Member Reviews
this is a completely different kind of book than i have ever read...in comic book style. i'm still not sure how i feel about it as i'm not a comic book fan, but it was very informational and had some fun unique recipes that i still want to try.
Let's Make Bread is an excellent choice for anyone interested in learning the art of bread baking. It strikes a great balance between simplicity and sophistication, offering something for everyone, whether you’re new to baking or an experienced bread enthusiast. Very fun and unique look at baking bread.
Loved this book. It breaks down the sometimes complicated act of baking bread into very easy to follow and versatile strategies. Full review here https://noflyingnotights.com/?s=bread
Let's Make Bread! is a great graphic novel that explains the breadmaking process. It also includes details on the ingredients' history and step-by-step illustrated recipes. Colorful and simple, it's a great illustrated guide to baking your bread.
A really fun way to learn to make bread from young to older anyone can enjoy.The comic book form is lovely enjoyable delightful read and learn bread making from.
A really cool way to learn about making bread. Not too technical for younger cooks and written in a way they can easily understand. The illustrations were cute comic style.
I love bread. So this book was right up my alley! I liked that art style in this book and I really enjoyed all the recipes. I even tried out the recipe for a sourdough starter with ok success. I think that this would be a great read for anyone that likes to bake or just wants to try out something new!
What a unique book! I loved it so much, I'll absolutely try Let's make ramen! and Let's make dumplings! as well. However, I don't think this book is for everyone, giving it's unconventional way of giving information.
Regarding the actual information found in this book, I found it quite complete and I especially liked the fact that the recipes had metric units, imperial units and baker's %. There are many interesting recipes and I can't wait to try them.
*Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!*
As a visual learner, I loved this! I think that if you're more of a follow written instructions step by step person, then this probably won't be for you. Personally, whenever I look up recipes, I prefer videos to blog posts because I love having the visual aid. A fully illustrated graphic novel teaching me to make bread is the next best thing.
I unfortunately cannot vouch for the validity of the recipes in the book because I did not have a chance to try any of them. If I get the chance in the future, I definitely will.
Great book for younger target audience or older who enjoy comic books on the current popularity of breadmaking. Takes away the technical focus into an inclusive, fun approach to make all kinds of bread at home. Enjoyed it very much. Only reason I gave it 4/5 is the redundacy of certain steps when reading overall....it's designed as individual recipes, so that aspect is functionally good/correct for those kind of users.
I jumped at the chance to read this graphic novel, as someone who aspires to bake more bread, but I don’t know if the fully illustrated style was the most effective learning tool for me. To have a cell with a drawing and a speech bubble for every piece of information sometimes felt cluttered, and when I wanted to go back and reread a certain tip it’s almost impossible to skim due to the artistic style. I also feel like while this book claims to be for everyone, the reality is that not everyone has or is interested in buying a cambro container, I don’t even think the average home cook knows what that is!
I thought I would adore a graphic novel cookbook hybrid, but the reality was impractical for me. Reading this actually made me want to bake bread LESS not more, which was a shame! I thought the illustration style was cute, and the text was informative, but I would have appreciated each one more without the other.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review!!
I was already a huge fan of Sarah Becan's work with Let's Make Ramen and Let's Make Dumplings (and the Magic Puzzle!) so I was absolutely thrilled to see a new graphic cook book with a new partner come out. I was a little skeptical that bread could be as visually satisfying as the ramen and dumpling books, but my mouth was watering just as much. As always, the instructions are clear and concise, the history is interesting and useful, and I feel like a more sophisticated baker after having read it.
Very easy to understand format. The beginning of the book explains the equipment you need to make bread as well as the basic elements of bread baking and explains how the ingredients interact. Also includes a section on how to make levain (sourdough starter) and recipes beyond basic bread.
as always, this graphic cookbook is gorgeous, informative, and fun for both planning to actually use as well as just turning the pages and skimming for the sake of the art.
Honestly, I found this book informative but very difficult to navigate. It is unique in that it is presented in comic book style instructions.
I have become very interested in baking bread and learning different techniques. I can tell that the author knows what he is talking about and gives some clear instructions.
