Review by D. Smith:
Local Breads is a good addition to the bread bakers library. There are probably three types of people who would be interested in this book:

1) die-hard artisan bread-baking fanatics (or perhaps not quite fanatic). If you say “hmmm… this describes me pretty accurately, as you pick dried dough off of your forearms), you definitely need this book. No sense having an incomplete home artisan-bread-baking library. It also contains recipes I have not encountered in other books. There is bound to be at least one or two recipes that will enter into your rotation.

2) Arm-chair bread-bakers. If you don’t bake bread everyday, but enjoy eating it (or perhaps you used to be a fanatic and no longer have time), this book is still for you. In addition to numerous recipes, the descriptions of bakeries, bakers, bread, and other experiences makes for a very good read (if you enjoyed American Pie or any of Maggie Glezer’s books, you will probably like this one as well). Likewise, if you are interested in travel or the slow food movement, this book could be of interest to you.

3) Beginning bakers. This could be an acceptable first book for people just getting introduced to the world of artisan bread baking– I would probably recommend Peter Reinhart’s books instead of or, if you want as much knowledge as possible, in addition to Leader’s. It probably makes more sense to have fundamental baking knowledge before diving into a multi-step sourdough recipe, for example. If you are prepared for some trial and error, the recipes themselves are very clear… there are just some things that cannot be understood perfectly without a little bit of prior experience. Leader does have a very helpful introduction with basic techniques and equipment. So, it could be appropriate for novices (although perhaps slightly overwhelming).

This book is probably best described as a hybrid between Hammelman’s Bread and Glezer’s Artisan Baking Across America. It definitely has enough unique qualities to justify its purchase and it may even end up earning a permanent spot in your kitchen (sending your previous favorite to the living room shelf)

Unfortunately (and Leader’s book is not the only one suffering from this problem) the book could have benefited from more attentive editing. There are many typographical errors and other mistakes in this book, which is perhaps excusable for a first edition (e.g. he describes a pizza al pomodori. This should be either al pomodoro or ai pomodori. These types of mistakes should be corrected in a second printing.

Review by Laura Stokes-Gray:
There are many fine books detailing the art and science of crafting artisan breads. Among the best are those authored by Bernard Clayton, Jeffrey Hamelman, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Peter Reinhart, Maggie Glezer, Nancy Silverton, and Beth Hensperger. Now comes Daniel Leader with his second book, “Local Breads” and it’s nothing short of extraordinary. While Clayton’s book boasts 300 recipes, “Local Breads” has only about 50 (with variations). Where “Local Breads” shines is technique – tools and expert advice – that will serve the baker – at any level of experience – across all breadmaking endeavors. How can you ignore an author whose first directive is to “seek out flour with integrity”?

Among the book’s best features are the FAQ’s throughout. Leader anticipates virtually every possible question about creating bread – from start to finish – and answers them in a straighforward manner. The section on “Ingredients and Equipment” is well-researched and enormously helpful. “Kitchen Notes” and beautifully rendered illustrations are equally beneficial. The layout is logical and navigable and the entire book has a clarity that makes intimidation impossible. Even the choice of paper stock (enamel paper would have made the book too heavy) and fonts were wise, making the book easy on the eyes. All ingredients are given in metric weights as well as U.S. measurements, although temperatures are in Farenheit only – a very minor oversight. Perhaps a second printing might include a temperature conversion chart. Much thought was given to the book’s overall design, however – a credit to its eminent editor, Maria Guarnaschelli. This is not a volume meant to be “edgy” or “cool”. It’s a beautiful book, intelligently written, and would make a thoughtful gift for any baker. Above all, this is an instruction manual – delivered with passion, not pontification. It’s like having a Master Baker in the kitchen with you – a Rabbi of Bread, teaching and encouraging you through every step of the process.

I initially took the book out of the library (and have since purchased it) and was up until 3:00 a.m. completely engrossed within its pages. From the beautifully written “Introduction” to the final pages dealing with “Czech and Polish Ryes”, I was hooked. Even if you never bake a loaf of bread, you will enjoy Leader’s tales of traveling throughout Europe in search of bread Nirvana.

Warning: The recipes given in this book are largely rustic European loaves. Leader gives us truly authentic breads from France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. Sadly, breads from Scandinavia, Russia, and India are not represented – but Leader did not set out to cover those parts of the world in this volume. If you’re searching for soft American-style white or wheat breads – you won’t find them in this tome. This is NOT the Pillsbury book of bread making. Most of the bread recipes advocate the use a wild starter or pre-ferment (sourdough), rather than store-bought yeast but there are recipes in each chapter that use packaged yeast for novice bakers or those who might wish to speed things up a bit.

