Beautiful Bread: Create & Bake Artful Masterpieces for Any Occasion

by Theresa Culletto

For beginner and expert bread bakers alike, learn how to turn artisan focaccia breads into over 30 showstopping edible creations!

Let professional baker and bread artist Theresa Culletto show you how to take your bread baking to the next level by turning rustic focaccia breads into artful masterpieces . In Beautiful Bread , you will not only master how to make four types of focaccia—white, whole wheat, dark multigrain, and sweet —you will also learn techniques for decorating them with vegetables, fruits, herbs, seeds, and more through over thirty stunning bread art projects inspired by flowers, famous artists, nature, and holidays,
 
For beginners, Theresa offers a comprehensive overview of bread baking 101, including essential ingredients, tools, and terminology. For seasoned bakers, she provides a plethora of inventive tips and techniques. Complete with step-by-step instructions, a vibrant photo accompanying each project, and recipes for savory and sweet toppings and fillings , Beautiful Bread will soon have you creating edible art that’s almost too beautiful to eat . . . almost.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking

176 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2023

Reviews

[PinkPanthress · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked most of the toppings, they were interesting.
My favourite was The Tree of Life!

Unfortunately this Book wasn't as diverse in its recipes as I would have loved it to be.

The garnishing work was very lovely (if not a little bit too blant at times), but unfortunately for a baking/cooking Book this did not have enough WIP photographs in it, which was a shame.

Can I recommend it and how will my rating be?
-Well, I can absolutely recommend this… for example to those who like their Focacce to not always be that blant and those who love to play a bit with food in a good way. 😉
-And my Rating will be 3.3 Stars!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto publishing group for this Arc in exchange for my honest review.
Well, all the recipes in the book look nice and artistic. I never thought foccaxia could be presented in so many ways. Not sure I'd have the patience to make any, this book would be perfect for those who are patient enough. They sure look delicious and creative..

[Christina Valastro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of great content! I would not consider myself a bread maker but the author makes the recipes and instructions very clear. However I was somewhat disappointed in the visual appearance of the bread.

[Cynthia Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve wanted to bake focaccia ever since I saw pictures of this beautiful bread on Pinterest several years ago.
The author has some good advice to offer: Draw pictures of the design beforehand to ensure ease of re-creation. Keep toppings to less than half of the weight of the dough.
She also offers tips on what to look out for when buying and storing fresh ingredients and the lowdown on essential equipment. The author also helps us with information on the vegetables to use to get specific design effects. These vegetables include onions, potatoes, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc.
She walks us through techniques like lattice work, braiding and stencilling, which are a treat to watch. There is a detailed glossary of essential items, especially verbs I’d never heard of, such as degassing, dimpling and docking, in the context of baking.
There are recipes for various kinds of focaccia dough, including Basic White Focaccia, Basic Whole Wheat Focaccia, Dark Multigrain Focaccia and Sweet Focaccia.
A chapter on Flowers teaches us to craft designs of flowers on the focaccia. They include Sunflowers, Wrapped Bouquet, Spring Tulips, White Irises in a Vase, Dahlias, Cherry Blossoms and Bouquet of Calla Lilies.
Another chapter, Artist Inspired, shows us designs inspired by great painters. These include Vincent Van Gogh’s Irises, Georgia O’Keeffe’s Open Flower, Takashi Murakami’s Happy Flowers, Pablo Picasso’s Faces, Wassily Kandinsky’s Circles in Squares, Claude Monet’s Lily Pond and Alma Thomas’s Brushstrokes of Color.
Nature Inspired, another chapter, shows us designs inspired by Fall Leaves, Under the Sea, Tree of Life, Wood Grain Charcuterie Board, Sandcastle, Happy Trail Mix, Solar System and Pomegranate.
Focaccia for Holidays and Specia Occasions shows designs for Valentine’s Day Roses, St Patrick’s Day Lucky Clover, Easter Basket, Thanksgiving Cornucopia, Christmas Tree, Cinnamon Star, Game Day and Celebration Fireworks.
The chapter on Traditional Recipes shares recipes for Chocolate Hazelnut Filling, Cinnamon Filling, Sweet Lemon Cream, Evergreen Sauce, Basil Pesto, Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Quick Pickled Vegetables.
The designs are so beautiful, they’re a work of art in themselves. It seems a shame to have to cut and eat them. Hopefully we’ll just get so good at baking these that we’ll be able to make many more and allow our own creativity to lead the way.
These are details and tips no YouTube videos would share with you. This is a book that serious and first-time bakers of focaccia will consider a treasure.

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Beautiful Bread: A Masterpiece of Art and Flavor

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars

Theresa Culletto’s Beautiful Bread: Create & Bake Artful Masterpieces for Any Occasion is a delightful cookbook that takes bread baking to a whole new level. Whether you are a beginner or an expert bread baker, this book will inspire you to create stunning edible artworks using rustic focaccia bread as your canvas. With over 30 showstopping creations, this book is a must-have for any food enthusiast, bread maker, or those who enjoy hosting dinner parties.

