The Handmade Loaf [Paperback]

"As fresh and as mouth-watering as a loaf straight from the oven... the author's own step-by-step photographs are genuinely educational." Jenni Muir, The Independent Review "(Lepard's) supreme skill is his empathy with people who bake, from grandmothers using ancient ovens to cutting-edge chefs." Sheila Keating,The Times Magazine "It oozes knowledge, curiosity and love for its subject... I doubt a better book will be written on the subject for a few years to come." Tom Jaine, The Guardian

This book is as fresh and as mouth watering as a loaf straight from the oven." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"One of the world's best bakers" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"The Handmade Loaf" is a collection of recipes, personal stories and photographs that capture the breads and home bakers of Europe. Over 80 recipes, many of which are inspired by the bakers profiled, look afresh at traditional methods and ingredients. Their blend of history and innovation will appeal to the experienced baker, but also to a generation ready to discover the simple pleasure of baking their first crisp loaf at home. Shot in real time, with bakers caught on film as the dough is mixed and the bread taken freshly from the oven, the photographs place the reader right beside the baker, showing the detail to help us understand perfectly how breads are created.

"I wanted an honest breadmaking book," says Dan, "and that meant baking from the recipes printed, in my own kitchen and in other peoples' ovens, and then photograph those result. They're not plastic perfect loaves, but achievable breads from detailed recipes. A natural leaven is made from scratch and photographed each day so the reader can see the changes that are visible,and not imagine things that aren't there. I wanted to keep it real."

"I've tried to keep the recipe photography brutally clear and sharp, to explain rather than hide with each picture. There's so much that can be learned looking at the crumb structure and the crust, and the reader loses that detail when we hide it in soft focus. The pictures are rough and hard edged, taken as soon as the bread can be sliced which captures the vibrancy just-baked crust colour, and the moistness in the crumb."

"I didn't want to write a book that the home baker got quickly bored with," says Dan, "that just rehashed bad science on highly decorated but tasteless breads. There are many home bakers who have already made their first loaf,or people who are good with their bread machine and want to bake more, or just bright passionate cooks who love books and learning. This book is for them. These are the recipes I use at home, that I find quick, that give me the best results in my domestic oven."

"Though the countries have been an inspiration, and their bakers have advised and guided me," says Dan, "I wanted to avoid writing recipes that suggested, say, that you can make a perfect baguette using generic supermarket flour and a sachet of easy-blend yeast. This just isn't true. But how about teaching how to bake a beautiful, good flavoured loaf with the flour that you have, with the grain that grows in the region around you. By moving the focus from the bread name to the grain, then making the best use of local ingredients becomes the goal."

"Let's encourage people to be thoughtful, intelligent bakers too. The word 'Organic' is not a brand, but a responsibility towards the environment we all must share. There are farmers, millers and bakers who care about the soil that grows the grain we use, and I'm adamant we will support them. These stories and recipes encourage readers to do just that." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Dan Lepard is the most talked about baker in Britain. He has baked for some of the country's top restaurants, including Locanda Locatelli, Zafferano and Alastair Little. He co-wrote Baking with Passion, the Baker & Spice Baking Book, published in 1999. For more information on Dan Lepard and the latest breadmaking trends from around the world, visit www.danlepard.com