Breaking Bread: A Baker's Journey Home in 75 Recipes

I am what they call a "serious" home baker. I have been buying bread books for more than thirty years (Nancy Silverton's Breads of the La Brea Bakery is what got me making my own starter back in the 90’s,) I have taken classes, I have access to hundreds of recipes either on paper or online, I even like developing my own, in other words I need a new bread book as much as a carpenter ant needs a saw. Yet when I learned that Martin was working on one, I knew I would buy it.I had met Martin at a grain event, I was familiar with parts of his story and curious to hear the rest of it and, most of all, I had seen him bake: I remember his fingers barely touching the bubbly dough in front of him before baguettes emerged fully shaped. I had been awed.So I got the book and after baking from it for a while, I am giving it five stars. Let me tell you why.I like the weaving together together of people, events and recipes. I come from a French family where food was definitely the glue that held us all together, sometimes the only way we knew how to express love. I read the book as an invitation to retrace my own journey. One star.Right off the bat, looking at the table of contents, I liked how diverse the recipes were. Although bakers might not like to acknowledge it, they don’t live by bread alone. Flowing from the story as it does, each non-bread recipe (for lemon-blackberry jam, for raita, for tapenade, for coconut curry soup, etc.) seems like an organic addition, the opposite of didactic. Two stars.Because I am running out of shelf space, I got the kindle version of the book (which I read on my tablet.) I normally don’t like cooking or baking from an e-book (I find it hugely frustrating) but this one is the exception, maybe because the recipes are so clearly put forward and the formulas so simply presented that there is no risk of confusion or error. The big plus is of course portability. Since I always have my tablet (and my two hands) with me, I can make most of the recipes anywhere, even at our camp in the summer. Three stars.Interesting as the life story is, no one wants to read through it again every time they need to check a piece of information. A thorough recap of the technical stuff has wisely been put in its own separate section in the second half of the book (with the caveat that the section must be read and understood for the recipes to work as intended.) Four stars.The recipes I have made so far are wonderfully reliable. Follow the instructions and you’ll be a happy baker. My first inkling of this came when I made the Poolish Bagels. As former New Yorkers now living on the other coast, we have a natural craving for bagels. Nothing of what passes for bagels in our area comes even close. I made the recipe. To my surprise the hydration is such that the dough is perfectly manageable even without a mixer (development relies mostly on folds) and the bagels are excellent. I had a similar experience with the baguette formulas (although I must admit to my chagrin that no baguette has yet sprung ready-shaped from my hands.) Whatever professional detours Martin Philip took to get to bread, he didn’t come to be head baker at King Arthur Flour bakery by chance. He is a darn good baker and his recipes are excellent. He is also a compelling writer. Five stars!

All the recipes are easy to follow and Martin's life story is interesting

I absolutely loved reading about Martin's culinary journey and the recipes he relates to each era. This is the perfect book for those of us that enjoy reading cookbooks for pleasure. Martin is a wonderful writer and I greatly enjoyed the poetry of his writing. On the baking side, the complexity of the recipes increases over time as he became more proficient at bread baking, so the recipes can be followed chronologically to build upon one's own skill. And just when I thought the story was ending, the entire second half of the book appeared (I was reading on my iPad) filled with techniques and in-depth details on the bread baking process. The only small critique I have is that some of the tips (such as the type of salt he developed the recipes with) would have been good to know from the start as I tried following a recipe before getting to the technique section of the book. I love how he presents the recipes in a way that elevates most home bakers' practice, teaching us how professional bakers approach a recipe and familiarizing us with the process. Thus far, I have made the ginger scones and they were wondrously delicious! Overall, this is an amazing resource and I am anxiously awaiting my physical copy (set to arrive within the hour) after borrowing a digital copy from the library. (The digital copy read well but this is a book worthy of adding to my collection.) Although the title may be "Breaking Bread", I think Martin's term "breadwright" is a much better description of this book that elevates bread baking to a passionate lifetime pursuit of mastery and craft. Excellent job Martin!

Been following Martin and his bread advice for a while and his book just helps!

Arrived in a week although I expected longer. Very detailed, but easy to follow. THE BEST bagel recipe i've found. I added cinnamon & raisins. Oh, yum!!

I bought this book after reading about it on David Lebovitz’s blog in 2018. Since David is a former Chez Panisse pastry chef now living, writing, cooking, baking in Paris, I thought he must know what he’s talking about :)It’s a gorgeous, heartfelt book that’s difficult to put down once you start to read, a fascinating story of a man who found his way to baking, his passion in life. Plus, the recipes (!) as others have mentioned go from simple to complex and I’m eagerly working my way through the book. He’s a born teacher and writer as well, as I find myself returning again and again for instruction. The latest example is his advice about starting, maintaining, and using sourdough culture. Even though I had other sources, his advice was the best. He has a way of simplifying and encouraging that is very helpful to me.I also like that he includes recipes from his roots in Arkansas and his present life in Vermont. There is a warmth and authenticity about his writing. That warmth is reflected in the natural caramel color/feel of the book in the drawings, layout, design and photography — it’s absolutely gorgeous and has a nourishing feel to it. It’s a wonderful backdrop for his breads and recipes.As many others now, I started baking again during the pandemic and Martin’s book has been my best guide — that and his “Martin Bakes at Home” videos with his kids Arlo and Anthem. I particularly like the way he introduces other flours and grains into his recipes, something I’m interested in and would like to see more of. Of all my baking books, this one is my favorite and most used.

I really enjoy Martin's book and recipes. I keep coming back to read it and try recipes. A good collection of bread and other recipes that work well and often have a different spin on things. So far my favourite recipe to bake is the corn & chives scone recipe. A very flavourful and enjoyable snack. I also like the little side recipes like poached pears, hummus or raita.The writing is good and engaging and I love the stories throughout the book. Highly recommended!

This is one of my new favourite bread books. For UK bread makers , he has metric / grammes , and it is also a good read.

El libro es una pasada. La encuadernación, la calidad, las fotos, las recetas... no te lo pienses y píllalo. Un gran panadero y un gran libro.

Perfeito. Poucas receitas porém entra em detalhes bem interessantes. Não é um livro para iniciantes na arte de fazer pães.

Such a great teacher, i watched his youtube clips, now I have his recipes and techniques. So good!