The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got this Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes and my first ever bread machine, a Sunbeam breadmaker 5891, from Amazon almost a month ago, and I am SO pleased about these purchase decisions!
Such a BIG and USEFUL book! There are 600 recipes from the author's previous 5 books: Bread Machine Cookbooks 1, 2, 3, 5 (Favorite Recipes from 100 Kitchens), and 6 (Hand-shaped Breads from the Dough Cycle)--this book is so informative for this first-time bread machine owner, has so many different types of recipes/preferences, and is so useful that I simply had to share the "goods" here.
Recipes with/without starters or sourdough, pizza crust, bagels, cheese, nuts, whole wheat, rye, cornbread, rolls, coffeecakes, doughnuts, toppings and fillings, international recipes, etc., etc... Unbelievable, I've never had so many recipes-to-try stickers attached to a cookbook! I've baked Pistachio Raisin Bread (twice; used butter), Whole Wheat 1 (once; used milk and honey; added pine nuts), Ricotta Bread (thrice; also added 1 tbl. of unsweetened cocoa powder), Almond Bread (once), and Apple Chunk Bread (twice; used butter, substituted homemade apple sauce and added 1 egg; increased yeast by ? tsp and decreased salt by ? tsp; hand shaped & oven-baked). Next, I'll be trying the Hawaiian Sweet Bread. So far, all the loaves have been VERY yummy. My husband, the big-time bread gobbler, and I, the newly no-fuss-just-wipe bread machine baker, have both been sighing with contentment.
Regarding the other reviewer's comment about the format of this book--the format is fine. Here is a book that is very functional and will be used FREQUENTLY. (Such straightforward recipes/ingredients producing such delicious bread--wow!) This hardcover book not only has widely diverse recipes/choices, it also has a sturdy {I have the hardcover version} moisture-resistant and wipe-able glossy cover. The recipes are listed for small (1 lb.), medium (1 ? lb.), and large (2 lb.) loaves. Furthermore, the recipes are not "crammed onto the pages" as the other reviewer claimed; as far as photos go--the last loaf of bread baked by a bread machine tends to look like the 1st loaf, regardless of the recipe/ingredients.
Tip: If you want the "looks", or if you enjoyed a bread-machine loaf so much that you're curious about its oven-baked possibilities, don't be afraid to hand shape, let rise in the oven with the oven light on, and then oven-bake the loaf. The loaves made from the Ricotta Bread and the Apple Chunk Bread recipes were so good that I braided part of the dough into four 5 oz. mini-loaves and one large break/pull-apart loaf, brushed with egg-milk glaze, and baked at 350F until golden brown. The oven versions have very thin crusts and a very soft texture. I do like the oven-baked version better than the bread machine-baked version, but not by that great of a margin--considering the work and clean-up. I'd probably only use the oven-baked version for presentations (as gifts to friends).
Conclusion:
The inspirational recipes and choices really make this book worth its price. If you like to bake/eat a VARIETY of breads with a small amount of fuss, this book (and the bread machine) gives you the freedom to do just that. All the flavors and possibilities--this is a must-have book; get it and enjoy.


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Donna German, the pioneer and undisputed expert in bread machine baking, puts more than 600 of her delicious bread recipes together in one convenient volume, together with information and tips for successful results every time. The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes is fully indexed and contains complete ingredient information, recipes and baking hints from 5 bread machine cookbooks.

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