The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

by Beth Hensperger

A master baker's 300 favorite recipes for perfect-every-time bread - from every kind of machine - by master breadmaker, Beth Hensperger. A fresh loaf any time you want! Can the incomparable taste, texture, and aroma of handcrafted bread from a neighborhood bakery be reproduced in a bread machine? When Beth Hensperger, one of America's most respected authorities on bread, first set out to try, she had doubts. Then she spent hundreds of hours testing all kinds of breads in a bread machine, and her answer turned out to be a resounding "Yes!" In this big and bountiful book full of more than 300 recipes, she reveals all the simple secrets for perfect bread every time. No matter how you slice it, Beth's brilliant recipes add up to a lifetime of fun with your bread machine!
Recipes White Breads
Egg Breads
Whole Wheat Breads
Rye Breads
Gluten-Free Breads
Multigrain Breads
Country Breads
Sourdough Breads
Herb Breads
Nut Breads
Vegetable and Fruit Breads
Cheese Breads
Pizza and Focaccia
Breakfast Breads
Coffee Cakes and Sweet Rolls
Chocolate Breads
Jams and Chutneys
Croutons and Crostini
Flavored Butters and Other Toppings

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction, Food and Drink

1225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Beth Hensperger is a passionate professional- and home- baker who is both extremely creative and extraordinarily prolific as an author and developer of quality recipes. Her training included a ten-year apprenticeship as a restaurant and hotel pastry chef as well as having her own custom wedding cake business and attending classes given by some of the top bakers in America. Though restaurant trained, she considers herself more of a dedicated home baker than a chef.
Beth’s writing career began when she was chosen as the Guest Cooking Instructor for the March 1985 issue of Bon Appetit. She is now the author of fifteen cookbooks, many of them best sellers. Her most recent books include: Williams Sonoma Breads (Weldon Owen), Bread For Breakfast (Ten Speed Press), and The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook (HCP). The Bread Bible (Chronicle Books) is the recipient of The James Beard Foundation Award for Baking in 2000. Beth's Basic Bread Book (Chronicle Books), a sequential text for the beginning home baker, published in the Fall of 1996, was chosen as one of the best baking books of the year by People Magazine. She has been nominated twice for the IACP Julia Child Cookbook Awards. Her books are all represented at the prestigious Culinary Collection of the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
When she isn't up to her elbows in flour, Beth is a monthly food columnist with the San Jose Mercury News "Baking By the Seasons". She is a regular contributor to Cooking Pleasures, Food & Wine, Shape Magazine, Bon Appétit, Veggie Life, and Pastry Art and Design Magazines.

Reviews

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third bread machine cookbook I've borrowed from my library, and so far it looks like the best!

Things I liked:
I love the layout! For me, this is what I expect a cookbook to look like: it's the correct aspect ratio, it's not full of pretty photos, the recipe layouts are crisp and easy to read, and are for different pound loaves (since I have a 2lb bread machine, this makes it easy for me to choose the correct recipe for my machine). The information in the "Orientation" section is truly useful information (although it's also larded with a long blog-style beginner recipe for bread - this would be useful for a beginning baker, but does nothing for me). This is the first cookbook I've looked at that really tells me something about what the different bread machine cycles are doing so far as temperature and time! Most of the recipes are true bread machine recipes, but there are also recipes for rolls, shaped loaves, bagels, English muffins, and pasta. There are also recipes for what to do with leftover bread. A lot of the recipes call for added wheat gluten, which is something I've been thinking is needed in my other bread machine trials (but had not added, yet, since none of the other cookbook recipes called for it). There are sections of "sampler breads" (basically, one pound loaves), something I have not seen in another cookbook

Amusingly, the author is a professional baker and teacher, and in the intro she cannot resist throwing in a few asides about the joys of hand kneading and learning the feel of the bread, but she also acknowledges her bias and admits that making bread in a bread machine is a perfectly valid style of baking. "Once I ... set aside my disgruntled attitude about making bread MY way, I couldn't leave the machine alone." TRUTH. To quote my 13 year old daughter, who asked why I was making so much bread: "is this your life now?" Yes, yes it is :-)

Things I didn't like:
- It was not a simple matter to just impatiently dive in and start following a recipe, her directions assumed that I had read the complete "Orientation" section (I had not) and that I would understand her terminology (I did not).
- The recipes all seem to over-rise. (I would have given this cookbook 5 stars except for this problem.)


