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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This review is confined to the bread section of the book - about two thirds of the whole, since that is my main interest.
It is unclear for which audience the book is intended since most of the recipes are given for batches of three or four loaves. The introduction to bread-making appears to be for the beginner but is only intelligible to a relatively experienced home baker, and one who has a food mixer described in one recipe as a 'high speed kneading machine' - which sounds like a substantial piece of kit. Very many amateur bakers, in the UK at least, prefer to knead by hand. Much of what a home baker would find useful has been left out or glossed over and because much of the explanation is so poorly written that it is close to unintelligible previous experience is needed to interpret what is being said. The large section on sourdough is poor and chemical names seem intended to impress rather than to shed light. There are numerous non-sequiturs in poorly organised paragraphs and in the section on scalding rye flour the terms flour, bread, and dough are used interchangeably without distinction - confusing if you don't already know what is intended. Unfortunately, this introduction is essential if one is to follow the recipes for bread in the book - constant reference is made to it. There are also a couple of quantity errors which could lead to a loss of confidence.
The publisher is to blame for this mess. While the foreword is elegantly written by a stylish wordsmith the introduction to baking is written by someone of far lesser skill. The publisher has not paid attention to this deficiency, hence the missed opportunity to convey the special knowledge of the author. My guess, especially considering the high quality of the photography and the large size format, is that the publisher sees this as merely a coffee table book that no-one is likely seriously to read, with recipes that no-one is likely to follow. In this context, the mini-tourist guide at the head of each recipe about the origins of each bread-type, is irritating rather than charming. It sounds like advertising hype to get you to place this book on your coffee-table.
One feature of interest is the emphasis that Jan Hedh places on the temperature of the dough while kneading. A ready-reckoner is given for calculating dough temperature taking into account e.g., 2 degrees centigrade for a cool bowl and a similar amount increase for using a kneading machine. The method given sounds improbable to me. Recipes, however, specify a dough temperature, of 27 degrees, 28 degrees or 25-26 degrees, for example. I think this is enough to put quite a few people off. I'd be hard put to it to achieve this kind of accuracy while kneading.
I give a two star rating because despite the glaring deficiencies the book is written by a master baker who knows what he is doing even if this has not been conveyed to the reader resulting in plenty of interesting recipes that can be adapted to domestic use by a reasonably experienced baker.
It is unclear for which audience the book is intended since most of the recipes are given for batches of three or four loaves. The introduction to bread-making appears to be for the beginner but is only intelligible to a relatively experienced home baker, and one who has a food mixer described in one recipe as a 'high speed kneading machine' - which sounds like a substantial piece of kit. Very many amateur bakers, in the UK at least, prefer to knead by hand. Much of what a home baker would find useful has been left out or glossed over and because much of the explanation is so poorly written that it is close to unintelligible previous experience is needed to interpret what is being said. The large section on sourdough is poor and chemical names seem intended to impress rather than to shed light. There are numerous non-sequiturs in poorly organised paragraphs and in the section on scalding rye flour the terms flour, bread, and dough are used interchangeably without distinction - confusing if you don't already know what is intended. Unfortunately, this introduction is essential if one is to follow the recipes for bread in the book - constant reference is made to it. There are also a couple of quantity errors which could lead to a loss of confidence.
The publisher is to blame for this mess. While the foreword is elegantly written by a stylish wordsmith the introduction to baking is written by someone of far lesser skill. The publisher has not paid attention to this deficiency, hence the missed opportunity to convey the special knowledge of the author. My guess, especially considering the high quality of the photography and the large size format, is that the publisher sees this as merely a coffee table book that no-one is likely seriously to read, with recipes that no-one is likely to follow. In this context, the mini-tourist guide at the head of each recipe about the origins of each bread-type, is irritating rather than charming. It sounds like advertising hype to get you to place this book on your coffee-table.
One feature of interest is the emphasis that Jan Hedh places on the temperature of the dough while kneading. A ready-reckoner is given for calculating dough temperature taking into account e.g., 2 degrees centigrade for a cool bowl and a similar amount increase for using a kneading machine. The method given sounds improbable to me. Recipes, however, specify a dough temperature, of 27 degrees, 28 degrees or 25-26 degrees, for example. I think this is enough to put quite a few people off. I'd be hard put to it to achieve this kind of accuracy while kneading.
I give a two star rating because despite the glaring deficiencies the book is written by a master baker who knows what he is doing even if this has not been conveyed to the reader resulting in plenty of interesting recipes that can be adapted to domestic use by a reasonably experienced baker.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Needs Editing
1 Jan 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Recently I've become interested in European baking, so I was waiting eagerly for the release of this book and ordered it as soon as it became available. I'm sorry to say it's not really about Swedish baking. There are a few Swedish bread recipes but most of the recipes are for French bread, Italian bread, focaccia, fougasse, croissants, Danish pastry, etc., i.e., pretty much what you would find in any baking book. Except that here the recipes are rendered in rather awkward translations from Swedish. Sometimes they're downright confusing. For instance regarding the gluten test: "If the dough comes apart too easily, it needs to be worked more. However if it bursts too easily, it has been worked too much." (?) And a bread glaze: "Mix 10 grams of potato flour and 50 grams of water. Boil 300 grams of water, whisk the flour and let it cook." Do you mix the 50 grams of water + flour into the 300 grams of water? Maybe, but I'm not really sure.
I don't want to be too hard on this book; there are some good things about it. The photographs are very nice and the breads and pastries look appetizing. An experienced baker might be able to use the book despite the translation difficulties and be inspired by the beautiful photos. And there are a few very interesting recipes for Swedish breads such as wort bread, old-time syrup loaf, and coarse Skane bread--just the kinds of things I was hoping for. I don't even particularly object to quirky translations; they can be charming and funny, providing the underlying information is understandable. However, this book would have benefited immensely from better translation and editing.
This book is published by Skyhorse Press, which seems to specialize in Swedish books. I own another book from Skyhorse Press called Swedish Cakes and Cookies, which I love. Swedish Cakes and Cookies has great photographs and is packed with recipes that are translated well, so maybe they can fix this book up a little in a later edition.
I don't want to be too hard on this book; there are some good things about it. The photographs are very nice and the breads and pastries look appetizing. An experienced baker might be able to use the book despite the translation difficulties and be inspired by the beautiful photos. And there are a few very interesting recipes for Swedish breads such as wort bread, old-time syrup loaf, and coarse Skane bread--just the kinds of things I was hoping for. I don't even particularly object to quirky translations; they can be charming and funny, providing the underlying information is understandable. However, this book would have benefited immensely from better translation and editing.
This book is published by Skyhorse Press, which seems to specialize in Swedish books. I own another book from Skyhorse Press called Swedish Cakes and Cookies, which I love. Swedish Cakes and Cookies has great photographs and is packed with recipes that are translated well, so maybe they can fix this book up a little in a later edition.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Misleading Title
18 Dec 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A huge disappointment - I preordered this book so that I could re-live my childhood in Sweden by making authentic Swedish recipes! The title is extremely misleading. Not even half the recipes are Swedish - they're from all over Europe! The book is missing several every day Swedish recipes like kanel bullar, rymbo bullar, semlor etc.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Not Many Bread Recipes Call for "Vinegar" ...
29 Oct 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
... but the substantial review of this book by "aceto" (vinegar) called on me, a Swede of sorts, to order it. He was just. It's an excellent cookbook for experienced and adventuresome bread makers. I've tried only one recipe specifically as presented in the book, but I've made similar versions of several of the Swedish breads and pastries, as well as versions of some of the non-Swedish breads included in the text. Yes, it's not all Swedish. Some of the recipes are ineluctably un-Swedish, utterly Mediterranean. Oh well. Also, as aceto reports, you'll need to use a kitchen scale rather than a measuring cup if you want to follow these recipes precisely. Once again, oh well. If you live in New York, or San Francisco, or a city of similar bread-making prowess, you'll probably want this book only for an occasional kitchen frolic since you can buy breads of the highest qualities close to home. And, sad to say, if you want this book because you live in some gawdforsaken place where good breads are not to be bought, you may find that the quality of flour and other ingredients available to you isn't sufficient to make great breads even with great recipes. Having given that warning, however, I'd say this is one of the best 'bread' books I've ever looked at.
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