My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method
by Jim Lahey
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jim LaheyContributor: Rick Flaste
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-10-05
ISBN: 0393066304
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Book Reviews of My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method
Book Review: In which Jim Lahey answers the question, "What now?"
Summary: 5 Stars
Three years ago, Jim Lahey's "No Knead Bread" recipe, written up by NYTimes food writer Mark Bittman (he of How to Cook Everything fame, ripped through the culinary blogosphere as one of the first really famous viral recipes. Though perhaps not very original, Lahey's bread technique, compatible as it is with a culture that relies heavily on convenience cooking and crockpots, became a flashpoint for a resurgence in home bread baking that helped pick up where the bread machine market had fallen off. Knockoffs, refinements, and alternate takes appeared, and even well-known instructors like Peter Reinhart brought their own skills to the party. But there's still nothing like a book from the man who started the ball rolling, and Lahey and coauthor Rick Flaste managed to put together an entirely worthwhile book not only on the bread, but on the many possible uses for it -- after all, a loaf of fresh bread is always good, but what do you do with it after it comes out of the oven, and how does the recipe work to begin with?
Hype is unavoidable, but so, too often, is letdown. "My Bread", despite the hyperbolic subtitle, avoids this by doing what smart inventors have been doing at least since Thomas Edison -- not just the invention itself, but an end-to-end framework; in fact, add a section on pastries and this could easily have been the "Sullivan St. Bakery Cookbook". Lahey begins with a brief biography of how his bakery came to be, then proceeds into a fairly thorough discussion (with some help from Harold McGee) of how the recipe actually works, with moisture and enzyme action doing the work overnight that would usually be done with muscle or motor power. He then follows with several examples of variations done with the same technique (including an Italian-style whole wheat bread and a pb&j loaf for kids), followed with a chapter on his bakery-style pizza and foccacia. At this point, the subject of the book has seemingly run out of gas, so he turns his attention to the most obvious use for his bread -- sandwiches. Starting with roast beef and pork and an assortment of condiments and vegetable preparations, he devotes a chapter to specialty sandwiches, before wrapping up the book with some soups, desserts, and other effective ways to use leftovers. The layout is clean and readable, with appetizing pictures and (woohoo!) metric weight measurements for every recipe.
It's far too easy to take a subject like this and slap it together with a pile of shovelware, so it's very refreshing to find someone who took what could have been a quick-and-dirty bid for money and take the project seriously. Lahey and Flaste's book was a long time coming, but when you consider the slapdash mess it could have been, it was worth it. For bread fans and kitchen geeks, this is one to go on the shelf next to Cookwise, Nancy Silverton, and The Bread Builders.
Summary of My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method
Lahey?s ?breathtaking, miraculous, no-work, no-knead bread? (Vogue) has revolutionized the food world.
When he wrote about Jim Lahey?s bread in the New York Times, Mark Bittman?s excitement was palpable: ?The loaf is incredible, a fine-bakery quality, European-style boule that is produced more easily than by any other technique I?ve used, and it will blow your mind.? Here, thanks to Jim Lahey, New York?s premier baker, is a way to make bread at home that doesn?t rely on a fancy bread machine or complicated kneading techniques. Witnessing the excitement that Bittman?s initial piece unleashed worldwide among bakers experienced and beginner alike, Jim grew convinced that home cooks were eager for a no-fuss way to make bread, and so now, in this eagerly anticipated collection of recipes, Jim shares his one-of-a-kind method for baking rustic, deep-flavored bread in your own oven.The secret to Jim Lahey?s bread is slow-rise fermentation. As Jim shows in My Bread, with step-by-step instructions followed by step-by-step pictures, the amount of labor you put in amounts to 5 minutes: mix water, flour, yeast, and salt, and then let time work its magic?no kneading necessary. Wait 12 to 18 hours for the bread to rise, developing structure and flavor; then, after another short rise, briefly bake the bread in a covered cast-iron pot.
The process couldn?t be more simple, or the results more inspiring. My Bread devotes chapters to Jim?s variations on the basic loaf, including an olive loaf, pecorino cheese bread, pancetta rolls, the classic Italian baguette (stirato), and the stunning bread stick studded with tomatoes, olives, or garlic (stecca). He gets even more creative with loaves like Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread, others that use juice instead of water, and his Irish Brown Bread, which calls for Guinness stout. For any leftover loaves, Jim includes what to do with old bread (try bread soup or a chocolate torte) and how to make truly special sandwiches.
And no book by Jim Lahey would be complete without his Sullivan Street Bakery signature, pizza Bianca?light, crispy flatbread with olive oil and rosemary that Jim has made even better than that of Italy?s finest bakeries. Other pizza recipes, like a pomodoro (tomato), only require you to spread the risen dough across a baking sheet and add toppings before baking.
Here?finally?Jim Lahey gives us a cookbook that enables us to fit quality bread into our lives at home. color photos throughout
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