Recipes I tried (I used the 2-pound loaf recipe, in my 2 lb bread machine):

Brioche bread - the directions were confusing. They said (this is my abridged version): "1. add ingredients, use the basic cycle, the dough will be soft and sticky. 2. Ten minutes into Knead 2, add butter a piece or two at a time." I didn't know what "Knead 2" meant, so I just followed step 1 and trusted that there would be a "Knead 2" that I had somehow never noticed. Oy! There was no Knead 2. I ended up restarting my machine to go back to the beginning of the cycle so I could add the butter and have it kneaded in, which means my bread dough was ultimately kneaded twice as long as it maybe should have been. (I've always lived by the philosophy of: do NOT overmix the muffin or cake batter, but mix bread and pizza dough for as long as you like, because it's not possible to knead the bread too long so I was hopeful that this would be okay.) After this I paged through the "Orientation" section more thoroughly and read the blog-style recipes and discovered that Hensperger's "Knead 2" is when my machine beeps in the middle of kneading to let me know I can add ingredients like raisins or nuts.

This rose fairly high, and bumped into the lid of my breadmaker, so I started worrying it was going to over-rise and collapse, but it baked nicely. Directions said to open the lid after baking and let the loaf sit for fifteen minutes, which I did, and then to turn it out of the pan and let it cool completely before slicing, and bitch please! I'm smelling fresh-baked bread, I'd better be eating warm fresh-baked bread. (I did let it cool for about ten minutes because I am not a monster.) Verdict: this slices beautifully, it baked perfectly, light and fluffy, with a wonderfully flaky crust and tastes exactly the way brioche should taste. SUCCESS!

Honey wheat bread - I wasn't expecting anything special, because honey wheat is honey wheat, right? But this was REALLY tasty!! The recipe cautioned that this dough is slow to rise, so we shouldn't worry, and no kidding is it ever. I worried. It rose just fine. SUCCESS! This bread was still excellent a week later (yes we had a little bit left).

Chocolate cherry bread - I used 3/4 c dried cherries plus 1/8 c chocolate chips in place of the 7/8 c "snipped glacéed dried cherries," because chocolate chips are ALWAYS a good addition to chocolate anything. And I didn't glacé anything, because I am a lazy bum. This rose and baked into a nice shaped loaf with lots of flavor, not sweet at all (I worried when I was adding brown sugar). The chocolate chips were a good addition. It was a little bit dry, maybe because I didn't glacé those cherries. I bet it's even better tomorrow! Verdict: Success!

Sour Cream Bread - I started this bread in the morning, then left the house to run our Saturday morning errands, and came home to find the bread completely pushing up against the lid of my bread machine!! FAIL! I don't know why this recipe over-rose so dramatically, I've had decent success with the other recipes so far. I mean, 4-1/3 cups flour DID seem like a lot, but I trustingly followed the recipe ... maybe I need to stop following the 2 lb recipes in this book? Anyway, of course the top of the bread did not bake properly, since it was moreorless OUT of the bread maker ... so when the cycle was complete, I tipped the loaf out onto a cookie sheet and baked it for 20-30 minutes in my oven, until the top felt solid instead of oookie (that's a technical term). Final verdict: Success! It tasted great! Flavor is very similar to a sourdough, with a lighter texture. Both kids agreed that this was great bread. So, this was a FAIL/SUCCESS recipe. I'm feeling flummoxed.

