Title:	Everyday Bread Baking: From Simple Sandwich Loaves to Celebratory Holiday Breads
	Author:	Jenny Prior
	Published:	December 17, 2019, Rockridge Press
	No. of Pages:	214
	Cover Price:	$17.99 Paperback, $1.99 Kindle

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Serious bread bakers will appreciate Jenny Prior and her excellent cookbook, Everyday Bread Baking: From Simple Sandwich Loaves to Celebratory Holiday Breads, which not only contains excellent recipes, but also step-by-step instructions and photographs for dozens of excellent breads. This cookbook is essentially a “bible” for those who have a lot of time and want to make breads that are superior to anything most home bakers usually make. The recipes aren’t for dough that can be dumped in an automatic bread machine and done in 3 or 4 hours. Rather these breads begin with basic starters (12-24 hours prep), then special starters (9-12 hours prep) for breads that are definitely a cut above. Prior has added instructions for slightly quicker methods, such as biga that takes only a few hours, or direct dough methods – 1-3 hours. But none of the breads can be done in less than a day. Bakers who expect instant gratification need not try these recipes.

The early chapters explain and show basics, as well as starters, and master recipes for several types of bread such as Challah, Sweet Levain, and Sourdough. A food scale is a must, since the ingredients are weighed, rather than measured. This makes sense, since serious bakers generally weight their ingredients because baking is much more exacting than general cooking. The variety of the recipes which are from everywhere in the world is almost overwhelming – i.e., which mouthwatering loaf do I start with?

One of the positives of this cookbook is there are dozens of troubleshooting questions throughout with good answers so that anyone who is serious about perfecting their bread baking skills can practice and work the recipes until they turn out perfectly.

This excellent cookbook has beautiful photographs that not only help through the mixing, proofing, and shaping processes, but also the finished product. Mine weren’t as beautiful as Prior’s loaves, but with practice and this book, there is hope. Prior has given instructions for baking in high altitudes, but nothing regarding the need to add a little more liquid and revised rising times.

Anyone who is serious about baking over-the-top amazing bread will want to own this cookbook.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.