A fantastic resource for bread lovers of all skill levels! The instructions are clear, easy to follow, and filled with helpful tips from start to finish. The author’s expertise really shines through, making the process approachable while still offering techniques and recipes that will inspire seasoned bakers. I loved the variety of recipes—everything from classic loaves to sweet treats and even gluten-free and vegan options. I’m seriously tempted to grab a physical copy so I can try them all.

Thank you to NetGalley, Fox Chapel Publishing | IMM Lifestyle, and Kathryn Hawkins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Fox Chapel Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I loved this book and have purchased my own copy as I found it really comprehensive and easy to follow.
It explains the how of bread making, gives great troubleshooting information and was super informative. I recently completed a very short course on making sour dough but went away feeling like I was missing some of the crucial understanding . This book filed those gaps and made it easier to navigate.

There are loads of recipes, including one for sourdough starter and for every variety of bread you could wish for from baguette, bagels, naan, cornbread, tortillas and Christmas bread as well as the usual suspects of sourdough, plain white, rye, and soda.

I highly recommend this book .
Thank you for the opportunity to read and provide my honest feedback.

I like how this cookbook has mostly baking recipes. I have learned to cook my own meals and bake with an oven lately.

This book was exactly what I hoped for—and more. Not only did it teach me how to make bread with clear, simple, easy-to-follow instructions, it also offered something unexpected: the history of breadmaking tools and ingredients. I found myself reading it like the best kind of textbook, not because I had to, but because I genuinely wanted to understand.

Now I know not just what I’m doing when I bake bread—but why. And if I ever need a reminder, I can flip back through the pages and quickly find it. The guide brings you back to basics with breads you may already know how to make from experience, but it adds refinement—and what I thought was a brilliant touch: how to grow a 'simple' dough into a starter 'mother' that can be adapted, enhanced, and transformed into many more creations.

So far, every recipe I’ve tried has been a success. I’m getting compliments and feeling more confident in my kitchen. More importantly, this book has taught me how to use my imagination, seasonal flavors, and the ingredients I have on hand to create custom loaves that feel like a signature. Each one now says, “I made this. And it’s good. Wanna taste?”

Thank You Kathryn Hawkins, Fox Chapel Hill, and NetGalley for the arc that I read and reviewed.

I was thoroughly impressed with this bread making book. I did NOT expect it to have so many historical informations about machines or wheat and other ingredients/tools needed to make bread. I loved that though! This was 100% beginner friendly, it even has step by step instructions (with pictures!!l) of how to do things. I felt like this was perfection!! As I'm completely new to bread making and wanted to give it a go, as I'd prefer to know the ingredients in everything im eating. This was wonderful and informative. The bread recipes I've made so far have been absolutely divine and wonderful. I plan to try more this weekend!

I received this book from NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book and trying multiple techniques and recipes from it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Starts off with a nice short history on breadmaking, how it started, when, where and how it evolved.

Moves on to types of flours, leavening agents, wheat, nonwheat, and how they all affect the outcome of your loaf. Very informational but not overwhelming. Safe to say I took a LOT of notes to better my loaves. Even has vegan alternatives and how to use them!

From the planting of the wheat, in olden days and modern days, to explaining the anatomy of a grain for better understanding of the process of choosing your flour, from starters to milling to equipment and baking supplies, this book really contains everything you need to know about bread making and more.

Ending with dare I say the best part, the actual recipes!

Really enjoyed this.

It's informative, well written and easy to follow. It's excellent for home bakers and cottage bakers alike. Best of all, troubleshooting tips are included!

This most definitely was not the type of book. I thought I would end up reading, but I actually thought it was informative.

I appreciated that this book goes into the history and science behind the ingredients and that it also included how to navigate gluten free attempts. As someone who has tried to make bread, the inclusion of sections like troubleshooting and how to know when it's done were incredibly helpful since this can be a challenging task. I also liked that it wasn't sourdough heavy since that's not everyone's preference.

Terrific guide if you are interested in learning to making bread. This does walk you through all the steps and techniques. Very helpful.

