The Bread Book

by Louis Pullig De Gouy

Written by Master Chef Louis P. DeGouy, one of the world’s greatest cooks, this book is an invaluable addition to the shelf of any chef—or anyone who takes eating seriously. Amateur and professional cooks alike with an interest in breads will be delighted to find over 500 recipes for baking powder biscuits, plain and sweet breads, ryes, loaves, buns, muffins, gingerbread, popovers, scones and much more. The book provides recipes for simple and complex breads for any occasion and excellent advice on breadmaking in general, quality-selection of ingredients, and other ideas that will help when buying and choosing breads.

Genres: Cookbooks

496 pages, Hardcover

Published May 19, 2021

Reviews

[luna]

This is truly a bread book. It is well indexed, well organized, and complete with hundreds of recipes! I quite enjoyed reading the history of bread and the introduction pieces of this book. After trying a few of the recipes, and enjoying them thoroughly, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for bread recipes to try. 500 recipes might seem overwhelming, but this bread book is an excellent reference and/or guide for all things related to baking bread!

There are no photographs in this book, and I think it would have made it just that much better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cynthia Smith]

The Bread Book by Louis P. De Gouy is actually an unabridged, republication of The Bread Tray originally published in 1944. Mr. De Gouy, who passed away in 1946 spent thirty years as a chef at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and was one of the founders of Gourmet Magazine, which is no longer produced.

The original 1944 publication date explains and allows us to forgive the author’s assumption that the cooks reading this book are female. It also explains the lack of photos, which most readers in this era have come to expect but were seldom incorporated into cookbooks during the era that this book was originally published.

The fact that this book has stood the test of time makes it truly remarkable. With close to 600 recipes, the author explains in great detail the various ingredients used in bread-making and the role of each. The foreword of each chapter gives either a brief history of or gives tips relevant to
that bread product.

While seeming slightly technical in the current time, this book is nonetheless a valuable and comprehensive compendium for the bread maker. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.)

[LilliSt]

Louis P. De Gouy was the chef at the Waldorf-Astoria in the first half of the 20th century and The Bread Book is a republication of a collection of bread recipes he has put together.

The book is clearly old-fashioned, having no pictures but plenty of information in a rather concise presentation. The recipes themselves also are short and to the point.

It is organized into chapters for different types of bread, e.g. Soda Breads, Yeast Breads but also Muffins, Popovers etc.
Each chapter starts with some general advice regarding that type of bread, which errors to avoid and what else there is to know and is then followed by a recipe section.

If you are looking for a book with basic techniques for bread with longer fermentation times (i.e. sourdough, long rises) this one is not for you. The breads that are leavened with yeast rely on a lot of yeast and short proofs, with accordingly less complex flavour profiles.

However, if you are looking for a treasure trove of knowledge and recipes for everything that can very loosely be categorized as bread-ish, this one is for you. There are so many recipes to try out and I bet you can find many a recipe just like grandmas in the US have been baking for their families.

I have received a review copy via Netgalley and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!

[Bookish Mom]

When you see a title that has 500 recipes you either think that it’s too many and you will never need them all OR you look at it like a reference Bible that will have everything you need to know. This book is definitely the latter! These are the OG recipes that were probably used by parents and grandparents. That being said fresh yeast is used (as opposed to dry which is more readily available in my area) but that is what makes it authentic. A former Waldorf Astoria chef can’t be wrong! This book has every recipe for dough related items that you can think of along with variations of every kind. Definitely read before you compete on The Great British Bake-off! Or just get this book as an investment in you current and future baking success! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

[Caitlin Nichols]

My review for The Bread Book, by Louis P. Gouy -
5 Stars

Alright let me start with the fact I am an avid baker, bread included. This cookbook was great for all things bread and for that I love it. I've been baking for years and I still managed to learn a few things from here, such as don't put your salt on top of yeast (it kills it) and be careful to make sure all ingredients are at the temperature the book states because baking is like chemistry and one thing off throws everything off.

I like how well this book explained things, slowly and always careful to ensure you stayed with the book. Bread can be tricky to make so a cookbook solely for it is amazing. It walks you through, step by step, and the pictures are beautiful. Definitely earns it's five stars and will keep an eye out for this author in the future.

