Having read several of Reinhart's books I decided to go on line and purchase this one as it is currently out of print. The many recipes include a Struan, a Scottish harvest bread. His newer book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice includes an updated version called Multigrain Extraordinair. This, along with his twist on the Artisinal Loaf has given my the courage to add some grains of my own design making a loaf of my own, all in the spirit of a Harvest Festival Bread. I highly recommend this book and anticipate an updated revision with added insights into the art of Bread Craft.

Enjoying the insight into the various aspects of bread making, and the diverse recipes. Liking the points made about communion, dough rising, dough vs. bread, religion and spirituality...yes. I picked it up because it was recommended by another book on spirituality, and while the various reflections (p. 190 esp.) by the author are well said, I also was dying to try out some of the recipes by the end!

You could read this book without being a baker because its message is spiritual, rather than culinary. But I use it as a bread technique book--and it works quite well. It won't replace Bernard Clayton's bread book (Clayton is more concerned with recipes than my soul), but it makes an excellent companion, especially if you have set aside the bread pans and are making artisan loaves.

A meditative and practical guide to the art of baking bread. Recipes with essay interludes.

Reinhart is one of my favorite bakers to learn from but this book was not as good as I expected it to be. His analogies were stretched and/or unclearly communicated. There are a few good looking recipes in here that I plan to try. The "oreganato bread" is yummy!

I haven't read all the way thru the book yet, it's kinda been buried in the pile, but I did make the first bread recipe with good results. 5/24/11

Oct. 2011 Update: I finally had a chance to revisit this book and I have 3 loaves of Struan rising on the counter right now. I really liked the way Peter Reinhart linked bread making to life. The anecdotes are as important to the book as the recipes. I thought the book would have more on pre-fermentation than it did.

May I recommend the poppy seed muffins? Very good. And a nice interesting reading cookbook. I have yet to make the other recipes but I think that this book is well worth a look.
And as an update I have since made the Struan and the Oreganato and both were good. The Struan was my preference and I am currently trying a wholewheat version.

Not what I was expecting. Yes I expected lots of talk about bread making and the joy it brings. The undertones in this book are definitely religious and feels like proselytizing. Not what I want when I want to learn more about bread making

This was the first book that really helped me understand how good bread is made. It's sort of a recipe/philosophy book all in one. I loved it and found it an interesting read as well as good for recipes. The author has learned a lot since writing this book, as evidenced by his books written since then, but this one was the one that helped me learn and love to make bread to feed the soul as well as the body.

Peter Reinhart is brilliant, even if his books are as full of self-promotion as bread is with gluten. His Struan is lovely and his spirituality is peppered throughout the book like raisins in a cinnamon bagel. It's a fresh taste compared to all of the more analytical approaches. I just can't read too much of him, though, as his books seem largely repetitive, although the recipes are new.

Maybe Reinhart's most accessible cookbook. A great intro to bread baking. It's everything you want in a cookbook- clear writing, easy recipes to build confidence, and an author with a unique voice and perspective. At times it's incredibly funny, but mostly touching. The original subtitle was "slow rise as method and metaphor," which describes this book well. I have read and loved many of Reinhart's books over the years, and what I most appreciate is that he doesn't consider himself a 'master' of all bread techniques ever thought up. He shares what he knows, and continues learning. If someone I knew wanted to start baking bread, I would recommend they pick up this book.

You can read more of my review here: https://thebreadmaiden.com/2016/04/22...

A treasure of a book. One of my all time favorite cookbooks. Just wonderful. A Joy. There is a lot of writing aside from the recipes, and it's definately worth your time. The Recipes are all gold and will become part of your repertoire.