2024 the best easiest focaccia bread recipe review

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The only comprehensive book, in English or Italian, to cover the entire range of Italian baking, from breadsticks and cornetti to focaccia, tarts, cakes, and pastries. This latest edition, updated for a new generation of home bakers, has added four-color photography throughout, plus new recipes, ingredients and equipment sections, source guides, and weights.

Carol Field introduces artisanal doughs and techniques used by generations of Italian bakers. Every city and hill town has its own unique baking traditions, and Field spent more than two years traversing Italy to capture the regional and local specialties, adapting them through rigorous testing in her own kitchen.
 
Field’s authentic recipes are a revelation for anyone seeking the true Italian experience. Here’s a chance to make golden Altamura bread from Puglia, chewy porous loaves from Como, rosemary bread sprinkled with coarse sea salt, dark ryes from the north, simple breads studded with toasted walnuts, succulent fig bread, and Sicilian loaves topped with sesame seeds.

One of the most revered baking books of all time, The Italian Baker is a landmark work that continues to be a must-have for every serious baker.

Winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for best baking book
Named to the James Beard Baker’s Dozen list of thirteen indispensable baking books of all time

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ten Speed Press; Revised edition (November 1, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1607741067
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1607741060
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.68 x 1.38 x 9.54 inches
Reviewer: John Tilelli MD
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: It's more than the recipes
Review: When I scan books on Amazon, it seems I always read the bad reviews first, the one star reviews. So did I when I came across this one. Perhaps, I think, the detractors 'get' something that those more affirmative do not. Reading the reviews here, I was struck that they missed something perhaps, of the essence of making bread, and so ordered the book. I was not disappointed. I have made bread all my life, and was looking for a new text, authored by a kindred spirit. Ms. Field's book does not disappoint. You see, bread is not cooking. It is alchemy. Elemental components - flour, salt, water, yeast, mixed in a secret way, to make something simple yet complex, easy yet hard. Did you ever wonder why one can take these same four ingredients, and make something that is either sublime or grotesque, and that each tastes a little different? Ms. Field writes a book that is captivating yet practical; she shares her secrets, the wizard of bread, in a way that is on one hand practical, and on the other magical - her text is as compelling (moreso!!) than the recipes. Bread is historical. Bread is spiritual. Bread is love. It is no accident that Christ broke bread with his disciples. This is my body. This is my food. This is my love for those with whom I break it.The book is in two halves. Let's say that the first is spiritual. What are the ingredients, how do they differ, how does one handle them, how are they combined, what is the history of each, what is the mythology of each? Do you want to make the perfect loaf? Learn the mythology before you measure out a cup of flower. The second half of the book is recipes. The recipes of bread all seem stereotyped: this much flour, this much yeast, this much water, etc., etc. Ms Field elaborates the subtleties of them all. I have made about half a dozen so far and all have been wonderful. Yet I think perhaps it is because I read the first half of the book before I started. You see, you need both. The right amount of flour, and the love in your hands. Read the first half, then use the recipe from whatever book you want. I am sure that the effort will be rewarded.One of my fondest memories is of my grandmother cooking dinner. I remember her kneading bread, as I came as a small child to her apartment after church. She sang in Italian as she worked on the loaf. Later, over dinner, the warm loaves were served alongside our pasta or roast. I remember her sitting quietly as we rolled our eyes in ecstasy, and consumed her labors. Now, after a lifetime of pursuing perfection in a mixture of baked wheat, water, salt and yeast, know what she was thinking; I have given this up for you.If you want recipes go elsewhere. If you want a spiritual experience, I heartily recommend this book.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Marie Roybal
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good recipes
Review: Haven’t tied any yet but am anxious to try.

Reviewer: Joanne
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Pictures needed here!
Review: I usually try to be very open-minded when a cookbook doesn't have as many pics as I'd like. I tell myself that this recipe or that recipe really doesn't need a visual. But this book has such a rich array of new breads (to me anyway) that I wish there were pics to illustrate them as I am at a loss to imagine what they might look like. That deflates the balloon to get one started many times. There is a chapter in back about baked sweets (dolci) which includes biscotti, tarts, etc., then there's a section on lots of pizzas including thick Sicilian style, soups too, but for me this book was all about the breads. I have pages tagged for Olive Oil Bread, Sicilian Bread, Rosemary Bread, Five Grain Bread with walnuts, Raisin Bread, Sweet Corn Bread, Christmas Bread of Lake Como, Venetion Holiday Bread, Christmas Bread of Verona, etc...except for a few of these listed examples, I have no idea what the others should look like. The only way you would delve into an unknown bread is by first reading the title, then the opening blurb, then reading thru the ingredient list and then the step by step instructions. Unless you are a very passionate and motivated cook or baker,you will be put off by this. A picture as they say is worth a thousand words. Here it is so true. A picture can inspire and motivate you in an instant, especially with breads that are not commonplace. When spring approaches, I will delve into the Easter breads.What I DO like very much in the layout is the way each recipe allows you to use the method of choice. For each recipe, there are three separate clearly labelled areas to find your preferred method of creating your dough: BY HAND, BY MIXER, or BY PROCESSOR. Choose the method most comfortable to you. Then each process step is clearly italicized into sections as well with: FIRST RISE, SHAPING AND SECOND RISE, and finally, BAKING. It allows your eye to find what you're looking for quickly on the page. I also am glad that measurements are listed in cups, ounces, and grams. These recipes use active yeast exclusively, and since I use instant yeast, a formula on p. 22 says to multiply the amt. of active yeast by 0.75-thus, using less instant yeast to active. I found this out after the fact, it helps to read. It didn't hurt the outcome I must say, using equal amts.UPDATE: The 5-grain w/walnut bread bakes in a 9x4 loaf pan, very good. The Sweet Corn Bread and the Corn Bread from Lombardy I was not impressed with, would not make again. I wanted to make the pannetone but it was more complicated than the recipe in Artisan Bread in 5 mins, due to lack of time the necessity was to go with that one. I have other breads to try after the holidays.UPDATE Jan 2012: Made the "pane all'uva" (raisin bread), so easy, great dough to handle, wonderful result! Soft, tender, pillowy interior, crispy crust, loaded with raisins, addictive, yum. Interestingly, that recipe was one that DID have a picture and pulled me in...which goes to my point....pictures DO help! The raisin bread and another I just made, the Bread of Puglia, are my faves so far. The Pane di Genzano was good, not a wow. After that raisin bread, I'm afraid I will not find anything as good.

Reviewer: Ray F.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book!
Review: Lots of great information, especially regarding different flours. Not a lot of pictures as has been previously mentioned, but largely unnecessary as the descriptions are great. Have already put several recipes to good use and loving them

Reviewer: Phi McRee
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Delicious
Review: Italian breads are not simple to make, but this book explains them very well & I have had success following her directions as precisely as possible!

Reviewer: Doberman
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Bread baking and lots of other interesting reading.

Reviewer: Osvaldo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: O livro é excelente, pois traz receitas e explicações que posso executar sem errar. O livro veio desmistificar o pão Italiano e as regiões que os produzem.

Reviewer: Guilermo Corona Rivera
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: El libro me llegó roto y golpeado

Reviewer: Dr Thom
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Interesting backstories, great recipes, and helpful instructions and hints

Reviewer: Georg Egger
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: ALL the recpise in hrere are with commercial yeast, IM just to lazy to convert everyone back to sour dough,others at least mix and you can devise your own pure wild yeast version...the author goes on about thehistory of panettone for over a page but then makes a commercial yeast version, think everyone knows a realpanettone is made out of 100% sourdough, thats what makes ist special...this one is a dust collector, too bad.