The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

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Summary: NOT FOR BEGINNERS
Review: I was thrilled when I received this book for a Christmas gift. I am an experienced baker and I would not recommend this book for a beginning baker or bread machine user. I have made a couple of recipes with great success. I have also had my share of failures. Like another reviewer of this book, I find that you have to watch closely and continue to add more flour than originally stated in the recipe. There are some recipes that will not turn out unless you use vital wheat gluten or SAF yeast. This book however does have numerous helpful hints and sidebars stories of interest. I agree with another reviewer who does not like the index. This book is not a total loss for me, but again I wouldn't purchase it unless I was an experienced bread machine baker.

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Summary: Gave my bread machine a new lease on life!
Review: I've been baking with a bread machine for a number of years, and I didn't expect to see much new information in this book. However, I have another book by Hensperger (which I like very much also) and I was interested to see her recipes tailored to the machine. Her recipes are innovative and they work beautifully. Her olive bread, for example, uses about twice the olives of other recipes I've tried, and I was afraid the salt content would prevent this one from rising - on the contrary, I produced a large loaf with a rich brown color and hearty olive flavor. Other recipes in the book have been similarly pleasing. The book also contains sidebars with valuable information about bread making topics, and includes an appendix with sources for materials and supplies, etc. This is a great book for someone who's just buying their first bread machine, and also for those of us who've become a bit jaded by the standard bread machine recipes found in other books. I highly recommend it!

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Summary: Best Bread Machine Book
Review: I've been baking with bread machines for awhile now and this is the best book I've found on the subject. The bread is delicious everytime. The book has recipes for all types of bread including quick breads and breads that you knead in the machine and bake in the oven. It's basically the bible of bread machine baking. It covers everything. It even gives you a tutorial for beginners on making different types of bread. It also discusses the different types of machines that are out there. When people ask me to recommend a book on bread machines this is *always* the one I tell them to get.

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Summary: Fun, fun, fun!
Review: I've had a bread machine for years but with this cookbook, I am finally using it, making bread nearly every day for over two weeks now! With such a great number of recipes, there is always a new one to try. The hamburger rolls are fabulous in taste and general appearance. I like more 100% whole grain breads but once you get the general proportions you can experiment. I use instant yeast and no gluten and I haven't had one failure. Unless you call rising to the very top of the machine a failure! I love to cut the top off and eat when freshly made, sometimes with butter and sometimes without to get the true taste of the bread. With my family, it never lasts long.

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Summary: Excellent results, another Hensperger hit!
Review: I, too, was hesitant about buying this book, based on previous reviews I had read here. I own almost all of her books, and they all have fantastic recipes, instructions, and information. I decided to go with her past successes and asked for this book for Christmas. I have used 3 or 4 recipes so far, and each one has come out perfectly. I did not have to make any adjustments at all; the ingredients were right on. There is a wealth of information in this book, definitely the best book I have seen on bread machine baking. I have had not-so-great success with bread machine cookbooks by other authors. This book has everything you need to know on this subject, and then some. Also included are tempting recipes for jams, preserves, butters, spreads, etc., plus creative ways to use leftover bread. I highly recommend this book, whether you are beginning or experienced at bread machine baking.

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Summary: Newcomers look no further...this is the book to start with
Review: If you're like me, a non-baker who just got your first bread machine, and you want to learn everything immediately so you are out buying a zillion books and sifting through them (pun unintended)....well, stop reading too many books and getting confused due to conflicting or incomplete information! I think I had 5 other books before I bought this one. No other book answered all the questions I had so thoroughly, and very clearly, so that you really understand baking, not just the machine. A superior introduction to every aspect of baking using this fabulous appliance. The recipes are excellent in every category, as are the side-bars and reference charts. All you need for an excellent foundation textbook.

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Summary: Wore mine out already!
Review: Just ordered a new hardback copy as my paperback fell apart!

All but one of Beth's recipes have worked great for me. I especially like her flatbreads and whole grain recipes. The "Zuni" bread with sunflower and molasses is wonderful. Very clear and detailed instructions for the baker, too.

Rating:
Summary: Great addition to collection
Review: The book layout is logical and easy to read. Wealth of information pertaining to not just the bread making process but also the ingredients. The list of ingredients is in an easy to follow format. Most recipes are given for 1 1/2 AND 2 lb loaves. The one lb loaf recipes section is small but the author notes that one only has to halve the 2 lb loaf recipes to make 1 lb loaves. I tried this with several recipes and was very pleased with the results. I have a simple Welbilt bread machine that makes up to a 2 lb loaf. I've made many of the recipes and taken them to potlucks and such and the breads have been great hits. I'd recommend the book to friends and I have. The one thing that for me would make the book better would be pictures to see what the slices look like but many bread machine books do not contain pictures.

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Summary: Great resource if you're new to bread machines
Review: The bread machine is a wonderful invention. For those of us who have tried traditional bread making with only modest success, machine baking takes the guesswork out and gives us consistently edible bread. But machine baking and traditional bread making are two very different processes. It helps to have a guide to the ins and outs of the machine and how to make the best use of its features.

I bought Beth Hensperger's cookbook on the recommendation of other Amazon reviewers. I haven't been disappointed. I haven't done a lot of fancy things with my bread machine (no breads using starters, no jams or jellies, no rolls). But of the twenty or so recipes I have tried, the results were consistently good. The basic information Hensperger provides on the theory and practice of bread machine baking is very helpful.

As a previous reviewer said, every brand of bread machine is a little different, and you have to become familiar with your own. I use a Breadman Ultimate and have not had the problems with dryness that another user reported. But I have made some adjustments in the kind of yeast that I use. Hensperger recommends SAF, a fast-acting brand of yeast, or bread-machine yeast. I've used bread machine yeast successfully, but find that it makes the texture of the bread a little too much like store-bought white for my taste. I've taken to using regular yeast instead, which seems to give a slightly denser texture. But that's really a matter of personal taste. For novice bread machine bakers, I recommend following the recipes for awhile and then beginning controlled experiments to find out what works best for you. But Hensperger's book will give you a firm base on which to build.


Rating:
Summary: Have a bread machine? Buy THIS book!
Review: The breadth of recipes and in-depth explanations are very worthwhile; even though I'm a seasoned cook, I've still found new things to learn from this book.

Pain au Chocolat is a hit with friends and family -- my preschooler asked for it just this morning. The Roman Bread is excellent, serves up nicely with appetizers and meals or as a base for panini sandwiches. Can't wait to try one of the recipes with a starter; the author's lucid explanation remove the fear factor for me.

Bon appetit!