Bread Toast Crumbs: Recipes for No-Knead Loaves & Meals to Savor Every Slice: A Cookbook

This cookbook is worth buying! I have the Kindle version of this book, and I liked it so much that I purchased the hardcover as a gift for people who I know are busy but like to put in the effort to cook for themselves and others at home.I have made over 18 recipes from this book, taken from each section (bread, toast, crumbs), and have been pretty pleased with the results. I have never made so many recipes from a cookbook before. This cookbook gets you to put out fresh loaves each week with minimal effort — the results are not your long rising, super crusty and airy crumb artisan breads, but breads that are still worthwhile to add to your weekly rotation.I started out with the basic peasant bread. Then, because I have a Winco within driving distance that has a large selection of bulk grains and flours, moved to the variations.So far I have tried: quinoa flax bread (great, but I cut down on the quinoa a bit for a less gritty texture), three seed bread (sesame is the most flavorful addition, and I prefer more pumpkin kernels to sunflower kernels), rosemary semolina bread with pine nuts (definitely toast the pine nuts; this loaf is delicious as toast with eggs or even as a grilled cheese sandwich), honey whole wheat (not bad, but not as interesting as other recipes in the book), oatmeal maple (okay, but I preferred the chew of the multigrain cereal or bulgur bread), multigrain cereal bread (highly customizable based on your cereal blend), bulgur bread (very interesting and toothsome chew), rye bread (not bad, but the addition of caraway seed makes it a bit harder to use the bread in other recipes), spicy jalapeño, corn, and jack bread (spicy, cheesy, and a bit crunchy from the cornmeal — it was devoured in less than a day), pissaladière with anchovies, tomatoes, and onions (super flavorful - a small tin of anchovies from Trader Joe’s contains the suggested amount of anchovy fillets), toasted coconut loaf (a deliciously perfumed sweet loaf; I couldn’t find unsweetened shredded coconut at my usual grocery stores, but the sweetened shredded coconut worked out just fine), dark chocolate bread (it’s chocolate bread so it has to be good, but with all the sugar and additions the bread takes longer to rise and doesn’t rise as high as other loaves).The grilled cheese, vinaigrette toast with soft-boiled eggs, and breakfast strata have been in heavy rotation in my household whenever I have had leftover bread. I also really enjoyed the endive and fava salad tartines with herbed ricotta, as well as the orecchiette with brown butter, brussels sprouts, and crumbs, though they don’t get made as often either because I tend not to have the ingredients, or the effort to prep the ingredients (like the brussels sprouts) has been a barrier.I noticed some of the reviews for this book complaining about poor editing or incorrect water/ingredient ratios, which would normally be the kiss of death for a bread book, but I have followed all the ingredient weights/ratios and have not had any problems. The instructions and ingredient list seem pretty well tested to me. Also, the book states that yeast quantities may vary slightly from recipe to recipe since, if you are using the red star instant yeast, you need more for recipes that include more sugar. I have also found the suggested loaf pan/bread baking container volume (1 qt) to be correct for a 256g (the typical half batch) flour recipe. I started baking single loaves from this cookbook using the suggested 1 qt Pyrex mixing bowl. I prefer to have more consistent loaf slices, so I found a roughly 4” cube Pullman-type loaf pan to bake my loaves (several options available on Amazon). I don’t like baking in standard size loaf pans because I like to have a smaller amount of bread baked freshly.The book also makes a cute suggestion for making this bread while on travel so you can have freshly made bread away from home (where you have access to running water and an oven). The book recommends putting dry ingredients in a sealable container (like a Ziplock bag, or I like the idea of sticking it in a 2-4qt Cambro container with lid depending on how much bread you will be making), bringing your mixing/bulk ferment container (which could be the Cambro you stored the ingredients in) and baking vessel/loaf pan, and just adding water at your destination to your dry ingredients and proceed with the recipe as you would at home.My final recommendation is to get this book if you want simple bread recipes with interesting variations in order to regularly get homemade yeast breads on the table with minimal effort. If you have concerns whether the bread recipes in this cookbook produce the kind of loaves you want to bake, search online for the author’s peasant bread recipe, try it out yourself, and see if it produces the kind of loaf you could learn to love before you buy.

