Difference between PR´s books?

[kolobezka]

Hi,

I have had PR´s artisan breads every day for 3 weeks and I quite like the way it is written. I was thinking of buying another from this Chef´s books but cannot decide which one. I have been baking for half a year  - experimenting with my bread maker (no problems there) and now also with baking in the oven (still much to improve to get a good oven-spring, light crumb and not to hard crust, and how to manage sourdough). I prefer healthy recipes (not necessarily 100% WW, a part is also OK) that can be converted to vegan version).

Please could anybody explain how do ABED, BBA, WG and C&C differ and which one ?
Thanks!

zdenka

[hickeyja]

zdenka,

These are my opinions.  Others may have different thoughts.
 
I helped with the recipe testing for ABED and find it to be a good 'beginner' book.  The instructions are clear and tasks and science well explained.  This is the book I will be sending to my 15yo nephew who wants to learn baking. 

BBA is the ultimate!  It is a very well-written textbook for those interested in learning the how and why of bread baking.  The techniques are clearly described with good explanations of the science behind the processes.  I re-read the opening chapters of this book regularly. 

WG is sort of between the other two books with some great formulas.  The techniques required when using whole grains are explained well.  I do not have C&C, but do have Brother Juniper.  I like and use all 4 books, as well as those by other authors.

Which book you should purchase next depends on what you want to accomplish with your baking.  If you are just looking for recipes to toss into the bread machine, I would recommend Laura Brody's or others' bread machine books.  If you want to really understand the bread baking process and science, BBA is the way to go.  WG is a great book if you are interested in using whole grains in your baking.  BJ is just a fun little book with some really great muffin recipes.

Most of the recipes in bread baking books are easily converted to vegan.  The primary change is to switch from butter to a vegan alternative for the enriched doughs.  Some of the rich doughs that require cream and butter might be a bit more difficult, but most of the formulas rely on variations of flour, water, salt and yeast.

Happy Baking,

Jan

[kolobezka]

Thank you for your comments, Jan!

sure, I would like to understand the bread making process, all the hows and whys, tips and tricks... As for the bread-machine - I just cannot afford a KA for the moment as here it costs at least double the price in US  So I use the breadmaker as a mixer...

But even in bread-machine one can do wonderful sandwich-like breads... (and also much cheaper than in the oven). If I bought a bread-machine book, it should be an advanced one - how to use it for sourdough and pre-ferments, how to adapt the "home" program for various types of breads and ingredients and baking either in the machine or in the oven... I am not intersted in an encyclopedia of similar or too exotic recipes.

Well, baking most breads in breadmachine is not difficult. My challenge is to learn more about european, artisan etc...breads. Moreover I have always loved biochemistry 

From you comments - WG seem like a good choice. Are the recipes and methods different from the WW recipes in ABED?
I hope somebody will help me with C&C as well...

Are there other books from other authors you would especially recommend?

Once again thanks for your reply!

zdenka

[nolan]

There seems to be an evolution of thought in Peter's books, in terms of the recipes, the instructions and the terminology he uses, at least in the three I have (BBA, WG, ABED.) Maybe Peter will comment on this?

In some cases I prefer the earlier recipes (English Muffins and Challah) though in other cases I prefer the later one (bagels)

[AnnieMacD]

I have all of Peter's books and was also a tester for ABED.  The main differences between ABED are, firstly, that Peter has simplified his sourdough technique and terminology so that it isn't as daunting for beginners.  I really like that about it as it was too confusing in the older books.  Secondly, he has also introduced an overnight fermentation in the refrigerator to develop flavour in the breads.  It, WG and BBA are more modern and have many photographs of the breads, doughs and shaping techniques, etc.

C&C is a much older book and has a more old-fashioned look and feel to it.  It doesn't list grams (it does have ounces though), few pictures but has a killer Blueberry Muffin recipe!  (I'm doing this from memory as I don't have the books in front of me, so sorry for being a bit vague.)

However, if I was to buy only ONE book, I would most definitely get BBA as it's the most comprehensive. If I could stretch the budget to two, I'd get ABED as well. 

Hope this helps but remember, all these comments are very objective!

[robinjoy]

Hi Zdenka,

I'm also a Vegan baker. I convert many bread recipes on my own and so far with much success (ah, and a few fairly yummy semi-failures too). I usually choose a lean bread or substitute what I think might be a good vegan alternative. Thank goodness, my taste buds mostly prefer the healthier recipes (the leaner breads) so I don't usually run into too many major issues baking.