Irish potato brown bread - this was pretty good!!! It's got the nuttiness of whole wheat with the tender crumb of potato bread. Plus, it did not over-rise and hit the lid of my machine (bonus!). Final verdict: SUCCESS.


Pain de Paris - This is a "start it the night before" kind of recipe because you first make a sponge, which is fine, but I'm starting off on the wrong foot because the recipe says to hit the "pause" button after ten minutes and my machine does not have a pause button so I just turned it off which means it will start the cycle over completely when I start it again! Also, I realized at the last minute that it calls for "gluten with vitamin C" which I do not have, I only have regular gluten; I looked it up in the book, and it says ascorbic acid adds volume, so I added a half teaspoon of vinegar. FINAL RESULTS: SUCCESS!! My kids devoured this bread - In less than two hours, nothing but two heels was left. I still have the rest of the starter left, I should make another loaf tonight.

Lou's daily bread (whole wheat with orange zest) - I did not read the recipe closely when I wrote up my shopping list, so I missed that it was supposed to be zest of TWO oranges, and only bought ONE orange. Oops! It smells good baking right now, anyway ... And survey says: Success! This bread has a perfect texture and a noticeable whole wheat flavor that is subtly enhanced by the orange zest. (I liked the Irish potato brown bread better, though.) I think if I had used two oranges it would have been too much for my taste, so I'm glad I made that mistake!! I predict this will be excellent toast. (ETA: yes it is good toast.)

Mexican chocolate bread - this is a very wet dough, so much so that I double and triple checked the ingredients while it was rising. ... Verdict: this is the tenderest bread I've ever made. It's like cake! The directions, as always, say to cool completely before slicing, but I'm sorry ... the entire POINT of homemade bread is to eat it hot from the oven/machine, is it not? Only a monster could wait until the bread is cool before slicing some. And when this bread is warm, it completely falls apart. And it is DELICIOUS. It did over-rise slightly, and then collapse, which seems to be a trend with recipes from this book. (Turns out no one else in my family liked cinnamon with chocolate and what is wrong with them? I do not know so I'm the only one eating this loaf - when cooled, it's a little dry, and simultaneously too flavorful and bland all at once. Maybe too much cocoa?)

Pain au lait - fantastic flavor, and the crust is flaky and buttery (as it should be considering that the recipe called for SIX tablespoons of butter!), but it over-rose a bit, and then collapsed, and when sliced hot (see above - I am not a monster and cannot wait for my bread to cool) the texture inside is almost under-cooked. A lot of the recipes in this book seem to over-rise, which is not something I remember happening when I tried other cookbooks; if I make these recipes again, I'll try adding less yeast and a smidge less liquid. The recipe called for 1/4 c barley flour, but I've been unable to find that, so I used 1/4 c white whole wheat. Verdict: DELICIOUS! but needs improvement.


Other recipes that look interesting:
Yogurt bread
Greek bread
Maple buttermilk bread (joy of joys, the sidebar to this recipe acknowledges NEW YORK as a prime source of real maple syrup!!! Why does Vermont always get all the attention when New York produces just as much if not more maple syrup?? Yes, I live in New York.)
Coconut milk white bread
French bread
Old fashioned potato bread
Sesame wheat bread
100% whole wheat
Beer bread
White whole wheat (this is the first bread machine recipe I've seen calling for white whole wheat flour, outside of recipes in the King Arthur baking catalog!)
Spelt bread
Cornell bread (this is one of the first breads I ever made, found in my first Moosewood cookbook, with the tagline: man CAN live by bread alone! - I'm thrilled to find a bread machine version!!)
Honey Wheat berry bread
Cranberry golden raisin bread
Hungarian Spring bread

[H (no longer expecting notifications) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a bread machine which came with an instruction/recipe booklet. I thought that would be sufficient; it isn’t!
There are a lot of books out there on bread machine recipes. I've borrowed a few (and reviewed some). Hensperger’s book is both a necessary and sufficient addition.

