Toast and Jam

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.

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 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.

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 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....

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.