I became obsessed with Alexandra Stafford's peasant bread from her website. This book has the master recipe for the peasant bread and sweet and savory variations. I pre-ordered the book and started baking from it as soon as it arrived. So far I have baked the kalamata olive bread and the oatmeal maple bread. Both turned out delicious. The oatmeal maple bread tastes similar to the brown wheat bread found at some chain restaurants and is my personal favorite.The recipes are divided into 3 sections- bread (no knead bread with 2 short rises), toast (recipes that include the already baked bread), and crumbs (recipes involving bread crumbs or leftover bread). I have not made any recipes from the toast or crumbs sections because the bread is eaten before then. Even if I never make it to the second and third sections of the book, the book is a good value and worth buying. The photographs are stunning and yes, your bread can look as good as the pictures!Though the book emphasizes short rises, the breads really benefit from longer rises. The first rise is 1-1.5 hours and the second rise is 10-20 minutes. I have found that extending the first rise to 3 hours and the second rise to 2 hours creates fluffier loaves. I have made the bread as directed and also with the longer rise and I prefer the longer rises. It is currently April so rise time may shorten as the weather gets warmer.You don't want to extend the first rise too long. I once forgot about my dough and the first rise lasted 6 hours! The yeast will run out of energy too early, thus creating a denser loaf. I usually put my dough in the microwave over the stove to allow the dough to rise in a draft free area and also keeps me from having to cover the bowl. Also, her website states to use 2 teaspoons of yeast while the book says to use 2 and a quarter teaspoons. To keep from sullying an extra measuring spoon, I measure out 2 teaspoons of yeast then add a touch more. I also use salted butter for greasing the bowls. For savory recipes, I have been putting a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on top of the dough with some maldon sea salt sprinkled on top. Alexandra has written that the EVOO will taste bitter when baked at high temperatures, but I have not found this to be the case in my kitchen. It really enhanced the flavor of the kalamata olive bread and I will trying baking the bread with olive oil in the dough instead of a neutral oil that was in the original recipe (I used safflower oil).The author also has written cooling times for the bread. Yes, the bread smells amazing when it comes out of the oven. You should absolutely follow her guidelines and wait on cutting that first piece. The bread is fluffier and softer if you wait at least the recommended time. Personally, I find the second loaf to be better tasting that the first loaf and I think it is due to the longer cooling time. I usually start the first rise at 9 am, then the second rise at noon. I bake at 2 pm and let the bread cool until 7 pm. I have started the bread at 4 pm and sliced the first loaf at 7 pm. I would say the bread made with the shorter rise time is 90% as good as the bread made with the longer rise time.One of the best variations of the peasant bread recipe is found on Alexandra's website and not in the book. The book recommends baking the bread in 2 one quart Pyrex bowls (I bought mine off of Amazon). The website has a faux focaccia variation that is amazing and not in the book! There is a focaccia recipe in the book, but it is more complex than the faux focaccia recipe on her website. It is worth trying out the faux focaccia recipe. In addition, the book has the same brioche recipe on 2 different pages. I guess this was to keep from turning pages back and forth. However, there are many recipes that reference notes on other recipes that require page turning.The FAQ/troubleshooting section in the back of the book is excellent. Alexandra gives guidance on overnight rising and slowing down the yeast when necessary.In conclusion, the book is a good introduction to bread baking. I have some experience baking bread but the book has really rekindled my interest in baking bread. I am planning on teaching others how to make the peasant bread master recipe. Also, you do not need a bread machine for this book. I don't own one and I recommend this book for bakers that have always wanted to bake bread.

This recipe for bread is the only bread we use. It is easy to make and so versatile.

I have devoured her blog and YouTube videos. She is a great teacher and keeps it all very simple. ANYONE can make her bread if you follow her instructions, which mostly use plain/all-purpose flour! The Cinnamon-Sugar Monkey bread is super easy and moreish. The honey whole-wheat bread is also arguably the best bread I have made so far. I bought a Kindle version and a hard copy for a friend. Get this book already! No fancy equipment or mixer needed.

Brilliant book, I’ve made 2 different loaves already! Would definitely recommend, the Cheesy Cheddar and Parmigiana is delicious.

Amazing. Easy. Yummieh. Perfect. Good. New. Totally great. Love it. Thank you so much

Excellent book

I was so excited to buy this book because I'm typically a savory home cook type and didn't feel confident with baking. But with easy steps and as long as you have all the necessary tools the recipies are sooo easy to follow and make. I now feel confident in baking any types of bread on this book. Here are some of the things I've baked so far. **Note: The cookies photo is from a recipe I followed from Jean Pierre at YouTube*