The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

July 3, 2000
Unlike electric ice cream makers and pasta machines, the bread machine hasn't really enjoyed wholehearted acceptance in the culinary world. There are hordes of enthusiasts, no question about it, but many who consider themselves serious bakers look upon the machine with a skeptical eye. However, the newer generation of machines turns out excellent bread, and after being bombarded with know-how by this James Beard Award-winning writer, even the most reluctant may be inspired to give it a go. The book opens with an excellent orientation to both the machine and the basics of bread making. Step-by-step instructions are given for a few basic loaves. (Less helpful is a "what went wrong" section, which displays a firm grasp of the obvious.) The 300-plus recipes are so far-ranging it's hard to believe a bread exists that isn't included here. There are white breads and sourdoughs, all manner of whole wheat and grain breads and breads featuring nuts and dried fruits, cheese and savory flavorings. There are crusty ciabattas, a sturdy Irish Potato Brown Bread and a variety of challahs. Hensperger also includes dozens of sweet breads, including croissants, coffee cakes and traditional holiday confections. There are recipes for pizza and flatbreads, as well as selections from a variety of traditions, from Alsatian kugelhopf to Zuni Indian bread. She even offers instructions for using bread machines to make pasta, jams and chutneys. By the end, Hensperger (The Bread Bible, etc.) will have convinced readers that it's time to overcome any qualms and get to work. The bread machine is here to stay.

August 1, 2000
Electronically controlled bread machines made a big splash when first introduced, and they seemed destined to be as ubiquitous as the Cuisinart. But many home bakers lost interest quickly when they tired of the same loaves popping out of the machines each day. Hensperger isn't so quick to dismiss these kitchen devices, and she insists that with a thoughtful, professional approach, bread machines can both save labor and provide more bread varieties than expected. Hensperger analyzes these machines and explains how different models work. Most important, she shows how to vary the machine's processes to take greatest advantage of its labor savings and yet produce loaves of varying shape, flavor, and texture. In many cases, recipes call for removing the kneaded dough from the machine for some manual shaping and for baking in a conventional oven. Anyone who loves bread but has let one of these machines gather dust will find rejuvenated inspiration from the possibilities this book offers. ((Reviewed August 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)

August 9, 2000
Hensperger's smaller quick breads book includes 100 recipes from her earlier Art of Quick Breads, now out of print, as well as 50 new ones. In addition to quick loaves, both sweet and savory, there are waffles, dumplings, biscuits, popovers, and a variety of other easy baked goods, along with some tasty accompaniments, such as the Fruit Salsa for her Hopi Blue Corn Hotcakes. For most collections.

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.