Complete Starter Guide to Making Bread by Kathryn Hawkins is a fantastic resource for both novice and experienced bakers. With its comprehensive collection of recipes—from buns to baguettes—Hawkins offers clear, easy-to-follow instructions that make bread-making accessible and enjoyable. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your skills, this guide is the perfect companion for creating delicious, homemade bread. (I received an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) A must-have for any baker’s kitchen!

This book is meant to help bakers make breads. It's especially good for bakers who are interested in baking their first loaves.

It starts with a history of breadmaking from prehistoric times through the current day, from flat breads, to yeasted breads, to the light, very soft bread I grew up eating, and onto bread machines and air fryers and then onto artisanal breads that are very popular today. It also describes modern farming and the composition and purposes of various types of wheat and other types of flours. I always enjoy reading the beginning chapters of books because the authors spend time writing them to impart interesting and useful information to their readers. She also explains the components of some recipes. I remember asking, many years ago, some other scientists the differences in baking with of baking soda and baking powder. We all knew the differences in the chemical structure, but none of us knew why or when you use one or the other. The answer is here!

Some of the best pages are those where the author describes some frequently encountered problems making the dough and troubleshooting baking issues. And the photographs show some common types of failures, as well as beautifully textured, successful breads. About half the book contains recipes, detailed instructions and photographs of breads. You'll find everything from bread sticks and pitas to fancy braided breads and brioche. There are also recipes for dessert breads, like doughnuts, chocolate bread. She also includes some gluten free options.

I recommend this to any bread baker who wants to learn more about the process of bread baking, but it's especially useful for new break bakers.

I love bread and learning to make bread has been a lot of fun and this book really helps towards that goal.

This is the perfect book for everyone who wants to try baking their own bread.

The book starts with some background information and some history about bread making followed by information about the most essential ingredients you'll come across while baking. It gives a lot of different but also very interesting information, you would probably normally won't get when you purchase a baking book about bread. It's good to know what you could possibly need before you go into the different recipes.

I just recently got into bread making and didn't know about the sourdough starter they use, but I will definitely try it out (hopefully it will work better than the ones I did so far).

The book covers everything you could think (or also not think) off when you want to start baking. It gives tips on how to store your bread and what to do when you have trouble with the dough or what to do when the texture has problems. It sounds like a lot, but it's really interesting to learn all the new things.

The recipes are also really diverse. It starts off with the basics, but you also get more interesting recipes like Focaccia or Chocolate bread. The recipes themselves are well written and easy to understand. A lot of the recipes also have a gluten-free option which is really nice to have because making a recipe gluten-free on your own can be really tricky. I also like that every recipe has a picture next to it that you can see what the bread should look like once it's done.

I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to start baking their own bread but also to people who maybe know a bit about baking but want to learn more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for this EARC!

My ability to make bread seems to impress most home cooks. I have favorite recipes but am always looking for new ones to add to my collection. The science behind bread making depends on so many different processes going right that it truly is an art when you can impress even seasoned cooks who fear bread making. Kathryn Hawkins has given me many tips and tricks alond with some interesting recipes to try. And of course, it's up to those of us who Do bake bread to teach those who fear the process, how to produce excellent results and the COMPLETE STARTER GUIDE TO MAKING BREAD will find it's way into the kitchens of several of my neighbors, friends and young relatives. It's an excellent and thoughtful gift.

What a great title to teach a person how to make fresh and delicious breads!
The author introduces us to the ingredients required to make a tasty loaf and shows how bread has evolved over time. We get off to a fine start with recipes for basic white bread, a free-form white loaf, whole wheat and a poppy seed bread.. As we progress, we learn how to make baguettes, sourdough, ciabatta and specialty breads that are already making me hungry..
The free-form white loaf has only four ingredients: flour, yeast, water and salt. Very doable.
There are pictures in full color and vegan options. this will work for beginning bakers to experienced bread makers. The whole world is represented with tortillas, naan, matzoh, ciabatta, foccaccia, bagels, pita, and many other varieties. Soya, buckwheat,rye, rice and potato flours, cheese, marscapone, and cream add vegan options and ways to avoid allergies. Even chocolate, meats and fruit can be baked in.
We aren't limited to the oven with the advent of air fryers, slow cookers,pizza ovens and different vessels to deliver the finished product. I have always wanted to make sourdough bread, but have felt intimidated by the growth process. Every step is clearly described and I just know it is within my reach. Kneading can be done by hand or with a mixer.
The troubleshooting section is reassuring since failure is not an option. I feel reassured and it is time to bake bread! The basic white bread is in the oven and smells wonderful. It turned out great and tempting. My next project will be a loaf of sourdough. My starter has grown and it is time to bake it. Wish me luck!
This was a great accomplishment for me. It is tasty with wonderful texture.
This book is a terrific guide to baking bread and becoming self- sufficient in doing so. For me, cooking needs to be rewarding and inspiring, and this book presents all the angles, methods and techniques for achieving that perfect loaf. Bread does not last long in my house and the variety is awesome. This is already becoming a favorite volume. It also has a complete index in the back.
I am looking forward to exploring the world via bread. A bread with fruit is next on my list.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for this inspirational book. All opinions are my own.

