The most recommended books about bread

Who picked these books? Meet our 14 experts.

14 authors created a book list connected to bread, and here are their favorite bread books.
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Book cover of Bread Baking for Beginners: The Essential Guide to Baking Kneaded Breads, No-Knead Breads, and Enriched Breads

Mord McGhee Author Of The Stroke of Oars

From Mord's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Grumpy Straightforward Unrelenting Lover of literature Student of the human condition

Mord's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Mord McGhee Why did Mord love this book?

I’ve always wanted to learn the art of baking bread. For years I’ve used bread machines and have never been satisfied with the results. They’re fine, but never perfect.

After reading Bonnie’s book, on my very first try following along step-by-step, my regular oven turned out the most delicious loaf of rustic bread. The looks on the faces of my family said it all, as they devoured it to crumb. For anyone wishing to pick up basic kitchen skills that touch on all the things that make us human, this book is something I wholeheartedly recommend.

By Bonnie Ohara,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bread Baking for Beginners as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The guidance you need to go from absolute beginner to artisanal bread baker

Discover how anyone can combine flour, yeast, water, and salt to create hot and delicious bread in the comfort of your own kitchen. Filled with straightforward guidance, Bread Baking for Beginners is the ideal bread cookbook for new bakers. Complete with step-by-step photographs and instructions, this beautiful bread baking guide offers a tasty collection of recipes for kneaded, no-knead, and enriched breads that you'll love. In addition to important info on everything from prep and proof times to key terminology and kitchen essentials, you'll also get must-have…


Book cover of Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza

Peggy Paul Casella Author Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook

From my list on making pizza from scratch.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a cookbook author, editor, local food enthusiast, and the creator of the blog Thursday Night Pizza, where I share weekly recipes and de-snobbify the process of from-scratch pizza for home cooks of all skill levels. When I’m not in the kitchen or behind my computer, I enjoy gardening, working on house projects, tending to my Little Free Library, and roaming my city of Philadelphia with my husband and son.

Peggy's book list on making pizza from scratch

Peggy Paul Casella Why did Peggy love this book?

If you want to delve deep and learn the hows and whys of pizza and bread making, this book has everything you’re looking for. Forkish is one of the great sages of breadmaking, and having this book on your shelf is like having a grand master at the ready.

By Ken Forkish,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Flour Water Salt Yeast as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Portland's most acclaimed and beloved baker comes this must-have baking guide, featuring recipes for world-class breads and pizzas and a variety of schedules suited for the home baker.

There are few things more satisfying than biting into a freshly made, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-and-supple-on-the-inside slice of perfectly baked bread. For Portland-based baker Ken Forkish, well-made bread is more than just a pleasure—it is a passion that has led him to create some of the best and most critically lauded breads and pizzas in the country.

In Flour Water Salt Yeast, Forkish translates his obsessively honed craft…


Book cover of Bread and Jam for Frances

Graham Annable Author Of A Tale of Two Sloths

From my list on about friendship that I know.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a cartoonist, animator, and Oscar-nominated film director who's worked and continues to work in the mediums of books, film, and video games all the darn time. When I think about great stories I've had a chance to read, the element of friendship always stands out for me. When there's a special, authentic bond between characters that you feel with every page and frame there's nothing better! You live the moments in the story and they stay with you forever. Like a true friend would.

Graham's book list on about friendship that I know

Graham Annable Why did Graham love this book?

It's a book more centered on Frances and not so much on friendship but I live for the moments between Frances and her friend Albert in this story. Because Frances has foolishly committed to eating just her favorite lunch every day, bread and jam, she listens with great interest as Albert lays out his entire elaborate midday meal at school. I used to always read this story aloud to my two boys doing my best Jack Nicholson impression for Albert's voice. I don't have a specific reason for why I did it but it really felt like it added to the whole experience. 

By Russell Hoban, Lillian Hoban (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bread and Jam for Frances as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

The classic funny story about a stubborn little badger with very particular tastes in food.