I really liked the history and back story of how bread was made . I also enjoyed the easy break down of the recipes, I thought it was easier to make and really enjoyed it.

A book that will be hot with the latest fad of making homemade bread, especially sourdough. The book starts with an interesting history of bread and some of the tools and equipment used in bread making. The book was very informative and filled with an array of tips, photos, and recipes to help the reader succeed on their quest to make the perfect loaf. I like that it included photo's and troubleshooting that can impact the perfect loaf, I liked that while you get recipes, you also get lots of instructions to help avoid problems with your bread. I think that is important. This book includes a variety of bread forms from many different cultures. Definitely would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing

While I'm mostly looking for recipes the start of this book was interesting as well. The history of bread not so much but the part about what issues cause which problems all the more.
The recipes are clear and have a lot of variety to them. I'll definitely try the chocolate bread.
A few references to pages weren't done yet.

Complete Starter Guide to Making Bread is basically a bread encyclopedia. There was a ton of information that, in my opinion, would have been impressive even for non-beginner break makers! Hawkins really made sure that it was the ultimate Starter Guide to bread making and it was clear she didn’t want anybody to feel overwhelmed or out of their league. The recipes included were great with a good combination of the basics and some not so basic recipes to challenge people!

The book starts with an interesting history of bread and some of the tools and equipment used in bread making. I liked that while you get recipes, you also get lots of instructions to help avoid problems with your bread.

The perfect starter guide as it says. As an experienced baker, I would probably not use it a lot, but it has a lot of advice about how to make things go "right" or to fix things that have gone wrong. Almost half the book is instructions about flour, how to bake, using yeast, etc. The other half is recipes for all kinds of breads from basic to brioche. This would make a fantastic gift for a college graduate, newlywed, or someone starting out in life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was a very detailed guide to bread making. Approximately half of the book was the history of bread as well as techniques and troubleshooting for breadmaking. I appreciate that Hawkins is well-researched in the subject, which adds to the reliability of the content in the book. Though I wasn't really interested in the history, I definitely think that it is a good addition.

If you want to buy one book on bread making, this is it!
4.5⭐'s

Kathryn literally included anything you ever wanted to know about making bread. She did a great job of walking you through a brief history of bread with historical facts by countries/regions. Throughout the book you learn all about tips, tricks, techniques used to achieved desired bread shapes/consistentcies. I absolutely loved that Kathryn included all the different ingredient alternatives for those with food sensitivity or allergies, how they affect the baking process and how to accommodate the recipes.

I would have give it 5 stars, but the recipe for the sourdough starter had added dried yeast, when traditionally you would grow your own yeast with flour and water by itself. However, it is a faster way to create your own sourdough dough starter in a pinch, where you have more control over the sourness of the dough. Also, the recipe for corn tortillas has added oil into the mixture, making more of a flour/corn tortilla hybrid. Traditionally corn tortillas do not contain any oil.

Overall, it was a great book for begginer and even the more experienced bakers.

I have always wanted to try making some bread and this book is just what I needed. It is filled with wonderful information, techniques, tips and of course plenty of recipes to try. It is everything I would wany and expect from a book like this one and I will treasure it and use it often.

The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients I can get from any supermarket. The techniques have helped me greatly and I feel I may even me getting good at this bread making and enjoying it too.

Thank you NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Excellent! finally a book that lives up to its title! 51% of the book was actually teaching the basics of breadmaking & the rest easy to follow recipes.
what stood out for me -
- types of wheat & non-wheat flours explained (i had no idea ao many exist, & why/which to ise where).
- fixing beginner issues (how often do i have dough that's sticky & misbehaving & i have no idea - well now i know where to go look up on my errors & fix them & save that dough!)
- how to defrost (& freeze & store)
- 1st time I saw someone talk about using an airfryer for making a few buns/small loaf!!! i never thought this was an option.

basically a lot of the information hd me going oh wow, is that so? as a beginner, this is a fantastic book. also, well-written & clearly explained.