I often use my bread machine for Pizza Dough although I did make my last batch with my Bosch mixer (Peter's sourdough recipe from ABED--boy 1/5 of the recipe was a tiny pie so I doubled it!). I do also think the bread maching is a very effective way to knead your dough and I can't see why you won't get great results with any recipe. Heck, some of my best pizzas and breads were started in my bread-maker.

I have Peter's ABED and BBA (not to mention his Bread Upon the Waters book). I just ordered WG after trying his "Power Bread" recipe (I found the recipe on the web and "Veganized" it with soymilk and lemon for the buttermilk). It came out really delicious even though I thought it was a bit on the sweet side  (again, I'm not used to sweet breads at all, but I still enjoyed it so I ordered the book). I can probably tell you more about possibly "Veganizing" the book after I look through it--I should receive it from amazon tomorrow.

Since you like biochemistry you may really be interested in BBA--as Annie and Jan mentioned, there really is a lot of information in there.  There are also a lot of lean bread recipes where you won't have to convert any of the ingredients at all. To tell the truth, though, I wouldn't try touching the Brioche or Challah (too many eggs) recipes. I remember reading somewhere never to try to Veganize anything over 3 eggs. It simply can't be done well, but there are other great recipes, and to tell the truth, also many duplicates (longer versions) of the ones in ABED. If you're looking for more info, BBA still is an excellent choice. I'm still having fun working my way through the recipes, although I still tend to use ABED the most. Today, I made Peter's Straun substituting soymilk with lemon for the buttermilk -- I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow (wink).

 

PS. For butter you probably already know you can use Earth Balance and to make Cream you can substitute 1/2 block of silken tofu (extra firm) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk mixed in a high powered blender if you ever need it in a recipe.

PPS. It's always nice to see another Vegan baker. :>)

[robinjoy]

I just wanted to update. I just tasted Peter's Straun made with the soymilk and Lemon (I used it in lieu of buttermilk to remove the dairy) and it is absolute heaven! 

[robinjoy]

Just another quick update. I received my new Whole Grain Bread's cookbook and it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL! There are many wonderful recipes besides the "Power Bread" recipe I just know I'll enjoy. At quick glance, they do appear to have more sweetner that most whole grain bread breads I've ever made previously, but they still look fabulous and most look easy to "veganize." Zdenka, honestly, I don't think you can't go wrong with any of PR's book you choose.

But if I could only pick one.....I guess I would pick BBA.

[preinhart]

Thank you everyone for your support and insights. I agree that the BBA is the most comprehensive book and the more recent books are designed to push the envelope beyond the classic techniques based on what if questions I ask myself (or that others ask me). It turns out that we all still have lots to learn about how to make bread and I have an automatic reaction to the "only one way to do it" orthodoxies (strange, coming from one who practices an orthodox religion--but I just think it's always good to ask "why"--it causes us all to go deeper). Also, a lot of home bakers aren't set up to do things the way a bake shop does so these delayed fermentation methods seem to fill an important need and, as always, the benchmark goal is to fulfill what I call the "Baker's Mission:"  To evoke the full potential of flavor trapped in the grain.
   And, I especially hope you will begin to feel free to try some adaptations and experiments of your own as you become comfortable with the basics. Many of you already are doing this and it's very exciting!
      P.
PS I think that blueberry muffin recipe is actually in "Brother Juniper's Bread Book: Slow Rise as Method and Metaphor."

[kolobezka]

Thank you everybody for your comments. I love baking and books and Peter Reinhard´s techniques, ideas explanations are very friendly. Now I am going to try something from ABED but i think I will soon end by commanding the other books as well 

[prof_fr]

Hi

I received BBA as a wished-for Christmas present and have made bread frm it each week since - using, in rotation, Biga, Pate
Fermentee and Poolish.  Success every time, Thank You.

One thing, for those of us in the UK, please can we have the measurements in grams - fortunately we have electronics scales which can switch - but measuring would be so much easier - an likewise temperatures on this side of the pond are usually only in Celsius on our ovens.

I am looking forward to birthdays, anniversaries, Father's Day to complete my PR collection.

Keep up the good work

Chris

[hickeyja]

Chris,

Peter's two newer books (Whole Grain Breads and ABED) both show gram measurements.  The older books don't currently do so.  Perhaps in the updated editions of the older books (as they happen) there will be grams as well as cups and ounces.  In the interim, you will need to rely on your scale or your math skills for conversions.

For books I own that are written only in volume measures or in cups and ounces, I usually calculate the conversions for an entire recipe on a spreadsheet, then write the metric measures next to the printed measures in the books.  Even tho I am in the US, I prefer to measure in grams for baking.  It makes scaling the recipes so much easier.
 
Jan