Frances is a fussy eater. In fact, the only thing she likes is bread and jam. She won't touch her squishy soft-boiled egg. She trades away her chicken-salad sandwich at lunch. She turns up her nose at boring veal cutlets.

Unless her parents can come up with a plan, Frances just might go on eating bread and jam forever!

Join the generations of families that have laughed along as Frances sings "Jam on biscuits, jam on bread, Jam is the thing I like most, Jam…


Book cover of The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book: The Only Baking Book You'll Ever Need

Dinah Bucholz Author Of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

From my list on cookbooks for novice and experienced chefs.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve loved cooking and baking since I was a little girl. I attempted to bake a chocolate cake when I was nine without a recipe and put the resulting glop in a plastic bowl in the oven. Luckily, I forgot to turn the oven on and my mother discovered it later, no harm done. I was always a foodie but also a tremendous reader with a great love for the English language, so food writing marries my two passions. My published works include The New York Times bestselling The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (over a million copies sold), and I write a food column for a women’s magazine.

Dinah's book list on cookbooks for novice and experienced chefs

Dinah Bucholz Why did Dinah love this book?

I know, I know. America’s Test Kitchen again. But seriously, these are the two most used cookbooks in my house, and their tattered condition testifies to that. Nearly everything I have tried from the Baking book has turned out delicious, and I have enough confidence in these recipes to try something new even for company.

By America's Test Kitchen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Featuring more than 700 kitchen-tested recipes, 800 step-by-step photos, opinionated product ratings, and at-a-glance tutorials that guarantee success every time you bake.

A companion to the bestselling America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (with more than 550,000 copies sold), this comprehensive cookbook delivers the foolproof recipes, step-by-step instructions, and troubleshooting guides that have become the hallmark of every book published by America's most trusted test kitchen. For anyone who has made pie dough that seemed impossible to roll out, bread that failed to rise, or a birthday cake that couldn't be served, this book will be a lifesaver as well as…


Book cover of Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

Ismée Williams Author Of Abuelo, the Sea, and Me

From my list on picture books for grandparents to read to grandkids.

Why am I passionate about this?

My grandparents played a pivotal role in my childhood, living with us and raising my brother and me while my parents worked long hours. Some of my favorite memories of those years are lying in bed as Abuelo told me stories that made me laugh instead of making me sleepy, cooking picadillo with my abuela in the kitchen, and going on long walks along the beach with my abuelo. Though they didn’t speak to me in Spanish, they taught me to sing nursery rhymes and enticed me with sticks of Big Red gum to get me to learn how to roll my r’s. 

Ismée's book list on picture books for grandparents to read to grandkids

Ismée Williams Why did Ismée love this book?

This book's evocative verse drew me in immediately, whisking me into a cozy childhood memory of my own. I love the repeated refrains of Fry Bread…which allows young ones to anticipate and ‘read along,’ increasing engagement with the child.

The beautiful illustrations, which show children of many different skin tones in the kitchen assisting and then awaiting the delicious result, amplify the story, showing how grandparents can be sources of love and support for their grandchild's network of friends.

I especially love this book because it reminds me of cooking Cuban bread pudding with my abuela for Thanksgiving, her contribution to the American holiday that reminded her of her home. 

By Kevin Noble Maillard, Juana Martinez-Neal (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Fry Bread as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Fry bread is food.
It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.

Fry bread is time.
It brings families together for meals and new memories.

Fry bread is nation.
It might look or taste different, but it is still shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.

Fry bread is us.
It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.

Fry Bread is a story told in lively and powerful verse by Seminole Nation member Kevin Noble Maillard, with vibrant art from Pura Belpre Award winner Juana Martinez-Neal.


Book cover of Baking Artisan Bread: 10 Expert Formulas for Baking Better Bread at Home

Nick Malgieri Author Of How to Bake

From my list on getting you baking like a pro.

Why am I passionate about this?

Whenever I’m asked about when I knew I wanted to be a pastry chef/baker, I always answer, “birth!” My maternal grandmother lived with us and she loved to bake; I was playing with dough as soon as I was old enough to stand on a chair next to the kitchen table. After college I faced a crisis: graduate school or culinary school – I chose the latter and I’ve never looked back. Adding teaching and writing to my love of baking led me to travel, taste, research, and learn new techniques and recipes to share. It’s a passion from which I’ll never retire.

