Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

I bought a copy of this book used from an Amazon.com Marketplace seller, and I love it. I have been very impressed with the book though I have actually made only two of the recipes so far (and have made them several times). The very best thing about the book is that Clayton is very encouraging as a bread-baking teacher and mentor. He makes bread making seem, perhaps not easy, but accessible and possible. The overall sense here is, "You can do it!" Other reviewers have commented on his "old school" style, and indeed, he has been writing and revising his cookbooks for around 30 years. I have to say, I love this. He does offer instruction for food processor, stand mixer, and hand kneading. He describes each step in such a way that the amateur baker knows what to expect in terms of feel and look of the dough in progress. Encouraged by his instruction, I have been easily able to adapt the recipes, with fabulous result, to my Bosch mixer, freshly milled whole wheat, and instant yeast. The book contains a truly stunning number of types of bread, from sandwich to artisan, and, honestly, I could try a new bread every weekend for years before repeating any. I picture Clayton traveling about, meeting bread bakers around the world with an open curiosity and then passing his newfound knowledge with the rest of us who don't have either time or funds to travel as he does. And I for one am grateful for his enthusiastic search for bread knowledge. Thank you, Bernard Clayton!

I used to bake breads back in highschool (over 20 something years ago) and the book I had back then was a basic baking cookbook with lots of pictures. Sadly I don't have that book anymore and never wrote down my favorite bread recipes. I tried some recipes from Foodnetwork.com and allrecipes but those sites don't really give good step-by-step instructions especially with regards to kneading. I would always get a tough and heavy dough and I always thought that I was over-kneading it. When I first skimmed through Bernard Clayton's book, I realized that I've been under-kneading the dough the entire time. The first recipe I made from this book was the Buttermilk white loaf and it turned out great! I added 1/4 cups more sugar because I prefer sweet breads. My husband loved it too! Contrary to what one reviewer said, I don't think there's anything wrong with the layout of the book. They're easy to read and follow. Of course, I understand that it would be a lot easier for readers if there are separate instructions for doing by hand, mixer and machine/food processor, but that would double the size of the book. I for one don't want a cookbook that's as big and heavy as the Jerusalem Bible. I always read the entire recipe first before starting in the kitchen so I'll know what to look for later on. I especially love that I could make bread using my stand mixer. Makes life so much easier. The book has no pictures but everyone knows how a bread should look like, right? I just google the ones I'm not familiar with, like challah. This book is indeed complete and you won't need any other book. Well, I did get The Bread Bible: 300 Favorite Recipes but only because it has a few recipes (like cinnamon rolls and foccacia) that aren't in Bernard's book. I think they complement each other. Bread: The Breads of the World and How to Bake Them at Home is also a great reference and has photos of all the exotic breads mentioned in Bernard's book.

Hi!I think it's a very good book for beginner who likes to bake breads. For me I am really happy that I bought the right one. Each one of its recipe has a good story of it. It's very easy to follow and you have a lot of choice, what I meant that you have so many different recipes of bread to bake. Mr Bernard Clayton Jr. has a sense of humor. He's funny. I like his book a lot. It's easy to understand. I hope that he'll print a new book that has a lot more recipes about all breads only and more information about Starters, Leaven, Polish, dried sourdough cultures all around the world.Yes, I would recommend for someone who really like baking bread. I am absolutely that this book for you.ThanksNhut Tran

I've got my mother's copies of several Bernard Clayton, Jr.'s cookbooks and love them. i've been skeptical, at best, about the current wave of no-knead artisan breads, so I looked this oldie but goodie up on Amazon and ordered it.You knead yeast doughs to develop the gluten. No kneading gives you a less well developed loaf. Of course if you double or triple the yeast and guarantee a huge oven spring by heating everything to the ambient temperature of Hades, you can compensate. Still not as good bread as if you kneaded it and used the normal amount of yeast. My hobby horse. However, there are a lot of folks, like me, who can't handle a bunch of live yeast in their bread. No, it isn't all killed in the oven. Anyway, I want to get back to making bread the traditional way, so I can enjoy it, and this is just one of the classic bread books from 30 or more years ago that I go to.Even if you don't have dietary issues with all that yeast, this is an excellent resource for elegant breads for every day use -- sandwiches, toast -- as well as for the fancier loaves that will impress your guests.Don't be afraid to knead. It's good exercise, reduces stress, and makes great bread.

I love it. It's the third time I buy it. Mr. Clayton gave the world, a world of knowledge about breads. Once you do your own bread, you'll never buy commercial bread. Breads are also wonderful presents. Really love it!

Excellent book so far ... everything has turned out beautifully ... have made 5 different breads so far and they are perfect. I will not be buying store-bought again.

An awesome book on the art of bread making. There are excellent sections on how to do it, trouble shooting and equipment. There is a huge selection of recipes from around the world; each recipe is comprehensively laid out with instructions for making by hand, mixer and food processor. Well worth the money if you enjoy bread making, passionately written by an author who loved his bread.

Un libro "enorme": ci sono veramente una gran quantita' di ricette, ci vogliono degli anni per poterle provar tutte!Ben scritto e facilmente comprensibile, per quasi tutte le ricette descrive la realizzazione a mano, con l'impastatrice e con il robot da cucina; le ricette che ho provato hanno sempre funzionato alla perfezione, con mia personale soddisfazione.Intendiamoci, non sono un neofita nel far pane, ed ho nella mia colleziona svariati altri libri in lingua inglese sull'argomento, per cui non saprei se consigliarlo o meno a chi e' agli inizi, soprattutto perche' le misure sono tutte in "cups" e "spoons", quindi bisogna sapersi un po' orientare nelle conversioni.Molto interessanti ed utili anche i consigli, inclusi quelli riguardo il "cosa fare se avete sbagliato xxxx", e carini nella loro sintesi i racconti che introducono la maggior parte delle ricette.

Excellent condition.