The comic book aspect of the book is what gives me problems. The pages all run together and it is difficult to sort through and find what you are looking for. I felt it to be work. And I prefer actual photos of finsiehd products. I don't think I would oerson8be able to follow the directions.
I thank Netgalley and Ren Speed Press for the opportunity to review a complementary copy of this book.
The first section of this volume explains the elements of bread making, including the ingredients and how they interact. It also explains the authors' preferred method of making bread. Those who are familiar with bread-making may find the method - which is largely no-knead breads, which are turned and folded a relatively minor amount, but not actually kneaded - to be somewhat unusual, but the method is in keeping with standard bread-making practices. The rest of the volume contains a variety of recipes, starting with a basic recipe and the multiple variations on each basic recipe. Be sure to check the recipe you want to follow before you start, as not all of the equipment listed is necessary for every recipe. Likewise, be sure you follow the instructions about how to use a food scale if you're not used to it, as the recipes are all given by weight, with no reference to volume measurements.
If you like step-by-step directions and are new to bread-making, this is a great introduction. If you're an experienced baker, you may find that comic-book format, while readable, to be too detailed, as recipes stretch over as much as 10 pages. A summary recipe in a more standard format at the end of each recipe, or a compilation of such at the end of the volume, would be beneficial for those who prefer a 1-2 page format; as someone who has been baking bread for over 4 decades, I prefer to be able to see the entire recipe, including the ingredients and directions, in 1-2 pages that I can keep open for reference, without needing to turn pages to complete the recipe. That's a stylistic preference rather than a comment on the quality of the recipes, which seems quite good.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a fun and approachable read for anyone trying to make their first loaf of bread. The illustrations were excellent and the explanations of each step were spot on. I really enjoyed the expanded recipes with simple additions to make interesting and flavorful loaves.
As with Becan's previous cookbooks, Let’s Make Bread! goes into depth on how baking works while providing over fifteen detailed recipes for basic breads. The book begins with a visual explanation of the basic bread method of preparation, an eight-step process. It’s a key foundation for everything that follows. There’s also information on beginning, storing, and maintaining a sourdough starter, or as Forkish calls it, “levain” (which is French but doesn’t use the word “sour”).
My favorite part of the book is seeing Sarah’s stand-in preparing ingredients, hand mixing, and baking. It’s a friendly way to make this approachable, and given how important folding and kneading (as well as proofing and shaping) is to bread-making, it’s key to understand. The recipes can be redundant to read straight through, as so much of the information is repeated, but that makes it possible to really use this as a cookbook.
Don’t let the graphic novel style of this book fool you. This book is about serious (but fun) bread baking. The step-by-step approach with illustrations are helpful – sometimes I have a hard time picturing what words alone are trying to convey. The recipes in this book do require a kitchen scale – the author explains “baker’s math” and the percentages of other ingredients in relation to the amount of flour used. The science of bread baking and Mr. Forkish’s methods are covered so completely that recipes don’t start until page 63.
Mr. Forkish uses levain instead of a sourdough starter. While similar to sourdough starter, a levain starter does not impart sour flavors. It is a leavening agent made from a mixture of flour and water and used to bake bread. The flour and water mixture takes on the wild yeasts in the air, and ferments.
I appreciate that all the recipes include directions for both including and not including the levain. I am way too scattered to track the feeding of a starter and keep it alive. While the process is very similar from loaf to loaf, each recipe includes the step-by-step illustrations so you don’t have to flip back to a previous page for reference. I’ve never made bread using his methods of combining the water and flour and then letting it rest for 15-20 minutes before adding the salt and yeast. There is also a very particular method for kneading that I have not encountered. I had high hopes of trying some of the recipes, but I have not gotten around to it. The directions are a little fussier than my go-to buttermilk bread recipe. Maybe I will try when I have some time off work.
I don’t think this book is for everyone, but I do think it makes the process of making “artisan” loaves more approachable. Sarah Becan’s illustrations are fantastic.
It’s a book about bread. It is what it says it is. Interesting recipes. Interesting style. Quirky. Could see a very laid back anime adaption of it, to be honest. Very chilled.