Review: The Tassajara Bread Book

I watched a documentary last week called How To Cook Your Life, and picked up a copy of The Tassajara Bread Book mentioned in the film. Over the weekend I stocked up on baking basics and did something that I haven't done in many years - I baked bread. I started off with the simplest wheat bread recipe, and even though it took me all afternoon to make it was definitely worth the effort. Not only did the bread turn out well, it made my condo smell fantastic! I'm going to remake the same recipe tomorrow with honey rather than molasses as the sweetener to see which I prefer. I've also picked out a couple of non-rising breads to try from scratch later this week.

I was surprised to see how many different types of recipes were included in the book - there are many different breads, cookies, cakes and even some condiments to accompany the baked goods. Most impressive is the organization of the book - the concepts of bread baking and shaping are explained up front and with fantastic, simple detail. Each recipe is explained individually as well, and alternative sweeteners, flours and fillings are often offered. This book manages to teach basic bread making skills very clearly and also provides a great deal of information about bread making. This makes it ideal as a reference material, but also as an introductory text - it teaches how and why.

The wheat bread I made was labor intensive and took many, many hours to fully rise. I was nervous that after all that effort I wouldn't like the bread, but it was mild and earthy. I usually dislike wheat bread because the flavor is so strong, but this recipe had both great flavor and consistency. It was simply delicious, and a very simple recipe. It feels good to eat a piece of bread that I made myself and without preservatives and artificial flavoring. I'm going to try the bran muffin and rosemary focaccia recipes next.