The book begins with a comprehensive overview of bread baking 101, making it accessible even to beginners. Theresa Culletto covers essential ingredients, tools, and terminology, ensuring that readers have a solid foundation before diving into the art of bread making. Seasoned bakers will also find a wealth of inventive tips and techniques to enhance their skills and take their creations to new heights.

The recipes in this book are well laid out and easy to follow. Culletto provides step-by-step instructions accompanied by vibrant photos, making it a breeze to recreate these bread art projects at home. The author offers four types of focaccia recipes – white, whole wheat, dark multigrain, and sweet – catering to different taste preferences. Each recipe is accompanied by savory and sweet topping and filling options, allowing readers to experiment and create their own unique masterpieces.

What sets Beautiful Bread apart from other bread baking books is its emphasis on turning bread into art. Inspired by flowers, famous artists, nature, and holidays, Culletto provides a wide range of creative ideas for decorating the focaccia. From using vegetables, fruits, herbs, seeds to other edible ingredients, the possibilities are endless. The photography in this book is simply stunning, showcasing the exquisite beauty of these edible creations. It’s hard to believe that something so visually appealing can also be delicious.

This book would make a perfect gift for any foodie, bread maker, or someone who loves to host dinner parties. The artistic nature of the recipes makes them ideal for special occasions or as a centerpiece for gatherings. The creative ideas presented in Beautiful Bread will surely impress guests and leave them in awe of your culinary skills. Get ready to elevate your bread baking skills and transform simple focaccia into mouth watering works of art.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Beautiful Bread is a stunning collection of recipes and tutorials for instagram-perfect baked goods (mostly focaccia) by Theresa Culletto. Released 10th Oct 2023 by Quarto on their Rock Point imprint, it's 176 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is an inspirational guide to creating beautifully styled breads. The designs are mostly floral/botanical in nature and they're all fully edible. Detailing is created by the use of edible flowers, spices, herbs, and vegetables (see cover).

The book's introduction covers tools, ingredients, and supplies, followed by basic focaccia recipes. The following inspiration/tutorial chapters are grouped roughly thematically: flowers, artist inspired (including a jaw-dropping reinterpretation of van Gogh's Irises), nature inspired, and holiday recipes/bakes.

Recipe ingredients are listed in a bullet sidebar for each bread, followed by step-by-step instructions. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units only. Necessary supplies will be available at any well stocked grocery store in most of North America. Access to a wide variety of edible flowers, fresh herbs, and spices will be necessary for many of them.

Although it's undoubtedly a niche genre, making really beautiful and wholesome focaccia for special occasions and for gift giving, the extra love and consideration in these breads will provide both satisfaction to the baker -and- to the recipients. And they are, all of them, absolutely instagram worthy.

Four stars, this would be a great choice for public and/or school library acquisition, for gifting to cookbook collecting friends, and for home use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Poppy Marlowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
*********************************************************

For beginner and expert bread bakers alike, learn how to turn artisan focaccia breads into over 30 showstopping edible creations!

Let professional baker and bread artist Theresa Culletto show you how to take your bread baking to the next level by turning rustic focaccia breads into artful masterpieces. In Beautiful Bread, you will not only master how to make four types of focaccia—white, whole wheat, dark multigrain, and sweet—you will also learn techniques for decorating them with vegetables, fruits, herbs, seeds, and more through over thirty stunning bread art projects inspired by flowers, famous artists, nature, and holidays, including:

Spring Tulips
Cherry Blossoms
Monet's Lily Pond
Under the Sea
Solar System
Saint Patrick's Day Lucky Clover
Easter Basket
Christmas Tree
And more!

For beginners, Theresa offers a comprehensive overview of bread baking 101, including essential ingredients, tools, and terminology. For seasoned bakers, she provides a plethora of inventive tips and techniques. Complete with step-by-step instructions, a vibrant photo accompanying each project, and recipes for savoury and sweet toppings and fillings, Beautiful Bread will soon have you creating edible art that’s almost too beautiful to eat . . . almost.

These creations are beautiful but there is next to zero possibility that I would ever make any of these creations – they are too fiddly for me. But I do have clients that would make them and more power to them. Great instructions help a lot – if you have the patience. #shortbutsweetreviews

[Karen Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever been in a specialty bakery and been overwhelmed by the beautiful breads there? Most of us have had that experience, and most of us have known that we couldn’t really duplicate those beautiful baked goods at home. For anyone interested in learning to bake and decorate breads, Theresa Culletto will show you how, with step-by-step instructions in her cookbook, Beautiful Bread: Create & Bake Artful Masterpieces for Any Occasion.

The first chapter covers the essentials: ingredients, tools, and tips. The cookbook also includes the recipe for Focaccia with variations. These recipes are presented in the traditional manner with comments at the beginning, followed by a list of ingredients, then step-by-step instructions, making it possible for almost any baker – from beginning to advanced – to successfully make this bread. Subsequent chapters cover the artful loaves using flowers, herbs, and other ingredients to make spectacular bread. The instructions are concise but thorough for each recipe.

One of the best things about this cookbook is that there are beautiful, professional photographs of every artistic loaf making it possible for anyone to duplicate then at home. The designs are innovative and imaginative, and will definitely inspire.

All told, this is a cookbook for those who like to spend lots of time in the kitchen and enjoy creating edible works of art. It is well-written and fun to read and bake from.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

[Michelle Mallette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my blog for the full review and consider subscribing while you're there.
Even for a first-timer like me, decorated bread is a spectacular way to add a bit of flair to a special food occasion. Author Culletto offers four step-by-step focaccia recipes (basic white, basic wheat, dark multigrain, and sweet) to serve as the canvas for 32 beautiful designs in four categories – Flowers, Artist Inspired, Nature Inspired, and Holidays & Special Occasions, including Game Day and a very pretty Cinnamon Star. I would have liked other bread options though this is terrific starting point. The book includes an excellent introduction to making decorated focaccia, with tips for making and baking the bread, a discussion of tools and decorations, and special techniques such as lattice and braiding. Culletto finishes with some useful additional recipes for fillings, pestos, sauces, and even a quick pickling recipe. There’s an index, but the advance reading copy I had still needs some work. My thanks to Quarto Publishing for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

This book has 3 base focaccia recipes and then instructions for topping them in various ways. I like that the book includes both savory and sweet options including fruit which I haven't seen before. There are also some beautiful bread photos! But while a lot of the loaves are beautiful I do wonder how they taste. For example I don't personally think bread covered in just onions appeals to me taste-wise even if the onion makes for nice decoration. I also think it's interesting that the photos included in the book are mostly pre-baked loaves and not once they're baked so we don't necessarily see how the loaf actually turns out.

Overall not a bad introductory book for making focaccia.

[Kasey Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like half the world, I got really into making bread when the world shut down a few years ago. Now I am three years deep in my hobby and still going strong. I am always looking for new fun recipes to keep things exciting and this book really touched on everything I look out for.

First of all, as someone who loves to see finished product pictures so that I know exactly what I have seemed to do WRONG with mine...ha... and the pictures in this book are absolutely beautiful.

The instructions seem easy to follow and the recipes give lots of details and direction to make sure everything comes out correctly. Seems to be a great guide for all skill levels.

Definitely going to be trying out the Thanksgiving Cornucopia in a few months for our family and friends to (hopefully) fall in love with as well. And that Cinnamon Star looks to die for!!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've made focaccia a few times in the past few months. I was interested in this book to learn how to make it fancy.

There are three main bread recipes here - a white focaccia, a whole wheat, and a sweet focaccia. The white is similar to what I've made before. I'd also be interested in the trying the sweet one.

The main focus of this book, after learning how to make the bread, is decorating. The author shows ideas for how to decorate using vegetables and herbs. She shows how to make many types of flowers, how to make decorations for holidays, and how emulate the styles of different artists in bread. They are very pretty and will inspire you to try to be more artistic when baking bread for parties.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

What a fun book with beautiful illustrations of decorated focaccia, both sweet and savory. The recipes are colorful and they look delicious. What a great addition to a special meal this loaf of bread would make.

The author begins her book with a discussion of bread making tools and ingredients. Then, she includes several basic focaccia bread recipes.
She discusses the types of fruit and vegetables to be used in the ‘pictures’ on the breads.

This fun way of baking and decorating bread would be a creative outlet for the home baker. This book would be a perfect addition to the library of any bread baker.

I can’t wait to try some of these recipes with fresh vegetables from my farmer’s market.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of cute ideas for decorating focaccia. The recipe instructions are clear and easy to follow, the different patterns are attractive and recipes are included for all of the items used to decorate the different breads. Sweet and savory options are provided.

There is a section about ingredients, some of the descriptions are excellent. The information bout butter did not discuss different types of butter with different butterfat contents a surprising omission for a baking book. The description of eggs included information about different sizes of eggs and the way that they can influence recipes but did not include a liquid measure or weight for the recommended medium/large egg size but did for other sizes.

[Susan Hamann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bake bread frequently. The basic breads in this book are simple for even beginners to make. But the decorations are not that difficult, and are wonderful! The "decorations" are well described, and the instructions are well written. Do you want to wow your family or guests with a beautiful floral bread? How about a flat bread decorated like an Easter egg? Or a bread that resembles a well know piece of artwork like Claude Monet's Lily Pond? All of the breads are completely edible. I want to bake some of these, just because they are so beautiful - and impressive.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

[Miska Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved Artistic Focaccia bread, but never really knew where to start with it. So when I saw this book on Net Galley for review I snapped it up! I really enjoyed reading this book and I love that they included a whole wheat and a multigrain bread option.

I also liked the way the artistic scenes were categorized, and in particular, will attempt the flower and nature scenes.

This was a great, but specific cookbook, that I recommend for people who have wanted to attempt this style of bread (I am even in an online form that posts pictures of bread like this). I don’t know that I would recommend it to general bakers, but if artistic focaccia intrigues you, I recommend it.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
Wow what a beautiful book! I have been seeing these breads on Pinterest and I just think wow how beautiful!
When I saw this book come up I was so excited to get gifted it. We are given the basic focaccia recipe and then the real magic/art begins. I have never made focaccia bread before so I can't wait to give this a go.
The photos are beautiful and I love how the author even created artwork bread from famous paintings ha! Highly recommend for all bakers out there.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Presents exactly what the title says: beautiful bread! Variously decorated focaccia, although I was presently surprised to see sweet variations alongside more conventional focaccia recipes. Also appreciated that measurements were included in both cups and grams, and temperatures in F and C (Why can't all recipe books do this?). Beautifully photographed throughout - my favourite was the first section with flower-themed loaves, but the book also covers bread inspired by works of art, nature, and holiday-themed decorating. A great resource for any keen baker.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos and inventive ways to elevate your bread for seasons and/or holidays. The basic recipes for the bread are in the front with a variety of insider tips to be creative for your bread presentation. Whether it is a change in seasons, holidays or game day you can take a wonderfully decorated loaf to share at the table.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity.

[Marie 🎀 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concise format of the ingredient lists and recipe directions greatly appealed to me. While some recipes were accompanied by beautiful pictures, others lacked illustrations, especially in the Additional Recipes section. Nonetheless, I am thrilled to include this cookbook in my collection.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this Arc. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Dome · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to this book now I know that pieces of art can be edible.

I love that it has easier option to decorate the bread so I won't necessarily need a lot of ingredients to make my bread look beautiful.

I really liked that if there ia someone in your family that doesn't eat a type of vegetable, because of the picture you could find aomething similar to replace it with.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely impressed by the flower compositions on artfully decorated focaccia (the lilies??????), not so much with the classic painting recreations (because I'm a spoiled millenial with a visually oversaturated mind who sees these kinds of aesthetic food posts on instagram all day). I will try out the basic focaccia dough recipe asap.

***I received a digital copy from the publisher through Edelweiss & Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.***

[Book-Lover-49 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gorgeous images in this book inspire the imagination. The recipes are easy to follow and the results are almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
I'd recommend this book to those who lobe baking bread and crafts in general, and the recipes serves a dual purpose. Bake delicious breads and focaccias and decorate them with fresh veggies. It's a craft you can eat!

[Witch-at-Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Bread is exactly they. I have never felt so inspired to create loaves that are a thing of beauty. The ideas and creativity is hands down the best I’ve seen and the bread is definitely a show stopper almost too pretty to eat. Also it’s a wonderful idea for serving to guests who will marvel at the simplicity and beauty the bread adds to the table. I definitely highly recommend it!

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are literally the most beautiful breads! This is a very inspiring book - Ms. Culletto has a variety of basic focaccia recipes to use as bases, and then an array of amazing artisan loaves decorated with so much detail and color. The directions are very specific and make these seem quite achievable.

[Lisa H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food as art.

Yep. This takes creativity and playing with your food to new heights.
Beautiful heights. I especially liked the Monet's Lily Pond. I know, right?
Clever. I am not that clever. But with handy photos and solid directions, just maybe, my bread could come out a little bit like the ones in this book.
Recommend.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an adventurous bread baker, you will want to check out this book. It starts with some basic focaccia bread recipes and then turns it up a notch adding vegetables, fruits, and other items to create some masterful designs.

The images are gorgeous, and if you can master the bread recipe, you can create these or something similar.

I can't wait to try my hand at these bread recipes.

[Jeri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn’t based on the recipes, but on the artwork. Which is fair, as that’s the point of the book. I’m interested in playing with the bread art fad, but have 0 artistic vision, so thought this would give me a starting point. However, aside from the cover photo and a few others, I found most of the bread art not only fairly hideous, but downright unappetizing. Hard pass.

[Leith Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cookbook, it gives me so many fun ideas! I’ve really gotten into bread baking and this book will help take me to another level. 5 stars!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

[JCS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning presentation of the many different recipes brings a new level to the humble bread loaf. This beautiful book is full of inspiring photos and clear instructions. I loved it. Thank you to Net galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.