If you are already comfortable in the kitchen or have at least dabbled in bread, this is the book for you.
With the lockdown in place, you might have an increased interest in baking right now.
Baking bread, specifically, feels like a soothing, economical idea: You take a few ingredients and turn them into a hearty, versatile food. But, a simple loaf of crusty bread might be the most deceptively challenging baking project to tackle.
Yet, every amateur baker must start somewhere, which is why Durban’s popular Glenwood bakery has released A Book About Bread just in time for the holiday season.
If you want a simple, fail-proof recipe for bread, look on any old flour packet. You won’t find it in A Book About Bread though, owner, author, and master-baker, Adam Robinson, said.
In the book, he has teamed up with local photographer-designer Roger Jardine to produce a good-looking volume that takes a deep dive into the dough and its making and baking. If you are already comfortable in the kitchen or have at least dabbled in bread, this is the book for you. And you’ll find plenty to get your teeth into.
There is a wholemeal sourdough and a lovely potato and rosemary bread described as a gateway bread to the world of sourdoughs. There are also soft sourdough burger rolls, oat porridge sourdough and a ciabatta. All the formulas are accompanied by beautiful photographs, a precise list of ingredients, times and temperatures, and step-by-step instructions to help you get it right.
Robinson said he was not a fan of the science of nutrition, nor was he interested in the health benefits of his work. He believes it’s about the taste.
A Book About Bread is available from the Glenwood Bakery for R225 or online through Bake-a-Ton.
If you are looking for other newly released cookbooks, here are some of our favourites.