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Fast Breads: 50 Recipes for Easy, Delicious Bread
Book annotation not available for this Fast Klivans, Elinor/ Cushner, Susie (PHT) Chronicle Books LlcPublication 2010/09/01Number of 144Binding PAPERBACKLibrary of 2011029373
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 8, 2018
The pictures they had looked delicious and I really like most of these recipes. Love how they included quick versions along with the traditional year versions (and told you how and why they would differ a little). The instructions were clear and easy to follow and while I might not personally use every single recipe it would be close and I would recommend some of those my family wouldn’t enjoy to friends with different tastes
July 30, 2012
Making bread is one of those things that many home cooks want to do, dream to do and yet not so many actually do. A number of excuses are always given, with time being one of the most common, followed by a perception of difficulty.
Here author Elinor Klivans hopes to overturn all objections and get people baking, albeit with a twist. The recipes are not necessarily those you might find in a ‘Baking 101′ book – no variations upon a variation here, but many different, inviting types that can look deceptively complicated but the reality is a lot different.
Split into distinct chapters of superfast breads; corn breads; refrigerated breads; buns, rolls & small breads; loaves & rounds and finally bread dishes & bread toppings. No prior knowledge is expected as the reader is first treated to a great introduction that looks at the baking art, its common constituent ingredients, the methodologies involved in baking and a little overview about the types of bread. Not all bread is equal, after all, despite it sharing some common ingredients.
The first chapter dealing with ‘superfast’ breads is particularly interesting as it can draw the reader in and have them trying different recipes without lengthy preparation and waiting for yeast to rise. Once you start seeing the possible results from your own hands it can be easy to become hooked and then.. well.. you might be baking all of the time (with a waistline to match?)
There are many colour pictures showing the finished results but sadly not every recipe has its own picture. This is quite a big omission when you consider the target audience of the book and it is always nice to see a picture of an unfamiliar recipe. Each recipe is well written and many feature quite a lot of interesting background information about the specific recipe or some general hint or tip. The more experienced home baker will also find quite a lot of interesting recipes to consider.
A hidden gem that would possibly go unnoticed by a casual browser is the “Bread Dishes & Bread Toppings” chapter. Here is a veritable little goldmine of full dishes that you can make relatively quickly and they can look amazing despite their relative simplicity. It would be nice to see a whole book in this vein. This reviewer can see several meals rapidly becoming favourites over time (BLT Corn Bread Salad and Winter Panzanella Salad in particular).
There are many bread and breadmaking books on the market and certainly more are on the horizon. This book has managed to carve out a little niche in a crowded sector and is certainly worthy of close consideration and a possible purchase. It shows that bread need not be just for sandwiches. Maybe it will also inspire the home cook to experiment with bread as a core ingredient rather than it being a case or support for another item.
Fast Breads, written by Elinor Klivans and published by Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811865708, 144 pages. Typical price: GBP14. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
Here author Elinor Klivans hopes to overturn all objections and get people baking, albeit with a twist. The recipes are not necessarily those you might find in a ‘Baking 101′ book – no variations upon a variation here, but many different, inviting types that can look deceptively complicated but the reality is a lot different.
Split into distinct chapters of superfast breads; corn breads; refrigerated breads; buns, rolls & small breads; loaves & rounds and finally bread dishes & bread toppings. No prior knowledge is expected as the reader is first treated to a great introduction that looks at the baking art, its common constituent ingredients, the methodologies involved in baking and a little overview about the types of bread. Not all bread is equal, after all, despite it sharing some common ingredients.
The first chapter dealing with ‘superfast’ breads is particularly interesting as it can draw the reader in and have them trying different recipes without lengthy preparation and waiting for yeast to rise. Once you start seeing the possible results from your own hands it can be easy to become hooked and then.. well.. you might be baking all of the time (with a waistline to match?)
There are many colour pictures showing the finished results but sadly not every recipe has its own picture. This is quite a big omission when you consider the target audience of the book and it is always nice to see a picture of an unfamiliar recipe. Each recipe is well written and many feature quite a lot of interesting background information about the specific recipe or some general hint or tip. The more experienced home baker will also find quite a lot of interesting recipes to consider.
A hidden gem that would possibly go unnoticed by a casual browser is the “Bread Dishes & Bread Toppings” chapter. Here is a veritable little goldmine of full dishes that you can make relatively quickly and they can look amazing despite their relative simplicity. It would be nice to see a whole book in this vein. This reviewer can see several meals rapidly becoming favourites over time (BLT Corn Bread Salad and Winter Panzanella Salad in particular).
There are many bread and breadmaking books on the market and certainly more are on the horizon. This book has managed to carve out a little niche in a crowded sector and is certainly worthy of close consideration and a possible purchase. It shows that bread need not be just for sandwiches. Maybe it will also inspire the home cook to experiment with bread as a core ingredient rather than it being a case or support for another item.