[roxi Net]

#TheBreadBook #NetGalley

While I really enjoyed Bittman Bread, this Bread Book is a bit more comprehensive and full of different recipes and information. The recipes are a bit more exciting/international to me (peanut butter biscuits, apple corn bread., Norwegian afternoon tea bread, soy flour bacon biscuits....) and while I may fight with gluten internally, my love of bread surpasses the discomfort sometimes. I'm excited to try these recipes and liked the conversion tables and information that I can easily process. While I'm bummed there aren't photos and step by step instructions, the recipes alone are worth it for me to have as a reference book.

[Pam]

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author, for the opportunity to
read and give an honest review of this book.

For those that love to bake, this tome encompasses all forms of bread products including, but not limited to breads, rolls, scones, gingerbread, popovers and more.

The author seems knowledgeable about baking. At the beginning of each section, he shares interesting information about the types of breads he has included. He also includes tips to help you achieve the best results when using the book’s recipes.

This book would be an excellent addition to the library shelf of anyone interested in baking warm, fresh from the oven, bread treats!

[Concha]

Thank you to NetGalley.
In this book we find recipes from all over the world and for all levels from beginner to professional.

Each theme ( bread, biscuits, muffins...) includes tips so that there is no problem putting into practice the recipes; which I must say are delicious.
I have tried mainly those dedicated to muffins (I like sweet) and I am delighted.

Not only is it interesting on a personal level but it could also be an excellent gift for anyone minimally interested in the subject.

[Nikki]

The Bread Book by Louis P. De Gouy
Publisher: Dover Publications
Genre: Cooking, Food & Wine
Publication Date: May 19, 2021

The Bread Book by Louis P. De Gouy contains over 500 recipes for all things bread!

The recipes were fairly easy to follow and were well explained. They can be tricky, but I actually made bread!

I will definitely be getting a copy of this for my kitchen!

I'm so grateful to Louis P. De Gouy, Dover Publications, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

[Evelyn]

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I have not been compensated for this review and any opinion expressed is my own.

As this book was originally published in 1944 some of the ingredients and recipes are a little dated (finding fresh yeast is a bit of a feat and no notes on how much dry yeast to use per "cake' of fresh yeast ) but it is a good compendium of bread, buns, biscuits, muffins, and cracker recipes.

[Jessica]

I have a LOT of cookbooks featuring bread and couldn't imagine that I could possibly need another one. I was wrong! I promise you that this has dozens of recipes that you've never heard of. Who knew there were so many different ways to make biscuits? They've also covered muffins, popovers, scones, gingerbreads (again - who knew there were so many?), rolls, quick breads, yeast breads and more!

[Michelle Noble]

This cookbook is a must have for every household! It contains recipes from basic breads to more complex breads. The author tells you what equipment you need, and which ingredients you'll need to keep on hand. The art of baking bread is demystified, and simplified so that anyone can be successful. The breads are delicious! I will be buying copies for family members for Christmas this year!

[Cozy Book Spot]

What a big book! There are no photos, just the recipes. You will find recipes for buns, biscuits, muffins, cakes, rolls, scones, and more. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

[Amanda Karsh]

So many different recipes for the same thing I love it, biscuits, muffins, gingerbread, popovers. Lots of recipes. The one I tried worked but I had to take it out Of the oven 10min sooner. #TheBreadBookLouisDeGory

[Kim Brosan]

The book is filled with hundreds of recipes but what makes a cookbook good is the images of enticing foods you can’t wait to taste. This isn’t that book. That being said it’s well-indexed and organized. It just didn’t get me excited about trying anything it contained.

[Basicsadie]

This is a must have for anybody that likes baking bread! So much information and over 500 recipes to choose from, this is definitely is a must have in my kitchen! I will definitely be adding this book to my repertoire!

[Witch-at-Heart]

This is a must have for any bread baker. I was very impressed with the variety of both simple and complex techniques and recipes. I highly recommend this cookbook.

[Mahmudul Hasan]

This book was amazing.