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Bread Illustrated: A Step-By-Step Guide to Achieving Bakery-Quality Results At Home
In this comprehensive cookbook, America's Test Kitchen breaks down the often intimidating art and science of bread baking, making it easy for anyone to create foolproof, bakery-quality breads at home.
Many home cooks find bread baking rewarding but intimidating. In Bread Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen shows bakers of all levels how to make foolproof breads, rolls, flatbreads, and more at home. Each master recipe is presented as a hands-on and reassuring tutorial illustrated with six to 16 full-color step-by-step photos. Organized by level of difficulty to make bread baking less daunting, the book progresses from the simplest recipes for the novice baker to artisan-style loaves, breads that use starters, and more complex project recipes. The recipes cover a wide and exciting range of breads from basics and classics like Easy Sandwich Bread and Fluffy Dinner Rolls to interesting breads from around the world including Lahmacun, Panettone, and Fig and Fennel Bread.
Many home cooks find bread baking rewarding but intimidating. In Bread Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen shows bakers of all levels how to make foolproof breads, rolls, flatbreads, and more at home. Each master recipe is presented as a hands-on and reassuring tutorial illustrated with six to 16 full-color step-by-step photos. Organized by level of difficulty to make bread baking less daunting, the book progresses from the simplest recipes for the novice baker to artisan-style loaves, breads that use starters, and more complex project recipes. The recipes cover a wide and exciting range of breads from basics and classics like Easy Sandwich Bread and Fluffy Dinner Rolls to interesting breads from around the world including Lahmacun, Panettone, and Fig and Fennel Bread.
432 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 2016
840 people are currently reading
853 people want to read
About the author
America's Test Kitchen
254 books611 followersAmerica's Test Kitchen, based in a brand new state-of-the-art 60,000 sq. ft. facility with over 15,000 sq. ft. of test kitchens and studio space, in Boston's Seaport District, is dedicated to finding the very best recipes for home cooks. Over 50 full-time (admittedly obsessive) test cooks spend their days testing recipes 30, 40, up to 100 times, tweaking every variable until they understand how and why recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients so viewers can bypass marketing hype and buy the best quality products. As the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and publisher of more than one dozen cookbooks each year, America's Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing industry, the culinary world, and millions of home cooks. America's Test Kitchen the television show launched in 2001, and the company added a second television program, Cook's Country, in 2008.
Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!
Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.
Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!
Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
March 22, 2017
This is not only one of the best cookbooks I've seen from ATK, it's the best bread cookbook I've ever seen. I really like the design and layout: a picture of the finished product on the left page, on the right page is a list of ingredients and a history of ATK's testing and development of the recipe, their "Why this recipe works" scenario. The successive 1-4 pages are step-by-step pictures and tips for a perfect loaf of bread or pastry. There are dozens of recipes and over 1,000 illustrations. With ATK's help, you can make the perfect artisan loaf of your favorite bread at home, from foccasia to ciabatta, to cinnamon rolls and biscuits. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the mood to bake.
September 29, 2021
This book has so much potential!
Happily, the first half of the book is mostly very good. The photo essays for "core techniques like kneading and shaping" are great.
Their sourdough culture calls for rather a lot of flour (claiming it will take 10 to 14 days!) and, like the rest of the recipes, is irritatingly laid out in cups or ounces, rather than cups or grams. (I know. The USA is one of the last holdouts, steadfastly refusing to officially go metric.) But really. Grams are so much easier to deal with than ounces.... Not to mention (here I am doing that anyway), the America's Test Kitchen editors are a little confused about equivalents.
In the chart at the back of the book, they state that 1 cup water weighs 8 ounces (227 grams), 1 cup whole milk weighs 8 ounces (227 grams), but 1 cup beer weighs 6½ ounces (227 grams!!). And yet they say that their cup measure holds 237ml.
1 ml water = 1 gram
Unless the ATK has their very own private set of measuring cups, the cup measure in various sets of stainless steel measuring cups made for the American market have a marking of 240ml on its handle, rather than 237ml noted on the volume conversions chart at the back of the book. (The 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 cup metric equivalents are off as well. Respectively, they should read 60ml, 80ml, and 120ml - rather than the 59, 79, and 118 on the chart.)
Therefore, in the USA, 1 cup water weighs 240 grams. Doesn't it?? Or is this some sort of new math that I'm not understanding?
The ATK are also confused about the difference between various salts, foolishly deciding that because salt is measured in spoons, it doesn't need to be weighed. Clearly, they missed seeing Jennifer L Duque's (RevelKitchen) 2012 article, Quick Reference: Common Salt Weights & Substitutions saying that one teaspoon of table salt weighs 6 grams, but depending on the brand, one teaspoon of Kosher Salt weighs 3, 3.5 or 4 grams. One teaspoon of salt flakes weighs 2.5 grams.
The editors are also not really thinking that real people with real eyes are reading the text. Otherwise, they would not have chosen the light orange coloured font against a white background for the ingredients lists, and black font against a light orange background for charts. The ingredients lists are a little tricky to read in colour on a monitor. They're almost impossible in my kobo e-reader. The ingredients lists are in light grey against a white background. Charts are even scarier with black font against a medium grey background. (Perhaps the ATK editors missed class on the day when their editing school instructors talked about "contrast".)
And then there are the recommendations to prodigally use vegetable oil spray, disposable aluminum pie plates, plastic wrap, and electric stand mixers (claiming that it is "key equipment" for several of the recipes).
Really?!! We don't own a stand mixer, and hand-mix and bake all our own bread. My forearm muscles are hardly well-developed. (In fact, they're a little tired out from typing up this rant.)
Well, this is just false. If the rising bowl has been covered with a plate, the dough doesn't stick and there is no ripping of the gluten network when it is being folded, or removed from the bowl.
As for folding, there is absolutely no need to use "a greased bowl scraper" even thought they do also add the parenthetical note: "you can also use your fingertips". I wonder if they imagine that your fingertips should be greased. (We run our hands under water before stretching and folding - no fuss, no muss.)
