New Book!

 

 

While in Tesco this week i picked up a copy of Paul Hollywood's 'How To Bake'. Through watching many many many cooking programmes on T.V. I know that his methods often vary from those of other bakers such as his slow proving method when baking bread. Mr Hollywood has waxed lyrical on numerous occasions about the benfits of this method and how it improves the flavour of the finished loaf. So I figured I would give his book a go...

 

My first impressions on picking this up are the monotone photography which in many cases could prove boring but in this case i have to admit it works. I am normally an advocate of photographs full of colour and interesting staging but Paul Hollywoods book uses simpler staging to good effect. Secondly there is the content in the first few pages, Paul Hollywood does something not many other chefs have bothered to do. He clearly and concisely lays out information on each basic ingredient in bread, explains what it does, why its needed and the effect on the finished products dependant on the quantities each ingredient is used. He then goes on to give clear and simple descriptions of the main flours used in baking today, what they are made of, their protien content, what this protien content means to the finished article and why the protien content is important. Until reading this (and remember this is the first few pages of the book) I was utterly clueless as to the science behind baking. I knew that formulas had to be followed but i had no idea why. I am certain that while I go on to test out recipes from this book over the next few weeks that I will find a new clarity in my baking. Simple things like explaining that stone ground flour is better because stones produce less heat during the grinding process than mechanical ones and by doing so preserve more nutrients in the grain.... Before this i just thought stone ground meant ' I'm a posher flour so buy me!' Simple explainations like this bring clarity to the mind of the home baker and dispell so many myths and clear up many questions you didnt even know you had. Well done Mr Hollywood on suprising someone who has read many hundreds of recipe books over the years within the first few pages.

Stand by for recipe testing results to follow.