Nick's book list on getting you baking like a pro

Nick Malgieri Why did Nick love this book?

I first met Ciril Hitz at a pastry chefs’ conference in Las Vegas where he was conducting a demonstration workshop on laminated doughs like croissants. Swiss-born and American-educated, his articulate explanations of this complex branch of pastry-making, helped me to understand them more fully than ever before. 

I rejoiced when I received a copy of his first book about bread with a unique approach: Ten master formulas, each elucidating a different type of bread dough, cover the main techniques for producing delicious – and beautiful – breads accurately every time. 

Baguettes, focacce, brioches, croissants, whole grain breads, pizzas, bagels, sandwich bread, and challah, are all here with further variations on shapes and flavors. Having started my career with an exclusively pastry background, I had to learn about bread on my own. 

This book gave me a firm foundation of knowledge that enabled me to create my own individual approach to…

By Ciril Hitz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Baking Artisan Bread as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Bread enthusiasts are more aware of the diverse array of high-quality breads than ever before and are seeking out handmade artisan products at local farmers' markets, organic grocery stores, specialty shops...even the Internet. "Baking Artisan Bread" will show that finding these specialty breads is as easy as looking in your own kitchen! "Baking Artisan Bread" provides a simplified, formula-based approach to baking bread at home, making the mixing, the rising, and the baking itself more approachable and less intimidating. With step-by-step full-colour process shots and clear directions, chef Ciril Hitz will show you how with just 10 formulas you can…


Book cover of Tartine Bread

Lara Ferroni Author Of Doughnuts: 90 Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home

From my list on feeling like a professional baker.

Why am I passionate about this?

I didn’t really mean to become a food photographer. But with the first photo that I took of a batch of homemade raspberry scones, I knew I found something special. And then, I didn't really mean to become a cookbook author. But photos led to recipes, which led to this crazy notion that the world needed a cookbook dedicated to doughnuts! I’ve since written five more cookbooks and have a bit of an obsession with beautifully designed and photographed baking books that can fuel my project baking and cooking fascination. The books on my list continue to inspire me, and hope they inspire you too.

Lara's book list on feeling like a professional baker

Lara Ferroni Why did Lara love this book?

I lived in San Francisco for a year, just a few blocks away from Tartine Manufactory. Tartine has a well-deserved cult following for its tangy rustic loaves and baked goods.

I moved last year, and so unfortunately, I can no longer just pop over when I need a fix. Luckily, the Tartine Bread book lets me get very close at home. I love this type of project baking where I really feel accomplished at the end… even if it does take a couple of days to get there.

The book also has a ton of great fancy toast recipes that I can make in the rare case that I haven’t just eaten a whole loaf simply with a slather of butter.

By Chad Robertson, Eric Wolfinger (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tartine Bread as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Tartine Way - Not all bread is created equal

"...The most beautiful bread book yet published..." - The New York Times

Tartine - A bread bible for the home baker or professional bread-maker! It comes from Chad Robertson, a man many consider to be the best bread baker in the United States, and co-owner with Elizabeth Prueitt of San Francisco's Tartine Bakery. At 5 P.M., Chad Robertson's rugged, magnificent Tartine loaves are drawn from the oven. The bread at San Francisco's legendary Tartine Bakery sells out within an hour almost every day.

Only a handful of bakers have learned…


Book cover of White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf

Julie Guthman Author Of The Problem with Solutions: Why Silicon Valley Can't Hack the Future of Food

From my list on technology in modern food production.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the daughter of a health food fanatic whose admonitions about what to eat manifested in my early attraction to all food junky. Later in life, I became a bit of a food snob, shopping regularly at the farmers’ market for the freshest and most delicious fruits and vegetables I’ve ever tasted. My love of both good food and sharp analysis came to shape my career as an academic. Food became the object of my analyses, but always with an eye toward contradiction. I’ve written several books and articles exploring how capitalism constrains needed food system transformations, bringing me to my latest fascination with the tech sector.