Fast Breads, written by Elinor Klivans and published by Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811865708, 144 pages. Typical price: GBP14. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
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December 19, 2023Update: I made the beignets for breakfast this morning. The recipe called for 1/2 cup of flour, which was clearly wrong. I used 1 1/2 instead, and this worked. What a typo ridden disaster the kindle version of this cookbook is, and all the typos are on the lists of ingredients where they can do the most harm. On the other hand, the pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and the rowies I found in this book have become family favorites. And even the beignets were quick and delicious when I figured out how much flour to use.
I’m not going give this book a rating, but I do want to register my irritation with the error riddled kindle version. Now, I’ve got several of my own books listed here on Goodreads and each an every one of them is absolutely loaded with typos. But my typos are harmless whereas the typos in the Kindle version of this book are disasters in waiting. This morning I decided to make the pecan and chocolate scones for breakfast and it seemed odd that the recipe called for “cup of milk.” I thought, well, that’s a weird way to write “one cup of milk” on a list of ingredients. But when I finished mixing everything together the dough that I was supposed to knead at that point was so wet that it was about as kneadable as a Diet Coke.
Clearly the instruction should have said “1/2 cup” or some other fraction but the vital numbers had been left off. I was able to add additional dry ingredients and I got the dough to work and the scones were very good, but this is not acceptable. In skimming through the book I have noticed at least two other errors on lists of ingredients. Frankly, I’m afraid to make any recipes from this book now.
I assume it’s the publisher rather than the author’s fault, and maybe the print version is fine. But as I write this the Kindle version is a mess and cannot be relied upon.
I’m not going give this book a rating, but I do want to register my irritation with the error riddled kindle version. Now, I’ve got several of my own books listed here on Goodreads and each an every one of them is absolutely loaded with typos. But my typos are harmless whereas the typos in the Kindle version of this book are disasters in waiting. This morning I decided to make the pecan and chocolate scones for breakfast and it seemed odd that the recipe called for “cup of milk.” I thought, well, that’s a weird way to write “one cup of milk” on a list of ingredients. But when I finished mixing everything together the dough that I was supposed to knead at that point was so wet that it was about as kneadable as a Diet Coke.
Clearly the instruction should have said “1/2 cup” or some other fraction but the vital numbers had been left off. I was able to add additional dry ingredients and I got the dough to work and the scones were very good, but this is not acceptable. In skimming through the book I have noticed at least two other errors on lists of ingredients. Frankly, I’m afraid to make any recipes from this book now.
I assume it’s the publisher rather than the author’s fault, and maybe the print version is fine. But as I write this the Kindle version is a mess and cannot be relied upon.
cookbook-on-trial
November 29, 2021I checked this book out of the library because it promised all those bread recipes. However, on a closer inspection it turned out I wouldn't qualify most of them as bread. But whatever, let's try them.
p. 41 - 1 star - Butter Drop Biscuits - I don't like that particular brand of biscuits in general, because when a bread must be served warm according to the recipe, it usually means that it's barely edible warm and turns completely inedible after cooling. But this recipe is even more of a disaster. They are super salty and bitter (why would they need a full spoonful of baking soda for less than a cup of flour is beyond me, and that's in addition to baking powder), the dough is almost liquid, the cooking time is underestimated. I could fix all that (not the general conditional fitness as food), but wanted to try the recipe as it's written in the book. And that's a total waste of ingredients.
p. 48 - 3 star - Savory Lemon-Leek Loaf - A solid recipe for a simple bread, though one raised by baking soda *and* baking powder can never be as good as one on yeast. But granted, much faster.
p. 41 - 1 star - Butter Drop Biscuits - I don't like that particular brand of biscuits in general, because when a bread must be served warm according to the recipe, it usually means that it's barely edible warm and turns completely inedible after cooling. But this recipe is even more of a disaster. They are super salty and bitter (why would they need a full spoonful of baking soda for less than a cup of flour is beyond me, and that's in addition to baking powder), the dough is almost liquid, the cooking time is underestimated. I could fix all that (not the general conditional fitness as food), but wanted to try the recipe as it's written in the book. And that's a total waste of ingredients.
p. 48 - 3 star - Savory Lemon-Leek Loaf - A solid recipe for a simple bread, though one raised by baking soda *and* baking powder can never be as good as one on yeast. But granted, much faster.
August 30, 2023
Not fast breads
Most recipes call for yeast. In my opinion a recipe that calls for yeast that requires a rise time is not FAST
Most recipes call for yeast. In my opinion a recipe that calls for yeast that requires a rise time is not FAST
September 7, 2016
I will admit that I am intimidated by yeast dough. But this recipe book includes so many delicious recipes that I am looking forward to attempting.
This recipe book also includes some non-yeast recipes like the numerous corn bread recipes. The "Lots of Cheese" recipe book sounds really great!
This recipe book also includes some non-yeast recipes like the numerous corn bread recipes. The "Lots of Cheese" recipe book sounds really great!
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May 4, 2011I tried the Buttermilk bread recipe with rapid rise yeast and had yummy bread in about 1.5 hours. I ordered my copy from Amazon after looking at the library's copy.
May 25, 2015
I haven't used any of the recipes yet, but I am interested enough to pick up this book again later.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews