Sunday 21 November 2010

Dough: Richard Bertinet


ISBN-10: 1856267628
ISBN-13: 9781856267625
Format: Paperback
Size: 255 x 225mm
Pages: 160
RRP: £15.99

Publishers Website Link

Author: Richard Bertinet
"Dough" has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into 7 languages. "Dough" won the Julia Child Award, the IACP Best Cookbook of the Year Award, a Guild of Food Writers' Award and a James Beard Foundation Award. It was shortlisted for an Andre Simon Award and a Glenfiddich Food & Drink award. The book comes with a free 30-minute DVD gives additional guidance on techniques as well as showing recipes step-by-step. Each of the five chapters begins with a slightly different dough - White, Olive, Brown, Rye and Sweet - and from this 'parent' dough you can bake a vast variety of breads really easily. Try making Fougasse for lunch, bake a Ciabatta to impress, create Tomato, Garlic & Basil Bread for a delicious canape or show off with home-made Doughnuts - the recipes are a delight.


This book was lent to me by a friend and I have now added it to my Christmas wish list. As soon as I looked at this beautifully presented book I knew that I had to start trying some of the different recipes. First off were the doughnuts and then the puff balls, wow what fun!

The step by step techniques and skills are shown with excellent photographs and supporting text. There is no need to try and puzzle out what the author is trying to describe you can see exactly what he means! Why can't more books be like this one?

The copy I was leant also came with a DVD of the basic techniques which really does support and supplement the text.

I highly recommend this book for the novice and the experienced home baker. It looks so good you can almost smell the yeast and fresh bread as soon as you open the cover. Mmmmmmmm.


Home Brew: Doug Rouxel and Sara Paston Willams


Product Details

Length: 208 pages

Illustration note: Includes colour photographs and illustrations

ISBN: 9-781-8620-5882-8 

Dimensions: 251 x 194mm

Weight: 990g

Binding: Printed Laminated Cover (no jacket)



This is the kind of book I have been looking for for a long time!  I have only had the book a few days and already I have tried  a few with really impressive results.
I have mainly concentrated on the cordials (excuse the pun) because these reap result almost instantly.  Having obtained a box of 32 lemons for £1 I was able to make a lovely lemon cordial which we have been drinking hot, cold and with fizz added. the lavender cordial has made of an interesting addition to our collection with its beautiful cottage garden flavour.
The recipes are clearly laid out and easy to follow. The supporting pictures temp you to try something new simply because it looks good, the quality of the photographs is outstanding. Unlike many other books this one does not look as if it is a rewrite of something from the 1970's and the Good Life!
The section on the equipment is lacking any pictures for the novice to identify what is required but this is a minor criticism.
This book will see a lot of use in our kitchen during all months of the year.
Well done Doug and Sara, most impressive.