The Larousse Book of Bread

Written by Éric Kayser

Even if you weren't considering making your own bread, this book might just convert you. Firstly there are all the pretty pictures - you want to score your dough with a pithivier or chevron cut? Just take a look at the beautiful step-by-step photos. Secondly there's all the choice - from pumpernickel and bagels to polka bread and daisy loaves, this book covers so many different artisan kinds of bread, choosing what to bake first is the tricky part.

Penned by baker extraordinaire, Éric Kayser, this Larousse bible of bread takes you through everything you need to know to get started. And then some. "People today are seeking authenticity in all kinds of things, and what could be better than bread, when it is made honestly with no trickery or artifice, to convey this feeling of authenticity?" says Kayser who grew up as the fourth generation in a family of bakers. If your supermarket sliced loaf is leaving you cold, Éric Kayser offers you an alternative: bread that will take time and effort to create, and in return, make your tastebuds purr and your heart sing.

Getting artisan about these things requires a willingness to delve into new territory. The recipes in this book call for homemade starters (basically a mix of water and flour, and not half as involved as it sounds), but also a little time and patience to understand the process behind them. The payoff? Flavour, pleasure and the satisfaction of knowing that yes, you did just make that Parisian-looking loaf of bread by your very own hand.

The Larousse Book of Bread is out in April 2015. Published by Phaidon. RRP: £24.95. 

**Written by:** Helenka Bednar