| | |  | Ateco Products | Home » » The Easy Way to Artisan Breads & Pastries | | | | | | | Description: | | It’s the best cookbook on the subject, and it sells for a price that’s simply unbeatable. These are gourmet recipes made simple—that’s their magic. Avner Laskin trained at the renowned Cordon Bleu school in Paris, but he knows that most home bakers haven’t, so he takes the intimidation out of the baking process with wonderfully easy-to-follow guidelines. With his help, making such delicacies as French-Style Brioche and Peach “Tarletette” Rolls become real possibilities for almost anyone. Laskin discusses the raw materials (wheat, cereals, and flours); goes through all the techniques, from kneading to shaping; and covers fermented, sponge, and sour doughs. Bake up Heavenly Apple-Cinnamon Bread, Amaretto Almond Rolls, Russian Chocolate Crunch Cake, plus a selection of superb sandwich, everyday, and festive breads. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Avner Laskin | | Paperback:
| 160 pages | | Publisher:
| Sterling | | Publication Date:
| March 01, 2007 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1402747403 | | Package Length:
| 9.21 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.17 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.47 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.06 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 5 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Artisinal bread baking for in-between bakersFeb 21, 2010
I too got this book from the library. I am now in the process of purchasing my own. So far I have made several of the recipes. I have intermediate (in-between) skills as a baker, but can operate at a higher level if needed. If you are capable of doing easy on-line research to clarify some of the vocabulary in the book (such as how to make fermented dough), this book is for you.
As another reviewer stated, Laskin did not always supply weights, but he did always supply measures. No, he did not tell you what the bread should look and feel like, but understanding the nuance of bread making is almost unnecessary (almost) with the handholding Laskin provides using straightforward instructions.
This book may not be for the first time baker who's uneasy in the kitchen. However, the confident beginner or "in-between" baker who loves bread and has a bit of flexibility, will enjoy making the recipes and appreciate the beautiful representative photography with each bread.
 Absolute loser of a bookJan 14, 2010
Author gives no clue as to what the final dough should be like - soft - firm ??? Who knows. Tried the recipe for "Peach Pockets" and the end result wasn't worth the time it took might as well as used a Bisquick dough. The recipe for "Tuscan Bread wasn't any better - his description of making a biga is very sketchy and doesn't jive at all with examples found on-line and the dough even after adding more flour than was called for remained very sticky and un bread dough like. Very disappointing.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Worst cookbook everJun 07, 2009
I made 3 recipes from this book and all 3 were complete failures. I wouldn't even give them to my dog! I've been baking bread for many years and have used many recipes from books and that I've found online and I've never had such miserable failures.
I agree with the above reviewer who was surprised there were no weights listed. I also found some of the directions to be extremely poor. There are some recipes that call for something--I can't remember offhand what it was, unfermented dough or some such thing--and then the explanation as to what this is does not tell you how to make it, so those recipes are completely useless. Not that I've any reason to believe they would turn out any better than the 3 I made. Complete waste of ingredients.
There are much better bread books out there! I was very disappointed as the pictures look great! I can't honestly believe the food in the photos was made from the recipes in the book.
I only gave it one star because it doesn't let me do no stars here.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Fantistic Breads Made EasyJul 03, 2008
I have searched cookbooks for years trying to find good bread recipes. Finally, I checked this book out from the library and found dozens of great recipes for everything artisan. After four fantastic breads, we had to buy the book. My wife and I have stopped buying bread almost entirely. Now, I bake nearly all of it from this book. My favorite recipes thus far are the bavarian chocolate babka (delectable), the pizza, the hamburger buns, and the ciabatta bread.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Not for beginnersMar 03, 2006
I am disappointed in this book. If you have never made bread, there are no descriptions to tell you what your dough should look and feel like. If you've been making bread for a while, you'll wonder why the author doesn't provide weights for ingredients. While this book is aimed for the home kitchen, Mr. Laskin recommends that you use at least an 800 watt mixer for his recipes. If you don't have one, don't buy the book. I used my Kitchen Aid Pro (575 watts) and burned the motor out following recipe directions.
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