Yet, in spite of these inadequacies, there are some excellent points. I particularly like this one:
The sections on Step by step shaping, proofing, scoring, baking, and cooling are full of terrific tips (as long as one is willing to ignore the recommendation to use all that plastic wrap). The "Science Corners" are also very good, as is the note that "the potassium in potatoes activates yeast". We're also really looking forward to trying the ATK's method of preheating the oven for baking pizza. We've never considered using the broiler in combination with a pre-heated bread stone before!
Indeed it is a lifetime education.
The phrase, "tightly with plastic" appears over 171 times in the book, and "greased plastic" appears 125 times. (I love the search engine in my e-reader!) That is way too much plastic! Shame on America's Test Kitchen. It's high time for them to re-educate themselves.
I confess that, while none of them look terrible, very few of the recipes called out, "Make me! Make me!" The exceptions are: the Auvergne Crown (I think I'll up the hydration though - I may have miscalculated but 65% hydration seems a little low. However, I can't wait to try this proofing technique after shaping! Without the plastic wrap and plastic garbage bags though - an overturned large mixing bowl does the trick just as well), the filling and ingenious shaping method - using the floured bottom of a measuring cup to make the indentation - for their classic Bialys (with someone else's dough - the ATK include needless sugar in their dough and call for 2 Tbsp kosher salt, without specifying which brand), the seeded ficelle, and the Almond ring coffee cake - with the apricot filling variation instead of almond paste for us, please.
Strangely, the recipe for the culture appears AFTER the recipe for the bread that calls for it. And there are only two recipes in the book calling for using the culture, with zero instructions for how to alter a recipe calling for commercial yeast into one using a sourdough culture. The measurements are also in cups with parenthetical weights (in ounces), but without giving any weight equivalents for the salt.
+ + + + +
If half stars were allowed, I'd assign 2.5 stars. But because of the very good photo essays, I rounded it up to 3. And, if the recipes' ingredients lists had been presented in weights (preferably grams) for all of the ingredients, especially the yeast and the salt, I would have given this 4 stars.
With this cookbook, our first devoted solely to bread, we sought to demystify both the art and the science of bread baking. [Introduction]
Happily, the first half of the book is mostly very good. The photo essays for "core techniques like kneading and shaping" are great.
Their sourdough culture calls for rather a lot of flour (claiming it will take 10 to 14 days!) and, like the rest of the recipes, is irritatingly laid out in cups or ounces, rather than cups or grams. (I know. The USA is one of the last holdouts, steadfastly refusing to officially go metric.) But really. Grams are so much easier to deal with than ounces.... Not to mention (here I am doing that anyway), the America's Test Kitchen editors are a little confused about equivalents.
In the chart at the back of the book, they state that 1 cup water weighs 8 ounces (227 grams), 1 cup whole milk weighs 8 ounces (227 grams), but 1 cup beer weighs 6½ ounces (227 grams!!). And yet they say that their cup measure holds 237ml.
1 ml water = 1 gram
Unless the ATK has their very own private set of measuring cups, the cup measure in various sets of stainless steel measuring cups made for the American market have a marking of 240ml on its handle, rather than 237ml noted on the volume conversions chart at the back of the book. (The 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 cup metric equivalents are off as well. Respectively, they should read 60ml, 80ml, and 120ml - rather than the 59, 79, and 118 on the chart.)
Therefore, in the USA, 1 cup water weighs 240 grams. Doesn't it?? Or is this some sort of new math that I'm not understanding?
The ATK are also confused about the difference between various salts, foolishly deciding that because salt is measured in spoons, it doesn't need to be weighed. Clearly, they missed seeing Jennifer L Duque's (RevelKitchen) 2012 article, Quick Reference: Common Salt Weights & Substitutions saying that one teaspoon of table salt weighs 6 grams, but depending on the brand, one teaspoon of Kosher Salt weighs 3, 3.5 or 4 grams. One teaspoon of salt flakes weighs 2.5 grams.
[T]o start the mixing process, you need to gather and measure your ingredients with care. We forgo measuring cups and spoons (except for ingredients that are measured in small amounts, like salt and yeast, or for mix-ins like raisins and nuts) and use a digital kitchen scale. [...] [A]ccuracy is crucial. [Understanding Bread | 1 mixing, in depth]
~ ~ ~ ~
4½ cups (24¾ ounces) whole-wheat flour
5 cups (25 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
Filtered water, room temperature [...] Stir 1 cup (5 ounces) flour mixture and 2/3 cup (5+1/3 ounces) water in medium bowl with wooden spoon until well combined and no dry flour remains [...] Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until culture is established [...]
Feed culture Stir ¼ cup (2 ounces) culture, ½ cup (2½ ounces) flour mixture, and ¼ cup (2 ounces) water together in clean bowl with wooden spoon until well combined and no dry flour remains; discard remaining culture. [Sourdough culture]
The editors are also not really thinking that real people with real eyes are reading the text. Otherwise, they would not have chosen the light orange coloured font against a white background for the ingredients lists, and black font against a light orange background for charts. The ingredients lists are a little tricky to read in colour on a monitor. They're almost impossible in my kobo e-reader. The ingredients lists are in light grey against a white background. Charts are even scarier with black font against a medium grey background. (Perhaps the ATK editors missed class on the day when their editing school instructors talked about "contrast".)
And then there are the recommendations to prodigally use vegetable oil spray, disposable aluminum pie plates, plastic wrap, and electric stand mixers (claiming that it is "key equipment" for several of the recipes).
[W]e recommend using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for this task. Not only is it easier—the mixer does all the work—but you're more likely to get good results if you use your mixer. Kneading dough by hand can be messy, and many home cooks add a lot of extra flour, which can compromise the texture of the baked loaf. On a practical level, it takes up to 25 minutes—and some well-developed forearm muscles—to knead dough fully by hand, and just about 8 minutes in the stand mixer with the dough hook. [Understanding Bread | 2 kneading, in depth]
Really?!! We don't own a stand mixer, and hand-mix and bake all our own bread. My forearm muscles are hardly well-developed. (In fact, they're a little tired out from typing up this rant.)