Julie's book list on technology in modern food production

Julie Guthman Why did Julie love this book?

Against the backdrop of today’s obsessions with homemade, artisanal bread, Bobrow-Strain uses the most prosaic of foods—the industrially produced loaf of white fluff—to ask hard questions about race, class, gender, war, and modernity itself.

With so many food books falling into food porn mode, I can really appreciate a book that reminds me that the technologies of stripping wheat of its bran and germ were founded on ideas of racial purification. There’s plenty to chew on in this book.   

By Aaron Bobrow-Strain,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked White Bread as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The story of how white bread became white trash, this social history shows how our relationship with the love-it-or-hate-it food staple reflects our country’s changing values

In the early twentieth century, the factory-baked loaf heralded a bright new future, a world away from the hot, dusty, “dirty” bakeries run by immigrants. Fortified with vitamins, this bread was considered the original “superfood” and even marketed as patriotic—while food reformers painted white bread as a symbol of all that was wrong with America.

So how did this icon of American progress become “white trash”? In this lively history of bakers, dietary crusaders,…


Book cover of El Pequeño Planeta Perdido

Diego Vaisberg Author Of Dino

From my list on album books to unleash your children´s imagination.

Why am I passionate about this?

I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I'm the head behind DGPH illustration and design studio. I'm also an illustration professor of the illustrator major at Palermo University (UP). My passion for kids books and illustration turned me into a full time illustrator combining both passions, illustration, and design. And with time, I started writing my own stories too.

Diego's book list on album books to unleash your children´s imagination

Diego Vaisberg Why did Diego love this book?

This book marked my childhood in the '80s (there is a modern version but the original is the one), being one of the main reasons I do what I do. This is the story of an astronaut that lands on a planet far far away, after running out of fuel. Somehow everyone on earth can hear his loneliness and tries to help. It is a beautiful story about self-understanding and helping others, that mixes illustrations and photographs, allowing children's imaginations to flow: the little planet is represented by an orange photo and the rocket is just a regular bread piece, which as a kid blew my mind.  

By Ziraldo Alves Pinto,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked El Pequeño Planeta Perdido as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Cierta vez enviaron a un hombre al espacio en dirección a un planeta perdido. Era un planeta tan distante que el combustible se terminó cuando llegó por fin a destino. El astronauta quedó atrapado y solo en su nuevo mundo.pero por algún extraño fenómeno de sintonía su voz se escuchaba claramente en la tierra... Una historia de amor diferente simple y conmovedora.


Book cover of The Bread Pet: A Sourdough Story

Erin McGill Author Of If You Want a Friend in Washington: Wacky, Wild & Wonderful Presidential Pets

From my list on pet books for kids who want pets.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I desperately wanted a pet. Even if it maybe wasn’t a “real pet” like a rock or an egg. I used my imagination for pet possibilities. When I was researching If You Want A Friend In Washington I was constantly in awe of the strange and unusual pets of the White House. I wanted this list of pet books to be as diverse and unusual as the Presidential Pets. Maybe a Glacier is the perfect pet for you?

Erin's book list on pet books for kids who want pets

Erin McGill Why did Erin love this book?

Cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, but what about a less expected pet? Maybe sourdough starter as a pet is the perfect start to caring for pet!?! The main character, Cora, promises her uncle that she will keep the pet alive. She does not anticipate how fast her pet will grow. How will she come up with a solution? And fast? This charming unexpected pet book also includes recipes. 

By Kate DePalma, Nelleke Verhoeff (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Bread Pet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Cora promises to keep Uncle JB's Bread Pet alive but didn't anticipate its exponential growth! She needs to come up with a solution -- and fast! This whimsical STEM story of family, creativity and community will inspire young makers to experiment and share their gifts with others. Includes sourdough starter and sourdough bread recipes.


Book cover of Bread Baking for Beginners: The Essential Guide to Baking Kneaded Breads, No-Knead Breads, and Enriched Breads
Book cover of Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza
Book cover of Bread and Jam for Frances

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