When you first get into bread baking, everything is easy. What’s so complicated you ask yourself. Then you realize that pretty much all the breads made in the world from Italy to France to Russia to India is made just with flour, yeast, salt and water.

That’s when the journey begins. How do you change the ratios to get your desired results? How does the bread change if you knead it before adding the salt or after? How do you get your results consistently? These are all good questions that the beginner bakers asks, and luckly there are a number of fantastic books on the topic.

This book is a fantastic book for the beginner baker. It talks about the bread baking process in detail without getting mired in all the technicial jargon. Luckly, it does mention some of the chemistry and biology so the interested reader can look further. Also, there’s a ton of fantastic pictures that you can use to motivate yourself.

This book is not the ultimate reference book on everything to do with baking. It’s biggest weakness is for the intermediate baker who wants to start really experimenting. For example, baking with sourdough gets very little treatment. (And rightfully so since this book is about getting you started. Sourdough baking deserves a whole book for itself!)

I would urge beginners to get this book to really see and understand how manipulating 4 simple ingredients can have pretty large consequences. As you progress, there are other books waiting for you.