You may think this is a book for advanced bakers only. Nothing could be further from the truth. Whether you’re a beginner, a baker with some experience, a serious amateur, or a professional, this book belongs on your shelf – but it won’t stay there long! It’s also a great read for anyone interested in food writing and especially for those who support the Slow Food movement. Although I have not yet baked any of the breads in the book, I have full confidence that following Leader’s steps, I will produce some fine loaves (“French Sourdough” ,”Ricotta Bread”, “Little Blue Cheese Rye Loaves” and “Light Silesian Rye” are at the top of my list). More importantly, I can take what I have learned and incorporate Leader’s counsel and techniques to other breads in my collection. This book is a joy and should garner the James Beard Award.

Review by :
I have been trying to cook using more whole foods and this cookbook is one of the best. It has great recipes and is a good read too. I bought another for my mother and she enjoys it as well. The oat flour pancakes and whole wheat soft pretzels are ones I make all the time. The whole wheat bagels were great. I have tried 2-3 dozen recipes so far and they are all great. I would also recommend “366 delicious ways to cook rice, beans and grains” by Andrea Chesman. I give it 5 stars as well.

Review by lindsay travnicek:
I have used this book over and over again.It has wonderful bread recipes,such as a malt one with raisins.The side dishes and salads are VERY easy to prepare,and none of the recipes require an umpteen number of ingredients!!Most of them take very little time to prepare,also.If you are into adding mroe grains to your diet,or expanding your repetoire of recipes,this is a great book.

Review by :
This book consists of all whole grain bread machine recipes. The first part goes into detail about all the components necessary to create healthy breads/rolls, etc. in the bread machine. All ingredients are described in an easy to read manner. There are recipes using “ordinary” whole wheat flours. Then there are the recipes using the more exotic flours, such as spelt and kamut. While some of these flours are expensive and sometimes hard to find, I have tried many of the recipes and have never been disappointed. I have purchased the book many times for friends and recommend it highly as a means to increase fiber and grains in products that are very tasty and are created from this easy to understand recipe book.

Review by L. Land:
This book has great recipes for wholegrain breads. If you’re looking for recipes that avoid white flour and have healthy wholegrains instead, this is the book for you.For the most part, it is also low sugar, which is why I purchased it. There are a few recipes with honey and molasses, though. My husband has raved about all the breads I’ve made from this book. It gives recipes for 1 and 1 1/2 pound loaves.

Review by Howard A.:
I have been a fan of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (ABFM). The main problem with that book is the bread came out so good, I tended to eat too much of it (but loving every minute of it).

One of the great things about the technique in ABFD is that the recipes are very forgiving and flexible, and I usually made variations, including using more whole grains.

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day will not only alleviate some of the guilt, it has some really wonderful recipes and ideas using a wide range of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, gluten-free breads and pastries and even some healthy variations on some of the more delicious but not necessarily the healthiest breads from ABFD (such as the 100% whole grain butterfat and yolk fee Brioche!).

I tried many of the recipes in ABFD and most were very good to excellent, some outstanding.

I will, sadly, be putting ABFD on the shelf at least for a while. I really look forward to exploring the healthy recipes in this book. Let’s see, if I make a different bread every 4 days, it will only take me about a year to go through the entire book.

For those of you who have not tried Artisan Bread, the technique is really as easy as the writers claim, it is virtually foolproof, and you can now have fresh homemade bread at any time with almost no fuss whatsoever. Once you get this book, you will never buy bread from a store again. You can freeze the dough and it tastes just as good thawed. I took some frozen dough on a trip and enjoyed homemade bread far from home.

The title “Five Minutes a Day” is based on preparation time. It takes less than 20 minutes to completely prepare most recipes to make about 4 loaves (you can easily half or double the recipes). Of course, you still have to bake the bread, but that is not active cooking time. You can easily freeze the dough and build a store of different breads in your freezer. Over time, depending on how much bread you eat, you will probably less than 5 minutes a day on average.

Though a good number of recipes use only whole grains and “healthy” ingredients, some recipes use smaller amounts of unbleached white flour, small amounts of sugar. However, the writers encourage you to make substitutes if you like, which is what I did with ABFD.

The only improvement to the book I can think of at the present time is listing somewhere in the book which recipes are vegan (my daughter is vegan and I am vegetarian). Though I can figure that out for myself by flipping through the book, it would be nice to have those recipes listed.

As an added bonus to delicious recipes, according to the book, the cost of a loaf of bread made at home is about $.40 per loaf. That cost probably is more for recipes that use less well-known grains, or more expensive ingredients, but then again those bread would be more expensive to buy in the store in any case. No matter which recipes you choose, you will be saving money.

Should you buy this if you already have the first book? I did, and I am glad that I did. I am impressed with the wide range of recipes and their creative approach to making bread not merely delicious, but healthier.

