Take one French food authority and author, one Italian food authority and author, give them a subject like bread and a publisher like Britain's Dorling Kindersley, and the result can't help but be one of the more engaging books on bread and bread baking. DK Publishing is of the seeing-is-believing school of cookbooks, and this philosophy works particularly well in their Ultimate Bread. The opening plates of the world of bread are enough in and of themselves to drive anyone--beginner or expert baker--right into the kitchen.

The "Baking Essentials" section shows and explains the differences in various kinds of flour, wheat and nonwheat, as well as the basic ingredients (yeast, oil, eggs, salt--not a long list) and tools. The "Basic Techniques" section shows you exactly what dough should look like in the various stages of bread production. The photos are so thick with color you can almost touch and smell the dough.

But the majority of the book is dedicated to recipes. Here you will find Country Oatmeal Bread, French Baguettes, Pretzels, Ciabatta, Pain aux Noix, Brioche, Nan, Pita, Corn Bread, and Challah. There are dozens of breads in all, from the very basic to the festive. And finally, there's even a section devoted to problem solving--although the biggest problem you may have is deciding which recipe to start with. --Schuyler Ingle


From Library Journal
Combine DK's gorgeous visuals with two authors skilled in the art of breadmaking, and you have the perfect book for anyone who has ever been afraid to try baking bread. Treuille, who coauthored Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques (Murdoch, 1997), and Ferrigno, whose last cookbook was Pizza, Pasta, and Polenta (Merehurst, 1995), begin with fundamentals such as essential ingredients and equipment before turning to basic techniques such as kneading and using a starter. Recipes for more than 100 different kinds of breads, including quick, flat, and festive breads, are offered. Each recipe has clear, precise step-by-step instructions with both metric and nonmetric measurements and time estimates. While there is no shortage of bread books to choose from, including The Book of Bread (LJ 1/97), which focuses solely on the history of bread, Ultimate Bread is an essential choice for all public libraries and any academic library with an interest in the baking arts.?John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Denver Post, Oct 1998
This book boasts a variety of international recipes, oversized color photographs and tips on techniques


New York Daily News, Nov. 1988
A beautifully photographed book to get you started


Book Description
Ultimate Bread brings bread-making to the home kitchen in an exquisitely illustrated primer. After visiting a gallery of the world's breads, the authors, French-born baker Eric Treuille, and Italian-born baker, Ursula Ferrigno, introduce you to the "Baking Essentials" a complete illustrated guide to the key ingredients and equipment used in breadmaking. Then it's time for the "Basic Techniques" -- mixing, kneading, shaping, and baking -- that turn the humble ingredients of flour, water and yeast into an amazing assortment of breads. Never again will you wonder how your dough should look after the first knead or how the crust should feel when it comes out of the oven. The step-by-step photographs and easy-to-follow instructions demystify all the steps. The heart and soul of Ultimate Bread, however, is the more the 100 inspiring recipes drawn from bread-making traditions around the world. Each bread is a variation on a simple theme: flour, water, leaven, and time. It's best to begin with the starter bread recipes which utilize methods illustrated in the basic techniques. When ready to move beyond the basics, flavored breads provide an extra taste dimension, while enriched breads transform basic bread dough with the addition of oil, butter, and eggs. Quick, flat and festive breads offer delicious possibilities from around the world. After working through the recipes in this book, your repertoire will range from simple Pain Ordinaire (Basic White Bread) to the grand and festive Panettone (Milanese Christmas Bread).


From the Back Cover
A practical, illustrated Guide to the art of making bread, with more than 100 delicious recipes. Superb recipes for breads of all kinds made accessible to the home baker by innovative how-to photography and easy-to-follow text. A mouthwatering visual gallery of classic breads from around the world. Written by two authors whose boundless enthusiasm for their subject will inspire the reader to head straight to the kitchen and start baking.


About the Author
ERIC TREUILLE has a Frenchman's almost religious allegiance to baking. He completed his culinary studies in Paris, began his career as a chef in London, and has cooked professionally in Sweden, New York, and California. Treuille has worked as a food stylist, including work on several of the successful DK Look and Cook titles by Anne Willan, and the Cordon Bleu Cooking School. He also co-authored The Complete Guide to Cooking Techniques, which was nominated for a James Beard Award. Treuille continues to proselytize the importance of bread during his classes in "hands-on" breadmaking. URSULA FERRIGNO runs "Flavors of the Land," a residential cooking course in Italy, where she teaches classes on breadmaking-her principal culinary interest. Born in Southern Italy, she was raised on her father's vegetable and olive-oil producing farm. .She is the author of four critically acclaimed books.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

You don't have to go to San Francisco for sourdough, to Italy for ciabatta, or to Germany for Pumpernickel. All these recipes and many more are found in Ultimate Bread. Step-by-step sequences and easy-to-follow text takes the mystery out of breadmaking. Baking essentials and basic techniques are included, too. Ultimate Bread guarantees the pleasure that making and eating your own bread brings! Features over 100 superb recipes .Photos of all the basic ingredients including fillings and flavorings .Companion volume of Ultimate Chocolate, Ultimate Cake, and Ultimate Pasta.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Combine DK's gorgeous visuals with two authors skilled in the art of breadmaking, and you have the perfect book for anyone who has ever been afraid to try baking bread. Treuille, who coauthored Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques (Murdoch, 1997), and Ferrigno, whose last cookbook was Pizza, Pasta, and Polenta (Merehurst, 1995), begin with fundamentals such as essential ingredients and equipment before turning to basic techniques such as kneading and using a starter. Recipes for more than 100 different kinds of breads, including quick, flat, and festive breads, are offered. Each recipe has clear, precise step-by-step instructions with both metric and nonmetric measurements and time estimates. While there is no shortage of bread books to choose from, including The Book of Bread (LJ 1/97), which focuses solely on the history of bread, Ultimate Bread is an essential choice for all public libraries and any academic library with an interest in the baking arts.--John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ

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