This is an inspirative cookbook covering traditional - with a twist! - methods of baking the bread from scratch (often using sourdough) and making your own jams, spreads, butters, pickles, and other preserves, plus how to make your own ricotta and creme fraiche.
The authoress takes you step-by-step, with explanation of thr preparation "chemistry" (what is going on and why - and as a sucker for details I love this approach!).
I´d say that this is not a book for a new cook or for somebody with a very busy lifestyle - but if you love to experiment in the kitchen and love breads, this might be just the cookbook for you.
General comment: bread has the bad rep lately - and in my opinion, this is totally unjust. OK, some diets and issues mean that you can not eat bread, but in general, bread has been the food of many of our ancestors, their lifeline. And there are ways to have healthy, nutritional and tasty bread - like here! Try the recipes and you might find that the fine bread with spread has a better taste than cake :)

The photographs are gorgeous. I only wish for the more of them, including the preparation process.

This is a fun idea for a cookbook. The only reason I didn't give it 4 stars is that I can't see a lot of people feeling the need to purchase this book. It is more like something to borrow from the library and then return,.

In love with this great cookbook. It has inspired me so much to read through this cookbook of toast and jam. It has created a desire in me to bake more. If you like cooking - this is a great resource!

Toast and Jam is a cookbook collecting recipes for breads and baked goods, and the spreads and toppings that pair perfectly with them. Its beauty lies in its simplicity; Sarah Owens (Sourdough) invites readers and home cooks to "encourage that which is simple to thrive in abundance," and her recipes reflect that thinking.

Following a thorough introduction--in which Owens spells out the whys and wherefores of different types of grains and gives a detailed how-to on kneading and troubleshooting dough--Toast and Jam is broken into two sections. "Toast" includes a chapter on breads, with basics like Miche (a hard-crusted hearth bread) and Pain de Mie (a lighter, spongier loaf), as well as flavored varietals like Spiced Carrot Levain and a chapter on crackers, cakes and scones. "Jam" follows with a variety of toppings for decorating the toasts: traditional jams (though often boasting nontraditional flavors, like Violet Petal Jam and Prickly Pear and Aperol Jelly), recipes for spreads both savory and sweet (Lemony Herb Chevre) and ideas for fermented and cured toppings and tartines.

Owens's well-written recipes are as much instruction as they are invitation. Come revisit slow foods, she seems to say. Learn to make breads that rise and bake over the course of a day or even two, and jams that reduce for hours. "Relish in leisure that nourishes the body and the spirit"--and take pride in the process as much as the (mouth-wateringly delicious) end result.

The first time I flipped through Toast and Jam, I knew it was a cookbook that I would love.  The first section is filled with bread recipes - all of which I would love to try, while the next few sections are packed with jam recipes. With each page turn, I would discover a recipe that I wanted to try. There is a toast and a jam for just about every occasion, and they use a series of techniques I've been interesting in trying or perfecting. I'm pretty sure I've bookmarked each page to use at a later date. 

It was a bit of a struggle to figure out what I was going to make first - the watermelon jelly and pickled watermelon rinds were very strong contenders - but I eventually settled for these super fragrant, slightly decadent pistachio cardamom crumble muffins. They are perfectly crumbly and spiced, but not to the point where they take over the recipe. The only thing I wish, is that there were pistachios in the batter as well, instead of just the batter.

My husband and I are starting to make more foods from our abundant garden this year in an effort to be more aware of the things we eat. It is amazing how many unpronounceable ingredients are in the products at the store anymore. I am looking forward to trying out many of the recipes in this book. The pictures are beautiful and the directions are clear and easy to follow and while many of the ingredients seem "sophisticated", they also seem easily accessible.

The fact that the author lived in my hometown was an interesting bonus.

I will place a review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble when it releases.

The simple title is deceiving, because this is book is far more than just one about toast and spreads. The breads are fancy, and the spreads include not only jam but also butters, pickles, and other preserves, plus how to make your own ricotta and creme fraiche. Every photograph is stunning, almost as if you could reach out and touch the grain of the bread or the sticky gloss of its topping.

I’d like to try the chocolate and orange sourdough, the peach and tea preserves, and the roasted banana and chocolate nut butter, but I’ll admit I’d never heard of some of the other ingredients. It’s definitely not a book for a beginner; more for the gourmets among us.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 4/5

A beautiful book with interesting recipes and colorful photographs, that I think will be a terrific addition to our collection.

Toast and Jam by Sarah Owens is not your grandmothers traditional toast and jam. I would suggest this book for adventurous home chefs who don't mind an intermediate level of cooking and food knowledge. There are a ton of great, creative recipes that vary from sweet to savory for all of your toast topping options. I wish there were more pictures, but there are quite a few and they are full color, mostly full page, and very beautiful.

With a title like Toast and Jam, one might think simple and dull. But this collection of recipes is far from that. The recipes for both the baked goods and the preserves are beautiful and in the "artisinal" category - interesting combinations for spreads that you might find at a Sunday outdoor market. I was very impressed by the variety of recipes for crackers, breads, and other goodies. The photographs are to die for!