GREASE THE CONTAINER If you don't grease the vessel the dough rises in, the dough will stick, and you will rip the gluten network when you try to get the dough out of the bowl or when you fold it. [Understanding Bread | 3 first rise, in depth]
Well, this is just false. If the rising bowl has been covered with a plate, the dough doesn't stick and there is no ripping of the gluten network when it is being folded, or removed from the bowl.
As for folding, there is absolutely no need to use "a greased bowl scraper" even thought they do also add the parenthetical note: "you can also use your fingertips". I wonder if they imagine that your fingertips should be greased. (We run our hands under water before stretching and folding - no fuss, no muss.)
Yet, in spite of these inadequacies, there are some excellent points. I particularly like this one:
Many recipes instruct you to "punch down" the dough after fermentation, but you should take a gentler approach so that you don't knock out all the air that gives your bread holes-only what is necessary. [Understanding Bread | 4 dividing and shaping, in depth]
The sections on Step by step shaping, proofing, scoring, baking, and cooling are full of terrific tips (as long as one is willing to ignore the recommendation to use all that plastic wrap). The "Science Corners" are also very good, as is the note that "the potassium in potatoes activates yeast". We're also really looking forward to trying the ATK's method of preheating the oven for baking pizza. We've never considered using the broiler in combination with a pre-heated bread stone before!
[B]read baking is a lifetime education, and there are always new moves you can experiment with to get the results that you see in the windows of the best boulangeries.
[Understanding Bread | Honors class]
Indeed it is a lifetime education.
The phrase, "tightly with plastic" appears over 171 times in the book, and "greased plastic" appears 125 times. (I love the search engine in my e-reader!) That is way too much plastic! Shame on America's Test Kitchen. It's high time for them to re-educate themselves.
I confess that, while none of them look terrible, very few of the recipes called out, "Make me! Make me!" The exceptions are: the Auvergne Crown (I think I'll up the hydration though - I may have miscalculated but 65% hydration seems a little low. However, I can't wait to try this proofing technique after shaping! Without the plastic wrap and plastic garbage bags though - an overturned large mixing bowl does the trick just as well), the filling and ingenious shaping method - using the floured bottom of a measuring cup to make the indentation - for their classic Bialys (with someone else's dough - the ATK include needless sugar in their dough and call for 2 Tbsp kosher salt, without specifying which brand), the seeded ficelle, and the Almond ring coffee cake - with the apricot filling variation instead of almond paste for us, please.
Many think that sourdough is more complicated than other breads, but once you have a healthy sourdough culture to use, it isn't all that different. Though creating a culture from scratch takes a few weeks of patience, it is dead simple to do. And it's well worth the wait: Sourdough breads are among the best the baking world has to offer [Sourdough Bread]
Strangely, the recipe for the culture appears AFTER the recipe for the bread that calls for it. And there are only two recipes in the book calling for using the culture, with zero instructions for how to alter a recipe calling for commercial yeast into one using a sourdough culture. The measurements are also in cups with parenthetical weights (in ounces), but without giving any weight equivalents for the salt.
Some say baking is a science and an art. We would say that geography has a hand in it, too. So we [...] offer guidelines for converting weights and measures. We also recommend that you rely on your instincts when making our recipes. [conversions and equivalents]
+ + + + +
If half stars were allowed, I'd assign 2.5 stars. But because of the very good photo essays, I rounded it up to 3. And, if the recipes' ingredients lists had been presented in weights (preferably grams) for all of the ingredients, especially the yeast and the salt, I would have given this 4 stars.
September 21, 2016
Anything by America's Test Kitchen will always receive high marks from me. A great book with comprehensive instructions and pictures. A no brainer. One to add to the home collection.
April 11, 2022
Another delicious ATK release. The redonkadonk monkey bread recipe ALONE made this collection a five starer. Baking my way through and loving it!
May 9, 2017
This cookbook by America's Test Kitchen truly shows one how to bake different kinds of bread, and they make it sound as though it is a reasonable goal. I must admit that I am a bit afraid to bake with yeast, but this cookbook let me think that I can bake bread. Thus I am going to give it a go. Wish me luck!
September 17, 2016
So many good recipes for different breads!!! Mmm, mmm, good! Love the background notes on how they came up with the recipes presented through trial after trial. Adding to my cookbook collection!
February 28, 2024
I love the detail, science, and recipes of America’s Test Kitchen and would recommend several of these bread recipes. The whole book may not be for everyone though.
If you want to venture down into the depths of bread on the cellular level and know why things work, this book will bring you there. I learned more about gluten than my friends would care for me to share.
If you want to just make bread and avoid the scientific, glutinous convos with bread nerds, you can thankfully pull out a single recipe and do it with ease. There’s also lots of great pictures showing the process.
With the wave of everyone doing Sourdough, I actually like that this book mostly contains recipes using instant yeast. That gives an easier onramp to bread than trying to adopt a new alien baby called a starter. Some people just want to eat. I’ll recommend people start here instead.
The book includes some bread recipes like Panettone, Almond Ring Cake (aka a Kringle!), and stollen that I would have never thought to make. But, my friends will now be glad I’ve come across them.
Unlike other bread books (a la Forkish’s Flour, Water, Salt Yeast), this books aims to be compressive in the amount and variety of recipes it has. This goal means some recipes seemed more like filler or a checklist recipe than a recipe that’s added because it’s loved. I’m looking at you Pumpernickel. Soda bread also seems like a necessary add because of how “easy” it’s touted to be; just skip it.
If you want to bake bread, this is a great book of recipes to get from the Library. Then, you can choose your own adventure into how deep you want to go.
If you want to venture down into the depths of bread on the cellular level and know why things work, this book will bring you there. I learned more about gluten than my friends would care for me to share.
If you want to just make bread and avoid the scientific, glutinous convos with bread nerds, you can thankfully pull out a single recipe and do it with ease. There’s also lots of great pictures showing the process.
With the wave of everyone doing Sourdough, I actually like that this book mostly contains recipes using instant yeast. That gives an easier onramp to bread than trying to adopt a new alien baby called a starter. Some people just want to eat. I’ll recommend people start here instead.
The book includes some bread recipes like Panettone, Almond Ring Cake (aka a Kringle!), and stollen that I would have never thought to make. But, my friends will now be glad I’ve come across them.
