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The Bottom Line

Local Breads teaches readers about different bread baking techniques and recipes used in Europe.



Pros

• Very interesting read.
• Incredibly beautiful photographs of various loaves.
• Wholesome recipes from across Europe.

Cons

• May be overwhelming for someone who's just begun baking bread.

Description

• Available in hardcover.
• Thirty-two color photographs.
• A hundred line drawings that teach reader's new techniques.

Guide Review - Local Breads by Daniel Leader

Author Daniel Leader begins his book by teaching the reader what she needs to know when baking European artisan breads. The reader will learn about the ingredients, from dry yeasts to different types flours. The basic tools needed to get started are also covered in the first chapter. There's step by step instructions that take the reader through the entire bread baking process and an important chapter on making and using European sourdough starters.

After the basics are covered, Mr. Leader takes the reader on a baking trip across Europe. There's traditional bread recipes from France, Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Each recipe is laid out in a chart that gives the volume, U.S. weight, metric weight, and baker's percentage for each ingredient.

The photographs throughout this book are stunning. They show mouthwatering chocolate sourdough croissants, rye-fennel crackerbread, and a beautiful Czech Christmas bread. The photos alone are worth the price of the book.