Book Suggestion: My Bread

 

I have a secret:

I'm terrified of cooking.

My parents are tremendous cooks.  One of my dearest friends, Drew, cooks for a living.  I have spent years joking "I don't cook, but I clean -- one out of two isn't bad!"  I tried to pass it off as funny, but truthfully I have always been anxious about the process.  People I know will grab ten ingredients off their refrigerator shelves, and…POW!  Instant amazing whatever-it-is.  If I write a paragraph and it doesn't come out right; I can fix it, but if food turns out bad there's no going back.  That has always intimidated me immensely, so for a long time I ate very simply or ate out.  

Recently, however, I have been emerging from my cooking anxiety.  A desire to mix it up and learn new things combined with the need to save money and maybe just a smidgen of wanting to prove myself set the stage perfectly for when Sylvia gave me this book (and the pot I needed to make it work) as a gift.  

Sylvia didn't just pick this out of thin air -- her mom has been making the family's bread at home with Jim Lahey's method for quite a while.  The beauty of Jim's recipe is that you literally touch the dough for five minutes.  Total!  The rest is just rising and baking, so it's incredibly easy.  You can make it around almost any schedule.  My Bread completely takes the fear and secrecy out of bread making, and puts it gently within the reach of even the most trepidatious cook.

I made the first, most basic recipe within days of getting this book.  Delicious, right out of the gate.  I tried another one; no problem.  Another recipe, and this time I added ingredients that the book didn't even call for!  Still awesome.  

Jim Lahey's My Bread is perfect for anyone who wants to make all kinds of breads at home, from wheat to white to baguette.  It's filled with gorgeous pictures that not only show the finished product, but also the step-by-step process for each new recipe.  If a recipe calls for a tool you might not have; it shows a picture of that too, so you know what to look for.  Easy as…well, bread!  So if you want to mix it up and try baking delicious home made bread, My Bread is a great place to start!  If you have any cookbooks that you love, post them in the comments section -- I'm always looking for ways to expand my repertoire… 

(As always, I have no affiliation with the author or his publishing company.  Also, I have decided to start calling posts of this type suggestions rather than reviews…since a review implies a possibility for a less than positive experience, and I really only want to suggest things that I love and think others will too!)

Comments

[Drew]

If you ever are interested in learning anything from me, I'd be happy to teach you what I can. Helpful tips and tricks I've picked up in the kitchen.