Unlike other bread books (a la Forkish’s Flour, Water, Salt Yeast), this books aims to be compressive in the amount and variety of recipes it has. This goal means some recipes seemed more like filler or a checklist recipe than a recipe that’s added because it’s loved. I’m looking at you Pumpernickel. Soda bread also seems like a necessary add because of how “easy” it’s touted to be; just skip it.
If you want to bake bread, this is a great book of recipes to get from the Library. Then, you can choose your own adventure into how deep you want to go.
March 1, 2019
Even though I started this book nearly a year ago, I haven't made any of the recipes yet. This is mostly because I didn't get a stand mixer until late last year. That said, I'm very confident I'm going to really enjoy this book. Why? Well, I've made recipes from Dinner Illustrated and the multiple pictures is VERY helpful when you're trying to a new cooking skill. Second, I've made their bread recipes from their magazines and other books and they've often been really awesome (with only a few misfires - and those could have been chef error). Tonight, for example, I made their recipe for North Carolina Cheese Bread from Cook's Country June/July 2017 and it was a huge hit with both myself and the wife (and she will NOT hesitate to tell me I've "ruined her dinner" if the food isn't up to par for her). Like most of ATK's topic-based cookbooks, the intro section is VERY comprehensive and has everything you need to know to start baking so that you have a one-stop shop to learning how to bake bread. Often the same cannot be said of most cookbooks which assume some domain knowledge. I've used some of the intro section from this book when baking bread and biscuits from other recipes.
If you've always wanted to make your own bread, but were intimidated at the prospect, I highly recommend.
If you've always wanted to make your own bread, but were intimidated at the prospect, I highly recommend.
March 25, 2020
In typical America's Test Kitchen fashion, this bread book is beautiful, thorough, precise, mostly accessible, fun and informative. The top notes perfectly describe the methods, history and tips of each type of bread. The recipes are well written and easy to follow.
I found the layout both helpful and difficult. The photos, step by step instruction, list of needed equipment and troubleshooting tips were great. I didn’t love that the recipes spanned so many pages that the ingredient list was always a page turn away from the method. My pages are already wrinkles and stuff from wet fingers turning pages!
A couple other shortfalls: the binding of the book is cheap and is already breaking apart, and some of the recipes seem impossible.
Still, I’ve made several breads from this book already with great success and plan to make more (thanks COVID-19!).
I found the layout both helpful and difficult. The photos, step by step instruction, list of needed equipment and troubleshooting tips were great. I didn’t love that the recipes spanned so many pages that the ingredient list was always a page turn away from the method. My pages are already wrinkles and stuff from wet fingers turning pages!
A couple other shortfalls: the binding of the book is cheap and is already breaking apart, and some of the recipes seem impossible.
Still, I’ve made several breads from this book already with great success and plan to make more (thanks COVID-19!).
October 30, 2020
This is by far the very best bread book I have ever seen. If you love to bake bread it is a must have for your kitchen!
December 4, 2021
The search for a proper 100 % wholemeal loaf continues
Read
August 27, 2017Very informative about the whys of baking. It definitely encouraged me to try a yeasted loaf.
I checked my out from the library, but while I had it I made the Ballpark Pretzels and the American Sandwich bread, and they're now in my permanent cookbook! Delicious and a hit with my whole family. I also made the Pita bread (successfully, a keeper) and the Easy Sandwich Loaf (meh).
The book recommends a loaf pan size that I couldn't find.. I think it was an 8 1/2'' by 4 1/2". I live in a small town and wasn't committed enough to go too far out of my way to buy a new loaf pan. The book does account for having a 9" by 5", which is what I own.
I didn't see an answer about why my crumb was compacted in my sandwich loaf, but Paul Hollywood said that it's a sign of an under proofed dough in The Great British Baking Show.
My only regret is that I couldn't eat the bread fast enough to make it through the whole cookbook.
I checked my out from the library, but while I had it I made the Ballpark Pretzels and the American Sandwich bread, and they're now in my permanent cookbook! Delicious and a hit with my whole family. I also made the Pita bread (successfully, a keeper) and the Easy Sandwich Loaf (meh).
The book recommends a loaf pan size that I couldn't find.. I think it was an 8 1/2'' by 4 1/2". I live in a small town and wasn't committed enough to go too far out of my way to buy a new loaf pan. The book does account for having a 9" by 5", which is what I own.
I didn't see an answer about why my crumb was compacted in my sandwich loaf, but Paul Hollywood said that it's a sign of an under proofed dough in The Great British Baking Show.
My only regret is that I couldn't eat the bread fast enough to make it through the whole cookbook.
April 28, 2021
Update March 2019:
I read Bread Illustrated back in 2016, and now that I've been baking a lot more bread, have decided to revisit it.
Bread Illustrated is really quite a definitive bread baking book for the home baker. It gives explicit instructions, great tips, interesting precise 'troubleshooting' solutions for most recipes, and, as advertised, "1000's of photos".
My only complaint and the reason I deducted a star is the fact that while America's Test Kitchen does give the ingredients in weight as ounces, I find it surprising and disappointing that they don't go that one step further and use grams as most professional bakers and bakers books do. If anyone should know, and I certainly would expect America's Test Kitchen to know, precision counts in baking AND most any kitchen scale measure in both grams and ounces.
I read Bread Illustrated back in 2016, and now that I've been baking a lot more bread, have decided to revisit it.
Bread Illustrated is really quite a definitive bread baking book for the home baker. It gives explicit instructions, great tips, interesting precise 'troubleshooting' solutions for most recipes, and, as advertised, "1000's of photos".
My only complaint and the reason I deducted a star is the fact that while America's Test Kitchen does give the ingredients in weight as ounces, I find it surprising and disappointing that they don't go that one step further and use grams as most professional bakers and bakers books do. If anyone should know, and I certainly would expect America's Test Kitchen to know, precision counts in baking AND most any kitchen scale measure in both grams and ounces.
Currently reading
November 25, 2016I have a large bread library already and have stopped buying bread books. Then I got this one from the public library. Well maybe I can make room for *one* more bread book. Due to be delivered today 9 Nov 2016.