This collection is geared to a more experienced home cook with a refined palette.

I am most excited to have been selected to review. Toast and Jam. If ever there was a cookbook I wish I could write it would be this one. This is a very cool book. So many amazing rustic inspired breads that should be apart of our daily lives and not unattainable. The directions in this book for a bread starter is exactly what I was looking for. The demystification of how the process works and the names of some of the breads in this book will make you want to give this a try as well. Even if you prefer to buy your breads it is hard to ignore the pull of the need to make and taste Moon bread, Chocolate and Orange Sourdough and the allure of Black Bread. Moving on the cracker , cakes and scone section of the book and the need to make dipping chips, pistachio Cardamom crumb muffins along with baked pain perdu....
When I finally got to the jam section I had to do something I do not often do which is I put my ipad down went to the computer and PRE ORDERED A COPY OF THIS BOOK. I knew then and there this was a book I had to hold in my hands and have on my shelf, coffee table and kitchen.
I can not wait to make Strawberry and Meyer Lemon Preserves, Peach and Tea Preserves and Spiced Plum Preserves....Vanilla Marmalade, yes that is a thing I need too!
but wait still 4 more sections of this book to go...page after page of mouth watering and easily assembled joy!
Sweet spreads, nut butters, savory spreads and condiments, pickles and more. I have pre ordered my own book from The Book Depository with free shipping world wide (as I live in Canada this is my prefered method of ordering books) and now I anxiously await it's arrival.

I have to admit, I came to this book for the jam and ended up with so much more. Full disclosure, I can't have gluten, but those recipes are inspiring me to experiment more with gluten free breads. The jam recipes sound incredible. Contrary to the title Toast and Jam, you'll get so much more than simply toast and jam recipes. Owens includes pantry notes on ingredients that are incredibly valuable. Also, you'll get recipes for sweet spreads, nut butters, pickles, and more.

Now, if you will pardon me, I need to run out and buy some ingredients for these amazing recipes I have earmarked....

I have to admit, this book was a curious one for me -- my jams basically are strawberry and grape, so I was excited to find recipes for violet petal jam, dandelion and turmeric jelly, watermelon jelly, etc. My brain just isn't wired this way, and it's always fun to come across surprising books as this one. The introduction of the book is a slight warning: "this book is a gentle challenge" -- and I believe it completely :) With "basics" described (needed for folks like me), I loved the layout and photos of the books, yet the instructions were a bit too dense for me -- I'm a numbered/bulleted list person -- when it comes to cookbooks. I think it's a great book for someone up to the 'gentle challenge' of the recipes it contains.

Don't let the title "Toast and Jam" deceive you - this cookbook features way more than just "here's some stuff to put on bread" - no, this cookbook has "here's how to make a bunch of different breads from scratch, step-by-step, and when you're done making the bread, and besides bread, here's how to make scones, crackers, and cakes, too! And when you're done there, here's how you can can and create the jams and spreads to put on the bread and which breads they best go with...." So far as cookbook goes, the instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the recipes all sound fantastic (Chocolate Orange Sourdough bread?! Violet petal jam?! Roasted Banana and Chocolate Nut Butter?! I need it).

Toast and Jam by Sarah Owens is both beautiful and inspiring. A perfect combination of breads to make and jams to spread. Gorgeous full-page photos abound. I love the suggestions to "Try it with". Recipes are both familiar and exotic sprinkled with stories from the author's life and travels. Savory concoctions for crackers, sweet spreads, nutty butters and ferments and relishes, this book is a tempting delight. Enjoy.

Who would of thought that you could have a cookbook just about toast and jam, but here it is. First part is all about bread making and the second part is about the jam. While I know several people who would love this book, it's part of an artsy cookbook for people who like specializ d food. Would sell well in some of the higher end grocery stores.

Who knew that the extremely simple, age-old combination of a spread on a bread could be a while little culinary world in of itself? I certainly had no idea at all until this book. Owens surprises readers in the best way possible with an array of baked delights and spreadable accompaniments that will definitely satisfy anyone's personal taste preferences.

Lovely photographs and delicious recipes of both bread and basically anything sweet to put on that bread. Recommended for bakers who have a little more experience in the kitchen, as opposed your average dabbler.

Great recipes that can be made by a variety of skill levels. Photography is beautiful and complimentary. Toast and Jam puts a sophisticated spin on a popular breakfast dish.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Beautiful pictures and interesting recipes make this a nice read. While I hate making bread and probably won't from this book, I really liked all the toppers to put on it. There were easier recipes like the "Strawberry and Meyer Lemon Preserves" and harder recipes like the "Egg Salad", surprisingly. The Egg salad had 3 other recipes built into it, homemade mayo, fermented grainy mustard, and rainbow relish. Still, everything in "Toast and Jam" sounds delicious.