This truly is a complete starter guide to making bread. This cookbook goes into detail on the history of bread, ingredients, utensils, basic techniques, and troubleshooting tips. Recipes include a fair variety of breads. The recipes look easy to follow. Personally I’ve been meaning to get in the habit of bread making and look forward to giving these recipes and techniques a try!

The author's not kidding when this was name a complete starter guide. This was absolutely FULL of anything you want to know about making bread. And even each fact about anything relating to making bread got explored tremendously well and so full of amazing details.

Mind you, these were the instructions we needed for the very basic of any types of bread you could think of. This was not let's make this bread or that bread filled with crazy ingredients just to make the bread more interesting. The truth is that the base of each bread itself was interesting enough - let's celebrate it for what it was and knew how to make it well, really well. I really liked this structure. This was something that every baker or wannabe baker need on the shelf. The pictures seemed a little dated and even just the cover, but I had to overlook all that and truly appreciated the details and the glory!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this. All opinions are my own.

Informative read on making bread. Will definatly be trying these recipes, directions are detailed and thorough.

I have had a lot of experience baking bread. And this book is definitely one to keep as a reference if you want to get started. I loved how simple the directions are and how easy it is to start!

This was such a great cookbook - the recipes were easy to follow and I liked that the author included different methods of baking (including using an airfryer!). Can't wait to try out these recipes myself, reading this has made me HUNGRY!

Great basic guide to making bread. Good information and well placed. The recipes also looked tasty and I will definitely be trying a couple of them out.

Making bread at home is a valuable skill, and there are dozens of books out there that help wannabe bakers. Some of these are good, and of course, some aren’t so good. One of the good ones is Complete Starter Guide to Making Bread: From Buns to Baguettes, Essential Recipes for All Bakers, by Kathryn Hawkins, experienced food writer, food stylist, and home economist, as well as a prolific cookbook author. Her experience shows through in this excellent cookbook.

This book begins with an interesting chapter on the history of bread baking, and covers important aspects of bread baking: ingredients, equipment, and basic techniques, including sourdough. She also includes a troubleshooting guide.

The best part of the cookbook, of course, is the recipes. There are recipes for all the regular types of bread, as well as some unique and mouthwatering breads that most bakers will want to try. Each recipe is written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions which make it easy to make successful loaves and individual breads, rolls, bagels, etc. Regular flour and bread flour are listed in the recipes, as well as alternative flours (and fats for vegans and dairy free bakers) so the recipes are suitable for everyone – even those on special diets.

Another plus to this cookbook is that there are beautiful, professional photographs of the finished products, and they will inspire everyone to make a long list of “must make soon” breads. All told, this is an excellent cookbook, not only for beginners, but also for experienced bakers. It was easy to adapt the recipes to make the dough in an automatic bread machine, and that is a real plus.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for this E-ARC.

I love baking bread!!! I love bread books! I love bread making shows! A glass of wine, fresh baguette and the great British bake off???? Sure, call me for a good time!!!

This book is perfect. It’s instructional (not sure if that’s a word). It’s got so much detail in it. The beginning is all about the ingredients of the bread. Then it goes on to tell you about bread fillings. Which, as an avid focaccia maker, I love. Sometimes I forget that you can play around with bread so much. You can make a whole meal inside of bread! How fun!
Then it tells you things like how to fix something if your bread does this or that.
Then the recipes. Which is the best part. The recipes are well written and easy to follow.
I will be working my way through this entire book!
Yum!

This is INSANELY helpful!! Every possible type of bread you could need to break has a recipe in here. Pita to baguette to bagels to doughnuts?? This is a staple for every kitchen. Even if you don’t bake often, this has something for any occasion!! It even includes techniques for kneading, ingredient recommendations. I’m shocked at how helpful this cook book is.

Very in depth beginner bread cook book that delves deeply into each individual aspect of baking. This book includes both sourdough and regular recipes and would be good for someone wanting to learn both

This is a great guide for beginners on their journey to making bread. Easy to follow instruction. lovely illustrations and filled to the brim of beautiful and yummy recipes.

My daughter and I have been trying lots of different bread recipes. We love to bake and are always looking for new recipes. This was a very informative book. It goes back to the meaning of bread in religion and cultures. How they first started to make bread and ground the ingredients. It was interesting to learn the ins and outs of the history. There are tons of different recipes and helpful hints and tricks if you are having issues with your bread. She also shows different ways to bake your bread. Even a recipe for the air-fryer! Thanks for the information and recipes. My patrons will love this book once it is out.

I found this to be a real in-depth, standout guide for bakers of any ability. There is so much information packed into this, from the origins of bread to all the different types of flours used.
The recipes aren’t over complicated & seem easy enough to follow, I can’t wait to try some!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

“Complete Starter Guide to Making Bread: From Buns to Baguettes, Essential Recipes for All Bakers” by Kathryn Hawkins.

This is a useful cook book all about different bread recipes. I can’t wait to test some of these out!