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25 Nov 2016 Gonna do a "Julie & Julia" thing where I work through the whole book, making every recipe. Don't know how I'm going to record my experiences though. Maybe drill/rebind the book to go into a 3-ring binder and insert pages. I'm not crazy about the concept of blogging the project.
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25 Nov 2016 Gonna do a "Julie & Julia" thing where I work through the whole book, making every recipe. Don't know how I'm going to record my experiences though. Maybe drill/rebind the book to go into a 3-ring binder and insert pages. I'm not crazy about the concept of blogging the project.
December 28, 2017
Very useful. Timelines given at the beginning of each recipe. clear instructions with helpful photos for visuals, anticipated troubleshooting solutions, and suggested substitutes for some hard to find ingredients. It's really aimed at the homecook who works, so it's about practicality and efficiency. And they really are America's Test Kitchen as they tell you what they tried, what didn't work and why, and how to solve it.
December 10, 2020
If you hate kneading and have a lot of kitchen appliances this is the bread book for you. All of their recipes and techniques seem to have avoiding hand work as their central goal. They give great instructions for using stand mixers and food processers. There is also some very brief guidance on using hand mixing and kneading instead, but even when followed exactly the results were mediocre at best.
July 30, 2018
Some great looking recipes in here but skips over some very important techniques for bread baking (for example dough temperature). Also, the authors seem to need to put sugar in every kind of bread they make. As an artisan bread baker I rarely use sugar and am not sure why they insist on using it in almost every recipe.
July 7, 2020
To rip off John Waters "Bread Illustrated is, beyond a doubt, the best bread cookbook ever made. It is possibly better than any bread cookbook that will be made in the future."
This book with easy to follow directions and plenty of pictures has helped me step up my baking game. I've impressed friends and strangers with my loaves, rolls, and sandwiches. You can't go wrong with this book.
This book with easy to follow directions and plenty of pictures has helped me step up my baking game. I've impressed friends and strangers with my loaves, rolls, and sandwiches. You can't go wrong with this book.
May 15, 2017
great book, I love what the ATK puts out-- detailed and informative explanations and step by step photos. this would be one i'd consider buying to add to the home cookbook library-- i've been wanting a good one for bread!
September 19, 2016
Really amazing book with a ton of helpful tips and photos. I borrowed the book from the library and want to buy my own copy for reference.
November 8, 2016
America's Test Kitchen sets a high standard for cookbooks. If you want to make bread, read this book.
November 30, 2016
This IS a big book. And it sure says a lot about bread and making it.
December 13, 2016
My go-to bread book.
December 21, 2017
Lots of great recipes with step by step instructions. The orange font colour is a poor choice though.
May 10, 2017
A-M-ZING! If you love bread (and I knooow you dooo!) this is the book to pick up. It has lots of recipes for all types of bread. Also, it has fantastic photos, which is a must for me.
February 14, 2020
Lovely pictures with some great info about technique, but I was really not impressed with the recipes.
June 4, 2021
This is my absolute favorite cookbook, and making bread is just so fun and satisfying! This book is perfect, especially if you're just starting out, as it has pictures for every step so you know exactly how your bread should be looking all throughout the process. The recipes become progressively more difficult as you move further towards the back of the book, which is helpful so that you can know the difficulty level you're dealing with. I can't recommend it enough!
______________________
Almost No-Knead Bread (pg. 52)
This was the first loaf I made, and it didn't turn out too bad. This recipe was very simple to follow, which I appreciated. I don't have a Dutch oven (unfortunately) so I just used an oven-safe pot and lid. It worked out ok, but the pot I chose was too wide, so the bread turned out kind of flat (it still tasted good though!). The recipe calls for mild lager, which I didn't have at the time, so the one I used was a bit stronger. As a result, the bread turned out ever so slightly bitter, but it was nothing that a little butter and jam couldn't mask.
Cranberry-Walnut Loaf (pg. 118)
This is probably my favorite loaf of bread in the whole book so far. I make it whenever we have extra cranberries because it's just so good! I don't like walnuts (or any nuts in bread really) so I double the amount of cranberries and omit the walnuts. I've tried adding more than double the cranberries, because I love that tart sweetness in the bread, but doing so causes the loaf to be denser and not rise as much. It's kind of a give and take, so I'm not sure if it's quite worth it. I made one loaf by hand kneading, which, while difficult was still doable, and the loaf turned out quite nice, although slightly denser. I still prefer the convenience and time saving nature of the machine though. I made it with all-purpose flour once when I didn't have any bread flour, and the dough was absolutely horrible to work with, but the bread it created was light, fluffy, and really delicious! Also, after watching a YouTube video on how to properly knead, I finally figured out how to knead without getting the sticky dough all over my hands and the kneading surface. You have to push the dough across the surface, not diagonally down into the surface. I also solved the problem I've been having with all my doughs turning out too liquidy and not forming a ball. I'd been shoving the mixer around too vigorously, but when I went really slow and tried to imitate the circular motions a stand mixer might make, it turned out beautifully.
Deli Rye Bread (pg. 114)
This recipe is so simple and it turns out fantastic every time. It's really hard to mess it up, and I've made it so many times. I always try to make sure that the egg wash doesn't drip down the sides and onto the foil, as it sometimes can make the break stick to the foil around the edges and tear around the base.
Pane Francese (pg. 285)
I wanted to make a full size poppy seed and sesame seed baguette/loaf, and since this recipe makes two loaves, I made one with poppy seeds and one with sesame seeds by following the method outlined on pg. 383. If I were to do this again, I would be more generous with the seeds. I preferred the poppy seed loaf, as it had a crustier exterior.
Pain de Campagne (pg. 303)
Every time I've made this, I've had trouble with the dough never feeling taut, but feeling rather limp and weak instead. It still tastes delicious, but as a result, the dough doesn't rise as much as it should in the oven and becomes flat and round. I'm still unsure what the problem is, but I'll keep trying. I do love how crusty this exterior is though.
