are well-tested, and the folks at KAB share their mistakes regularly on their blog…

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 4 out of 5]

A flip though this might intimidate new bakers but be not afraid--these two and three day recipes and harrowing, long instructions aren't too difficult. I've tried their technique for tin loaves and it improved my sandwich bread. I made the Pain du Levain and it was the best bread I ever made with little kneading.

Looking forward to whatever I try next!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving it so far! I’ve been making one recipe a week and it’s very soothing.

Incredible book, I love the first few chapters are basics on bread making. It’s got all the lingo and important steps defined with steps and photos.

Very gorgeous book and easy to follow. I’m on my 8th week of a new loaf and hope to get into some tougher ones I’ve never tried soon!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried four recipes and they all turned out well. I borrowed the book from my library, then bought my own copy, and have several more recipes I want to try. My full review, with photos, is here: https://bookgirl.blog/2024/12/07/big-...

[Abbigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love the layout of this book, appreciate the index that lays out each bread by time needed, and love how detailed and explanatory it is in certain sections (sourdough, basically) -- with a section about troubleshooting

[Catherine Meola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to follow and well laid out. The beginning gives both the how and the why, which makes all the processes make sense. The instructions are not only clear, but there are links and photos that are very helpful. The rest of the book contains hundreds of great recipes.

[Sheila Guevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every winter, we go through this baking home made bread period. This winter is no different. With this book, we are ready to take on two new challenges: soft pretzels and crackers.

Great detail, recipes, cooking instructions and a photo.

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The English Muffin Toasting Bread recipe changed me
Like wdym I only need to have the bread rise once and then I bake it??? And it tastes good???
Also all of their potato bread recipes are so addicting, I eat everything in one day

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instructions were clear.
Not only gave you the recipe but also had reference pages to teach you why you were doing things a certain way, how it works, and what differences using one ingredient over another will contribute.
The recipes are good and theory helps you build a good foundation.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need a resource regarding the ins and outs of baking, this is it. Wonderful format, images, and tips. It's a big book! I got this at the library and now I need to purchase it so I can add my notes, post-its, book marks.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photos and recipes I am excited to bake

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are just starting to think about baking bread or if you are a seasoned bread baker this book is for you! It is full of recipes, tips, and techniques to ensure bread success.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

obsessed with golden milk bread

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

from easy to complex, this recipe book has it all. A list of 'must have' tools to luxury tools a baker can do without. Let the King of bread guide your next adventure

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite comprehensive. I hope to own a copy some day instead of relying on the library.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book - great recipes and so comprehensive. A must read for anyone that bakes (or eats).

[Erin Wyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This peaked my interest and makes it seem like if I wanted a new hobby- this would be manageable- possibly when I retire.