It claims to be “A Master Baker's 300 Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread-From Every Kind of Machine.” But it is much, much more!

I can’t vouch for all the recipes, but the ones I have tried work well with these items noted:
Hensperger recognizes that bread machines differ. She defers to the manufacturer’s specifics such as the order in which to add ingredients.

She has a lot to say about gluten---how it is formed and what is necessary for any particular bread (including the addition of gluten agents).
Each recipe comes with particular hints about using the bread machine most effectively. Modifications, such as crust consistency, are covered in detail.

The result is excellence—at least the excellence that can be expected when using a machine for all or some of the many tasks involved with bread-making.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main value of this book is the many paragraphs on Theory and Practice of Machining Bread. Outlining the pitfalls and pratfalls always makes me feel more confident doing something scary. I certainly didn't make all 300 recipes, but this book got me into the kitchen and really enjoying that $4 garage sale bread machine I had sitting around.

Why on earth is the recipe for Cinnamon Rolls listed under the novelty name "Morning Sticky Buns" though? No one in the history of time has every called them that, and it took me far too long to find the recipe.

[Faith]

It would be more useful if measurements were in grams.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Hensperger’s updated and expanded cookbook has it all: step-by-step explanations on how to use an electronic bread machine, pros and cons of different types of machines, directions for machines from the more primitive to the fancy-pants kinds with all kinds of settings.

The bread machine’s heyday came in the 1990s, and, sadly, they’ve fallen out of favor — which is a real shame, as families are looking to cut out ingredients they can’t pronounce out of their food. Someone can just place the ingredients in the bread machine (the correct order is paramount!), close the lid and pop out a loaf in less than three hours. No work at all! Also, with a bread machine, cooks can dispense with the onerous kneading and still mold the bread and bake it in the oven. This cookbook has something for everyone, from the newbie to an experienced baker eager to make the apple butter for their Apple Butter Bread or wanting to try their hand at Challah or holiday breads where you candy your own fruit peels. (Whew! Way more than I’m going to do!)

Hensperger includes everything from plain, white bread (so much better than that nasty Wonder bread!) to rye breads to DIY hotdog and hamburger buns to Italian Chocolate Bread with Amaretto Icing (where you glacée your own dried fruit). She even includes recipes for using up leftover bread, including a dozen bread pudding variations. I cannot recommend this book enough!

[Neon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to both NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for the opportunity to give an honest review in exchange for the e-ARC of 'The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook, Newly Expanded and Updated' by Beth Hensperger.

Five out of five stars (5 out of 5)!!

This is a beautiful bread cookbook with a lot of brilliant recipes that I can't wait to try, I even wrote a couple down to try in the morning. The book is also filled to the rim with bread machine tips and tricks about everything from dough shaping to jam making. Brilliant for it to be so inclusive as to what the author includes in her bread making travels.

One thing I will note, the illustrations are very blurry.

I would recommend this to anyone with a bread maker that they want to explore more thoroughly.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can report that The Bread Lovers Bread Machine Cookbook contains lots of very good information and so far mostly successful recipes. I have found that every recipe needed more liquid and that I had to adjust after my bread machine begins kneading. I would willingly surrender a fair amount of text to get a wider selection of recipes. This is not the only bread book I own it will not be my last nor can I recommend you make this one you're only bread machine book.

My major problem with this book has to do with how it is published. I am guessing that the intended audience is female and younger. A large amount of space and ink has been wasted to make pages pretty. The ability to use lots of pale pastels may be a wonderful thing but the result is poor contrast. It is needlessly difficult to read this book. Given how much white space is on every page larger fonts and a higher degree of contrast would not have sacrificed that much of the page's aesthetic appeal. I should not need a magnifying glass to confirm if a measure is 2/3 or 1/8.