Sourdough Bread (pg. 359)
The quarantine habit everyone seems to have picked up. I got a starter (or sourdough culture as the book calls it) from a friend, so I didn't make one using the book's recipe and it still turned out perfectly fine. While it does take a little planning ahead to ensure you're not up at 3am kneading dough, it's definitely worth it.
Kaiser Rolls (pg. 151)
This dough was so lovely to work with, probably the best dough I've worked with so far. It helps to have flour on your hands and the surface you're working on when handling and shaping the strips of dough. I sprinkled half of the rolls with poppy seeds and half with sesame seeds, and I have to say that I liked the traditional poppy seed ones much better. They reheat really well too, you just have to pop them in the oven for a few minutes to heat them through and it tastes just as fresh as the day you made them.
Challah (pg. 247)
I'd never had challah before, and I'm really happy with how this one turned out. Be sure to measure out the dough for the braids as evenly as possible and to stack the second braid directly on top of the first one, otherwise it'll fall off slightly when it rises during baking.
Monkey Bread (pg. 81)
Man was this delicious! It was really fun to make, and I recommend doing it with someone else, like a kid, as it'd be a fun group/family baking project. I didn't make the glaze for the top, but I feel that's mostly for looks anyways, as it tasted completely delicious without it. The sugar did bubble over in the oven, so I'd recommend putting foil beneath the pan so the sugar doesn't bake onto the oven. In my opinion, it could have used a little less sugar for the coating, as this was a very sweet dessert. Next time I make it, I probably won't use all of the sugar in the bowl for rolling the balls of dough. However, I do have to say that this did not re-heat well. In both the oven and microwave, the dough became mushy and goopy on the outside, and the texture was just all wrong. So I recommend eating it all on the first day of making it, as it doesn't last much longer than that.
Cinnamon Swirl Bread (pg. 250)
This was some of the worst/messiest/stickiest dough I've ever worked with, but it was also one of the most delicious things I've ever baked. The dough does not need as much sugar as they say though. It was too sweet for me (although the members of my family with a sweet tooth loved it), so I would probably add only 3/4 cups or maybe even 1/2 cup instead of the 1 cup the recipe calls for. I used normal raisins instead of golden ones (which I didn't have), and it turned out delicious, so I don't think the type of raisins is super important. I made this twice to try two different methods of twisting the dough, the Russian braid the recipe instructed, and also the traditional simple swirl (where I just didn't twist the bread again after rolling it up). The Russian braid was extremely messy to make, but it did rise more than the simple swirl. However, the Russian braid was also very messy on the top after baking, so the sugar kind of baked onto the pan in spots. What I liked about the simple swirl was that all the sugary goodness was contained inside the loaf, so personally, I preferred the simple swirl for that reason. I also liked seeing the swirl on the inside when you cut it, as that makes it more fun to eat. However, my family was divided, as 3 preferred the open, Russian twist while 2, including myself, preferred the simple swirl, so I think it's really just a matter of personal preference. Also, be sure to mist any dry cinnamon, as if it's left dry, some might not soak into the dough and you'll get patches of dry ground cinnamon in the loaf, which doesn't taste good.
Rustic Dinner Rolls (pg. 129)
These were surprisingly easy to make, and they turned out really good. The first time I made these, I followed the recipe exactly, and they turned out delicious. However, I wanted to see if I could make a whole wheat version of the rolls, so I experimented with 2 different ratios to see which worked better. The first was a 1:1 ratio, 1.5 cups wheat flour to 1.5 cups bread flour. The second was a 1:2 ratio, 1 cup wheat flour to 2 cups bread flour. They both rose about the same amount, but the 1:2 rolls turned out much better. The 1:1 ratio were too tough, they were good straight out of the oven, but after cooling to room temperature they became too dry and the interior didn't really bounce back. Eating them made me think of being on a farm in the 1800s where they ground their own wheat and ate these rolls after a long day of chopping trees or herding cows or something. The 1:2 ratio rolls were perfect. They tasted wheaty without being overly so, and they had the same springy texture as the normal rolls did. The crust of these rolls also turned out much better, as it was perfectly crispy without being rock-like (as the 1:1 rolls were). So the 1:2 ratio is perfect for making nice whole wheat rolls! (Note: Make sure to spray the pans well with oil, as the rolls will stick if it's not oiled enough.)
Caramelized Onion Bread (pg. 321)
I'm not sure why I thought I'd like this, since I don't like onions except in sauces. It tastes exactly like it sounds. The rest of my family liked it though. I had problems with the dough not being taut again, and it made a really wide, flat loaf.
______________________
Almost No-Knead Bread (pg. 52)
This was the first loaf I made, and it didn't turn out too bad. This recipe was very simple to follow, which I appreciated. I don't have a Dutch oven (unfortunately) so I just used an oven-safe pot and lid. It worked out ok, but the pot I chose was too wide, so the bread turned out kind of flat (it still tasted good though!). The recipe calls for mild lager, which I didn't have at the time, so the one I used was a bit stronger. As a result, the bread turned out ever so slightly bitter, but it was nothing that a little butter and jam couldn't mask.
Cranberry-Walnut Loaf (pg. 118)
This is probably my favorite loaf of bread in the whole book so far. I make it whenever we have extra cranberries because it's just so good! I don't like walnuts (or any nuts in bread really) so I double the amount of cranberries and omit the walnuts. I've tried adding more than double the cranberries, because I love that tart sweetness in the bread, but doing so causes the loaf to be denser and not rise as much. It's kind of a give and take, so I'm not sure if it's quite worth it. I made one loaf by hand kneading, which, while difficult was still doable, and the loaf turned out quite nice, although slightly denser. I still prefer the convenience and time saving nature of the machine though. I made it with all-purpose flour once when I didn't have any bread flour, and the dough was absolutely horrible to work with, but the bread it created was light, fluffy, and really delicious! Also, after watching a YouTube video on how to properly knead, I finally figured out how to knead without getting the sticky dough all over my hands and the kneading surface. You have to push the dough across the surface, not diagonally down into the surface. I also solved the problem I've been having with all my doughs turning out too liquidy and not forming a ball. I'd been shoving the mixer around too vigorously, but when I went really slow and tried to imitate the circular motions a stand mixer might make, it turned out beautifully.
