Off The Shelf Mad About Bread

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday April 27, 2005

Maryanne Church

THERE'S nothing quite like the smell of a loaf of home-baked bread cooking in the oven.

Those who are already converts will know that the rewards of baking your own bread are rich and seductive, and the quest for the perfect loaf can even be addictive.

Subtitled "Luxury Loaves Even a Beginner Can Make", Mad About Bread is a good introduction to bread making, as well as a volume with a huge variety of breads for those looking to expand their horizons.

The book opens with an introduction and a chapter that guides the user through the book's terms and methods. It explains the importance of accurate measurements and the type of equipment you'll need.

There are tips on moulding, kneading, rising and resting, and step-by-step instructions with photographs on the various techniques, such as chopping ingredients into the dough and how to roll the various shapes you'll need.

What I really like about Mad About Bread is the variety of recipes it contains. There are so many variations, none of which are impossible to produce.

Naturally, there is a chapter on basic loaves, but there are also recipes for fruit loaves, savoury rolls with delicious insides, such as Hot New Mexico Buns, Rumpled Pizza and Hot Tuna Buns.

You'll also find quite a wide range of pizza recipes. But I love the variety of sweet breads such as Cinnamon, Chocolate and Marshmallow Dunking Buns with their chocolatey, gooey insides; Peanut Butter and Birdseed Swirls; Chocolate Bars and Swirly, Choccy, Nutty Banana Bread.

Flat breads and quite a wide variety of muffins are also included, rounding off a readable, easy-to-follow and extremely useful little book.