The recipes are interesting. Those I've made have been quite tasty. For all of the text telling the story behind the bread I would've liked more information as to my expectations regarding bread density and moisture content. Every loaf I have made from this book has produced edible bread but I never know if my finished product is as good as moist as fluffy or as heavy as to be in accordance with the author Beth Hensberger's intentions.

The Bread Lovers Bread Machine Cookbook is a recommended addition to your bread machine book library. I do not think you will find it sufficient to be your only bread machine book. If your eyesight is still good or you don't mind keeping a magnifier in your kitchen your experience may be better than mine.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The phrase "bread lover" in the title should have given me a clue as to what I would find between the covers of this book. This is not necessarily the book you give to someone who just bought their first bread machine. Not that you won't learn a lot about using a bread machine from this book; it is chock-full of knowledge. Unfortunately, it is that abundance of information that makes this book overwhelming for the beginner. There are recipes for all kinds of holiday breads, ethnic breads, sourdough breads, and egg breads. There are recipes for pizzas, flatbreads, croissants, and cinnamon rolls. There are even suggestions for ways to use leftover bits of bread.

I originally planned to give this book only two stars because I wanted something more simple. If the title of a recipe has more than three words, it is too fancy for me! I would never consider making anything beyond the Daily Breads chapter. It is only one-fifth of the book, but it could keep me busy for weeks with its recipes for staples like hot dog buns, sandwich bread, and pasta.

Now I've given it some more thought, I'm giving this book three stars. It is the equivalent of that jacket your grandma bought you that was slightly too big. You may not love it now, but you will grow into it.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased this book based on its good reviews as a companion to a new bread machine (I have never owned a bread machine before). My goal is to make whole wheat bread at home so that I do not have to worry about the additives that most commercial whole wheat breads contain. Imagine my dismay when I turn to the whole wheat chapter, and NEARLY EVERY recipe contains "bread flour" (read: refined white flour) *and* whole wheat flour. Come on, are you serious? To me, the point of making whole wheat bread, is to make WHOLE WHEAT bread - not half-whole wheat bread. What a disappointment. I will be returning this book and will attempt to make my own recipe conversions from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, which doesn't have any refined white flour included in any recipe.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a year and a half, my copy of this book is spattered, speckled, and ragged. That should tell you how often I use this book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys bread.

I have tried a large variety of the recipes in this book. I have made everything from baguettes to cinnamon swirl bread. My kids often beg for chocolate challah. I have tried these recipes with two different bread machines and the recipes have all turned out to be incredibly delicious. I no longer have a need to buy expensive loafs from bakeries, because I can create something equally exquisite in my own kitchen with minimal effort. Perfect!

[Picky Virgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree 100% with the reviewers who rave about the recipes. I've made several loaves and they have all been wonderful. I bake weekly, and this has eclipsed all of my other bread-machine books as the go-to volume. My only complaint is the printing. I'm 60+ and still have great eyesight for close work, but I need my reading glasses for this book. While colored type is pretty and often sets a book apart from others, I just can't see the brown-on-white very well; I'd have given a black-type book as many stars as Amazon allowed. Normally I can read any print larger than a phone book's without assistance, but not here. Other than that, the book is great, and I wish I had purchased it years ago!

[James Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes, and I've had the good fortune to have been able to make a decent amount of them. Most recipes are for 1.5 and 2lb machines, and unfortunately, I only have a 1lb, so I usually have to perform some conversions. Despite that, the breads have always come out smelling, looking, and tasting good. There are so many good sounding breads that I spend a lot of time pouring over the pages trying to just try and pick one to make. Highly recommend for anyone that enjoys eating bread.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous and very informative, So many different styles of breads, everything from breads that continue baking in the bread machine to ones that you shape the dough and bake in your oven. Many different styles of starters,bigas and sourdoughs! I have lots of bread machine books and this is the most thourough. Lots of tips and variations too. excellent I'd give 10 stars if we had it!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The author is a bread genius. This cookbook taught me how to use my bread machine and gave me lots of recipes to try, and now I bravely experiment with my own variations of the author's loaves. The selection of recipes is varied--sweet, traditional, cheesy, flat, whole grain... it's all in here. Couldn't live without this book now that I have it!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I know why this book is so popular, it's the best on the subject. Only minor flaw is recipes are given in volume, not weights, but a conversion factor is given. I will probably buy a copy when I order my machine.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

