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That is a good book, but if I had to pick only one bread book, hands =
down, it would be The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart and Ron =
Manville.  It covers everything from basics though very advanced recipes =
and techniques.  
Mike

That is a very good book. IMO, if you can find someone who bakes their 
own terrific bread and have them teach you, or can find a good class, 
that is a great way to get started. You can learn what dough is supposed 
to feel like as the gluten develops more easily. It's also fun to swap 
kitchen stories with great bakers.
One of the best days in my cooking/baking life was spent with an 85 year 
old woman as she showed me how to make filo dough. Like most people, I 
buy it frozen most of the time these days, but it was a scarce 
speciality item back then. I still make my own puff pastry because the 
frozen stuff is not made with (100%) real butter.
Vicki
Mike Chester wrote:
<Snip>

Sounds like another must have book to add to our cooking library.
miKe
	From: homeroast-admin
[mailto:homeroast-admin] On Behalf Of Mike Chester
	Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 10:23 AM
	
	That is a good book, but if I had to pick only one bread book, hands
down, it would be The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart and Ron
Manville.  It covers everything from basics though very advanced recipes and
techniques.  
	 
	Mike

Definitely!  Nothing beats hands on experience.  I was fortunate enough to 
take several basic to advanced bread baking classes from a Certified Master 
Chef (there are only about 70 CMCs in the whole US) and baking instructor. 
I got to use professional steam injected ovens and professional mixers,  but 
I brought in one of my creations from my old gas oven with a pizza stone 
(before I got my semi pro Dacor) and he said that it was nearly perfect.  I 
took that as a high complement given his expertise.  He even asked for my 
formula.
Mike Chester

Yup.
My Aunt Suzi spent the summer with us when I was 15. She made strudel dough
that was phenomenal. She'd make the dough & let it rest. Then she'd cover
the kitchen table in a plane tablecloth, and cover the cloth with flour.
She'd take a ball of dough about twice the size of her fist and start to pat
it flat in the middle of the table. Then walk around to stretch it. By the
time she was done it was so thin it was almost transparent, hanging down the
sides almost to the floor. then cut the roll of excess from around the
edges. The remainder that was cut off was about half the dough she started
with.
Then coat it with butter & fold to make layers. Ad the filling (apples, nut
or poppy seed) and roll into a strudel log. Bake, and delicious flaky layers
of dough f& sweet filling! She also made a savory version that was filled
with cabbage.
On 7/10/06, Vicki Smith  wrote:
<Snip>
-- 
"There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we
don't know." --  Ambrose Bierce