Deli Rye Bread (pg. 114)
This recipe is so simple and it turns out fantastic every time. It's really hard to mess it up, and I've made it so many times. I always try to make sure that the egg wash doesn't drip down the sides and onto the foil, as it sometimes can make the break stick to the foil around the edges and tear around the base.
Pane Francese (pg. 285)
I wanted to make a full size poppy seed and sesame seed baguette/loaf, and since this recipe makes two loaves, I made one with poppy seeds and one with sesame seeds by following the method outlined on pg. 383. If I were to do this again, I would be more generous with the seeds. I preferred the poppy seed loaf, as it had a crustier exterior.
Pain de Campagne (pg. 303)
Every time I've made this, I've had trouble with the dough never feeling taut, but feeling rather limp and weak instead. It still tastes delicious, but as a result, the dough doesn't rise as much as it should in the oven and becomes flat and round. I'm still unsure what the problem is, but I'll keep trying. I do love how crusty this exterior is though.
Sourdough Bread (pg. 359)
The quarantine habit everyone seems to have picked up. I got a starter (or sourdough culture as the book calls it) from a friend, so I didn't make one using the book's recipe and it still turned out perfectly fine. While it does take a little planning ahead to ensure you're not up at 3am kneading dough, it's definitely worth it.
Kaiser Rolls (pg. 151)
This dough was so lovely to work with, probably the best dough I've worked with so far. It helps to have flour on your hands and the surface you're working on when handling and shaping the strips of dough. I sprinkled half of the rolls with poppy seeds and half with sesame seeds, and I have to say that I liked the traditional poppy seed ones much better. They reheat really well too, you just have to pop them in the oven for a few minutes to heat them through and it tastes just as fresh as the day you made them.
Challah (pg. 247)
I'd never had challah before, and I'm really happy with how this one turned out. Be sure to measure out the dough for the braids as evenly as possible and to stack the second braid directly on top of the first one, otherwise it'll fall off slightly when it rises during baking.
Monkey Bread (pg. 81)
Man was this delicious! It was really fun to make, and I recommend doing it with someone else, like a kid, as it'd be a fun group/family baking project. I didn't make the glaze for the top, but I feel that's mostly for looks anyways, as it tasted completely delicious without it. The sugar did bubble over in the oven, so I'd recommend putting foil beneath the pan so the sugar doesn't bake onto the oven. In my opinion, it could have used a little less sugar for the coating, as this was a very sweet dessert. Next time I make it, I probably won't use all of the sugar in the bowl for rolling the balls of dough. However, I do have to say that this did not re-heat well. In both the oven and microwave, the dough became mushy and goopy on the outside, and the texture was just all wrong. So I recommend eating it all on the first day of making it, as it doesn't last much longer than that.
Cinnamon Swirl Bread (pg. 250)
This was some of the worst/messiest/stickiest dough I've ever worked with, but it was also one of the most delicious things I've ever baked. The dough does not need as much sugar as they say though. It was too sweet for me (although the members of my family with a sweet tooth loved it), so I would probably add only 3/4 cups or maybe even 1/2 cup instead of the 1 cup the recipe calls for. I used normal raisins instead of golden ones (which I didn't have), and it turned out delicious, so I don't think the type of raisins is super important. I made this twice to try two different methods of twisting the dough, the Russian braid the recipe instructed, and also the traditional simple swirl (where I just didn't twist the bread again after rolling it up). The Russian braid was extremely messy to make, but it did rise more than the simple swirl. However, the Russian braid was also very messy on the top after baking, so the sugar kind of baked onto the pan in spots. What I liked about the simple swirl was that all the sugary goodness was contained inside the loaf, so personally, I preferred the simple swirl for that reason. I also liked seeing the swirl on the inside when you cut it, as that makes it more fun to eat. However, my family was divided, as 3 preferred the open, Russian twist while 2, including myself, preferred the simple swirl, so I think it's really just a matter of personal preference. Also, be sure to mist any dry cinnamon, as if it's left dry, some might not soak into the dough and you'll get patches of dry ground cinnamon in the loaf, which doesn't taste good.
Rustic Dinner Rolls (pg. 129)
These were surprisingly easy to make, and they turned out really good. The first time I made these, I followed the recipe exactly, and they turned out delicious. However, I wanted to see if I could make a whole wheat version of the rolls, so I experimented with 2 different ratios to see which worked better. The first was a 1:1 ratio, 1.5 cups wheat flour to 1.5 cups bread flour. The second was a 1:2 ratio, 1 cup wheat flour to 2 cups bread flour. They both rose about the same amount, but the 1:2 rolls turned out much better. The 1:1 ratio were too tough, they were good straight out of the oven, but after cooling to room temperature they became too dry and the interior didn't really bounce back. Eating them made me think of being on a farm in the 1800s where they ground their own wheat and ate these rolls after a long day of chopping trees or herding cows or something. The 1:2 ratio rolls were perfect. They tasted wheaty without being overly so, and they had the same springy texture as the normal rolls did. The crust of these rolls also turned out much better, as it was perfectly crispy without being rock-like (as the 1:1 rolls were). So the 1:2 ratio is perfect for making nice whole wheat rolls! (Note: Make sure to spray the pans well with oil, as the rolls will stick if it's not oiled enough.)
Caramelized Onion Bread (pg. 321)
I'm not sure why I thought I'd like this, since I don't like onions except in sauces. It tastes exactly like it sounds. The rest of my family liked it though. I had problems with the dough not being taut again, and it made a really wide, flat loaf.
November 28, 2018
This book is absolutely stupendous! It truly is a "step-by-step guide to achieving baker-quality results at home." America's Test Kitchen provides the guidance, science, and specifications to understand and replicate a diverse amount of breads. I especially appreciate how they state which brand of flour is used when (since varying flours have different protein contents) and provide trouble-shooting tips. With some cookbooks, I feel like I can try recipes that would certainly taste good, but have varying results of excellence. Why did it turn out differently this time? Why isn't it as brown? Why does it taste too salty this time? I swear I measured and did everything the same! I never feel like I have that problem with ATK.