Thanks to NetGalley and Harvard Common Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I mentioned some months ago that I was working on canning and preserving and making more things from scratch like I used to do, in part because that’s how I was raised. However, my mother never taught me how to make bread, and it seemed daunting. I decided to invest in a bread maker, and it included some basic recipes. Some of the eBooks I borrowed from the library were okay, but didn’t concentrate on bread makers per se.

This book was originally published in 2000 and is recently revised and updated. This book has it all, with no judgment if you want to use a bread maker, which is quite refreshing. Most bread making books concentrate on hand made breads, which is fine, but I’m not ready to go there yet. There’s a great deal to know about bread making, from the different flours to use, to the importance of gluten in some breads. (There is a section for gluten-free breads, too.)

I obviously haven’t had time to make all the breads that interested me, but I did try a few of the rye breads since my husband and I like them, but I rarely buy it. The breads turned out just as I had hoped, and I can’t wait for the weekends when I can try more. It’s safe to say, with wanting to try just a fraction of the more than 300 breads in the book, this is one book I’ll be referencing and using a lot!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook, Newly Expanded and Updated by Beth Hensperger is a cookbook and guide to bread machines that goes beyond bread.

This book came at the right time for me as I’ve been debating getting a bread machine and even have a model picked out, but haven’t bitten the bullet. It’s an investment and I was a bit nervous. Because this book opens up with so many details on different machines, the different things you can make, ingredients, and what to pay attention to as you learn more about your individual machine, I’m feeling a lot less nervous about getting a machine. The page with conversions is also very useful.

For recipes, there is sourdough, chocolate breads, fruit breads, traditional wheat and white breads, yogurt, accompaniments for breads, and croutons. If I get a machine, I’m looking forward to trying out the beer and cheese bread as well as some of the chocolate breads. I love a dessert bread made into French toast for important holidays and there are few meals that can’t be improved from a good cheese bread. The accompaniments also have my attention, especially the yogurts since the recipes look so accessible.

I would recommend this to readers with bread machines looking to see all of the things their machine can do

[DustyBookSniffers - Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is a true game-changer for anyone who owns a bread machine! The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger is a no-nonsense treasure trove with over 300 recipes designed to elevate your bread-baking skills to new heights. With a solid 153 pages filled entirely with recipes, this book focuses on substance over frills. While you won't find glossy colour photographs, the scattering of line drawings adds a charming touch without taking up valuable space that's better devoted to even more recipes.

I typically enjoy cookbooks with colourful images, but in this case, the absence of photos feels like a deliberate choice that works to the book's advantage. It allows for a wider range of recipes, ensuring there's something for everyone—from classic loaves to creative variations.

The recipes are straightforward and easy to follow, making this cookbook an excellent resource for novice and experienced bakers. Each recipe is thoughtfully crafted, helping you achieve perfect bread every time. I can't wait to add a physical copy of this book to my kitchen library and further experiment with all its recipes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quanto Publishing - Harvard Common Press for providing me with an e-book copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook includes recipes for every bread you have ever heard of and many more than you haven’t even imagined. It includes recipes for quick non-yeast bread, sourdough bread, holiday bread, pizza dough, and even jams that can all be made in your bread machine. Best of all, for me, it contains a chapter on gluten free breads too.

The comprehensive introduction is a must read for new bread machine owners. It explains the different cycles and what actually happens with the machine during its time processing your ingredients. I especially appreciated the section about what to do when something doesn’t go as expected.