One more thing: the writers have an incredible website (healthybreadinfive), where they have additional recipes, and a great bread making community sharing tips and experiences. Though I have not posted on the web site, they answer questions and even based some of the recipes in their new book on suggestions from readers.

Add healthy bread to your diet and save money. Zoe and Jeff, thanks for bringing fresh, easy to make, bread back into my life!

This is my first ever review on Amazon, but I felt this book merited a strong endorsement.

P.S.

I’ve begun to try the recipes

I used the rye as a a sandwich bread, and made a pizza crust (and a regular loaf) from the avocado-guacamole bread. These recipes are about 1/3 whole wheat. The recipes seem a little less forgiving in terms of getting the time right (I undercooked one loaf of rye, and overcooked a loaf of the avocado-guacamole bread). It may have something to do with the whole wheat, but I’m not sure.

The Bran Muffin Bread came out wonderfully, great crust, light inside, slightly sweet and delicious. Also used it for French Toast, which was great!

I combined 2 recipes, 100% Whole Wheat with Olive Oil and 100% Whole Wheat with Flaxseed. Great crust and very good whole wheat taste with the extra nutrition of flaxseed. It is particularly good as a bread for sandwiches. I used the dough for the Algerian Flat Bread (a pan fried bread) which was a real treat.

I just made the 100% whole wheat with brown rice breat. This was a great bread and somewhat unusual. The bread crumb looks lighter than regular whole wheat bread, which might make it more acceptable to fussy eaters (read “kids”). The crust is delicious. When it comes out of the oven it is particularly crunchy with a nice combination of wheat and rice flavors intermixed.

Keep in mind, that while these recipes are “healthier” than regular bread recipes that just use regular flours, most are not pure whole grains, but a combination of unbleached white with other grains. There are some 100% whole wheat recipes as well. However, all the recipes do have a healthier twist and I am very happy with the book. I’m looking forward to trying many other recipes such as: Pistachio Twist, Gluten Free Cheddar and Sesame Bread, Carrot Bread, Lentil Curry Bread.

P.P.S:

A question of time. Does it really only takes five minutes a day? Although there are some recipes which are more complicated (but delicious) many of the basic recipes do take the equivalent of 5 minutes a day. For a fantastic new illustrated step by step walk through of the basic recipe, go to the author’s website [...].

In summary, you get a large container, put in the yeast, salt, warm water, and flour, and mix. Most recipes make enough for four loaves (though usually can be doubled or halved). Timing myself, including the time to get the ingredients from various places in my kitchen, to mixing them, to cleaning up, many of the recipes will take between 10 to 15 minutes for the initial batch ( not including waiting time). Then, each time you want to make a loaf, you take a grapefruit size of the flour (which you have refrigerated), let it get to room temperature, put it in the oven and bake. the total amount of time I usually spend to make four loaves of bread is less than 20 minutes. Of course, there are some extremely delicious recipes that require some extra steps, but even most of these only take a few more minutes. I do not have a container big enough for the eight loaves at a time, but if I was really concerned about time, I could do that. Most of the doughs can be frozen. I usually make 2 or 3 of the loaves, freeze the rest, and then began to build a bank of various breads I can thaw and then freshly bake.

Review by SJK:
I have been a huge fan of the authors’ first book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and to say that I was impatiently anticipating this one would be an understatement. I received it the day it came out, 2 days ago, and have already read through it twice. I pulled my first loaf of 100% Whole Grain Maple Oatmeal Bread from the oven this morning, and I wish I could describe to you the smell in my house right now! After letting it cool for a few minutes, I sliced off a piece and it was heavenly. Texture, flavor, everything was spot-on.

My copy is full of tape flags for those that I must-make-right-away: Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (including making the dough into hamburger or hot dog buns!), Pesto and Pine Nut Bread, Anadama Corn Bread, Quinoa Bread, Brown Rice & Prune Bread, Whole Wheat Mixed Berry Bread, and Honey Graham Bread top the list. There is also a chapter specifically for gluten-free breads and treats, which look wonderful. Honestly, I haven’t seen any that I don’t want to try, and I’m also looking forward to mixing and matching with some of the ideas from the first book. (The sun-dried tomato and parmesan is one of our favorites from that one, and I’ll be making it with one of the whole-grain doughs very soon.)

Be aware that they do call for a few specialty ingredients, but nothing that I wasn’t able to find in my local natural foods store – most were even in my regular supermarket. Anyone who is already doing some whole grain baking will have many of the ingredients already on their shelves.

In addition to the wonderful recipes, the authors also impart much knowledge that they’ve learned since the first book. The material in the introductory/informational chapters in the beginning is great – I’m especially happy that they included info for weighing ingredients.

Thanks, Zoe and Jeff, for another masterpiece! Can’t wait for the next one.