Not only have they tried and tested the recipes themselves (multiple times), but they've also had home cooks test the recipes before publishing. There is information on how to knead by hand, if that's your jam, but in tried-and-true fashion, ATK explicitly states when a recipe will not work if kneaded by hand. They know because they've already tried. They've made the mistake so you don't have to. They tell you when it matters if you use a different kind of flour or even a different kind of salt. I'm sure some people see this as picky, but I see it as empowering: tell me what can go wrong, so I can avoid it. Tell me enough about why a recipe works so I can know what mistakes I'm making and get better at baking and cooking. Although I might have different tastes or preferences at times, I love that I can trust ATK recipes to be reliable and high-quality, and this book is no exception.
This book is so approachable! There's some science of bread at the beginning, as well as a solid foundation covering all the basics, but by far the best part is that this book isn't just "bread"-- it's "bread illustrated". Every single recipes has full-cover pictures for not only the finished product, but also for every single step in the recipe. A well-written step-by-step recipe is important, but pictures to go with each of those steps, for the entire book, makes a huge difference. Additionally, the book as a whole is laid out to be approachable: the recipes are listed in order starting with the easiest and working towards the most difficult. It's designed so you can bake your way through the book and develop the techniques and knowledge you'll need for the more advanced breads.
The first chapter starts you off with quick cheese bread, skillet cornbreads and pizza, monkey bread, and some classic easy-to-make breads like brown soda bread and flour tortillas. The second chapter advances to a variety of sandwich breads with an array of plain, savory, sweet, and fluffy. Chapter number three adds in more sizing and shaping skills with rolls, buns, knots, breadsticks, bialys, and pretzels. The fourth chapter features pizzas and flatbreads from around the world, including thin, thick, and deep-dish pizzas, calzones, pitas, pissaladiere, coques, and lahmacun. Chapter five focuses on sweeter breads and enriched doughs such as cinnamon buns, challah, Portuguese sweet bread, stollen, and yeasted doughnuts. Chapter six ups your game with sponges to make bakery-style artisan loaves like pane francese, scali bread, pumpernickel, ciabatta, and focaccia. The final chapter raises the bar with project pieces such as sourdough, auvergne crown, French baguettes, fougasse, bagels, croissants, and kouign-amann.
This book is thorough, approachable, and beautifully designed. The instructions are clear and the recipes are top-notch. This is most definitely an excellent recipe book for breads.
Not only have they tried and tested the recipes themselves (multiple times), but they've also had home cooks test the recipes before publishing. There is information on how to knead by hand, if that's your jam, but in tried-and-true fashion, ATK explicitly states when a recipe will not work if kneaded by hand. They know because they've already tried. They've made the mistake so you don't have to. They tell you when it matters if you use a different kind of flour or even a different kind of salt. I'm sure some people see this as picky, but I see it as empowering: tell me what can go wrong, so I can avoid it. Tell me enough about why a recipe works so I can know what mistakes I'm making and get better at baking and cooking. Although I might have different tastes or preferences at times, I love that I can trust ATK recipes to be reliable and high-quality, and this book is no exception.
This book is so approachable! There's some science of bread at the beginning, as well as a solid foundation covering all the basics, but by far the best part is that this book isn't just "bread"-- it's "bread illustrated". Every single recipes has full-cover pictures for not only the finished product, but also for every single step in the recipe. A well-written step-by-step recipe is important, but pictures to go with each of those steps, for the entire book, makes a huge difference. Additionally, the book as a whole is laid out to be approachable: the recipes are listed in order starting with the easiest and working towards the most difficult. It's designed so you can bake your way through the book and develop the techniques and knowledge you'll need for the more advanced breads.
The first chapter starts you off with quick cheese bread, skillet cornbreads and pizza, monkey bread, and some classic easy-to-make breads like brown soda bread and flour tortillas. The second chapter advances to a variety of sandwich breads with an array of plain, savory, sweet, and fluffy. Chapter number three adds in more sizing and shaping skills with rolls, buns, knots, breadsticks, bialys, and pretzels. The fourth chapter features pizzas and flatbreads from around the world, including thin, thick, and deep-dish pizzas, calzones, pitas, pissaladiere, coques, and lahmacun. Chapter five focuses on sweeter breads and enriched doughs such as cinnamon buns, challah, Portuguese sweet bread, stollen, and yeasted doughnuts. Chapter six ups your game with sponges to make bakery-style artisan loaves like pane francese, scali bread, pumpernickel, ciabatta, and focaccia. The final chapter raises the bar with project pieces such as sourdough, auvergne crown, French baguettes, fougasse, bagels, croissants, and kouign-amann.
This book is thorough, approachable, and beautifully designed. The instructions are clear and the recipes are top-notch. This is most definitely an excellent recipe book for breads.
July 5, 2025
The books and magazines published by America's Test Kitchen are always so well researched and of such high quality. This bread book is no exception! It's a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to making virtually every kind of bread. There's detailed instructions at the beginning of the book describing the steps involved with bread making. Each recipe has basic information: ingredients, rising time, baking time, total time, and key equipment. There's information on "why this recipe works" plus clear instructions and accompanying photos of each step.
I checked this book out of my local library in an attempt to become more proficient at bread baking. However, after reading this book and discovering the amount of time involved plus all the ways that things can go wrong, I think I'm going to stick with my bread maker machine instead! Nothing against this book at all; I just realized that I'm not ready for such a great time commitment.
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
I checked this book out of my local library in an attempt to become more proficient at bread baking. However, after reading this book and discovering the amount of time involved plus all the ways that things can go wrong, I think I'm going to stick with my bread maker machine instead! Nothing against this book at all; I just realized that I'm not ready for such a great time commitment.
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
September 18, 2020
An exhaustive repository of basic and classic bread recipes with detailed pictorials and instructions. Thumbs up for that. As far as an introduction to breadbaking is concerned I would say that they skim over the important "feel factor" parts, but there are plenty of online resources and support groups to make up for that. What I feel is lacking is they only explain baker's percentages wrt hydration but not other ingredients (apart from a perfunctory reference in the yeast section) and missed an opportunity by not including baker's percentages in the recipes themselves. That would have made this a complete reference.
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