If you are serious about becoming a bread machine master, The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook needs to be nearby. It is a comprehensive how-to guide filled with over 300 different recipes. I would have preferred some photos and nutritional information, which dropped my review by a star. Otherwise, this cookbook makes the perfect gift for the bread machine baker in your life. 4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Harvard Common Press for providing me with an advanced review copy.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this in a digital bundle. My first thoughts were ''does anyone use bread machines anymore?'' and ''this is huge!''. If you have a bread machine and you love it, this is definitely for you. There's SO many recipes, split into daily breads, whole wheat / grain, traditional loaves, flavored, different shaped / flatbreads, sweet, express, and even jams, butters and lots more. Most of the recipes do get repetitive though. There's also lots of info boxes in random places that I think could have been placed in the front or back instead. There aren't any pictures in this book, which is pretty disappointing. There's some watermark type drawings, but I found myself having to google photos of a lot of breads to know what they look like.
So in conclusion, my first impression of it was improved, but I wouldn't recommend this unless you're really nerdy about bread machines.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bread lover's bread machine cookbook has over 300 bread recipes.

The Sections are
orientation
daily breads (white breads and egg breads)
earth's bounty (whole wheat, whole grain, specialty flour)
traditional loaves (country breads and sourdough breads)
All kinds of flavors
circles, squares and crescents (pizza and flatbreads)
sweet loaves
express lane bread (no yeast quick breads)
jams, preserves, and chutneys

Each recipe has a little blurb, ingredients, and directions. Most of the recipes have multiple portion options. I quite enjoyed the layout of the cookbook. I will say there are very few photos and I enjoy to be able to see the finished recipe, but in this cookbook I didn't mind it as much.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot even count the number of bread machine cookbooks or online recipes I’ve tried… but I’m sure it’s at least 100. Outside of the tried and true recipes that came with my machine so many failed, or if the bread turned out the taste didn’t.

That is, until this not so little book came along. Every recipe I have tried, around 25, have all turned out, and tasted great - every one y’all. I have made minor adjustments to a few, but just to meet personal preference (ie I don’t like cinnamon or wanted it more garlicky), but outside of that each recipe has been spot on and turned out great in our machine.

Outside of the recipes being great, there is a HUGE variety of different kinds of breads, so it’s been a great adventure.

If you have a bread machine you need this book.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is will be THE (machine) bread maker’s ‘Go TO’ recipe book. I really enjoyed all the information that’s packed into this gem of a cookbook. So many tidbits of helpful tips and interesting trivia. I’ve browsed a lot of recipe books and too often thought that I’d never actually make anything from them but I was immediately itching to dust off my machine and try so many of these recipes. This is the perfect gift for a new bread maker or someone who wants just one ‘go to’ bread machine cookbook, on their shelf.
Thank You to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press, and Beth Hensperger for the opportunity get back into my bread making passion again, reading and trying recipes from this ARC.

[Pamela Lilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being new to bread making I wanted a book with instructions, ideas, and easy recipes. This book certainly packs a punch. It has everything, including 300 bread recipes - fruit, herb, grains, cheese, and the list goes on, cake, sweet rolls, chocolate bread, as well as jams and toppings and sandwich recipes. I just want to bake perfect bread, white or brown. And yes I managed it, along with a brioche loaf. Some great hints and tips. I think maybe this book is better suited to someone who likes to experiment with their bread maker with advanced recipes, there just seems to be so many recipes and suggestions that I know I won’t use. I will say that the electronic version doesn’t do it justice.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great recipe book for bread machines. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a beginner book, so know that, however it does have a lot of cool ideas.

I have a secondhand bread machine, and once the weather gets cold, I’m always thinking about it. The fruit bread section is probably where I’ll spend the most time. The tea bread too. There’s also a section about jam, for machines with a cycle for this.

Each recipe has about 10 ingredients, give or take. It also lists them for both 1 and 2 pounds, so that you don't have to do the conversions, depending upon your machine type.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

[Stevie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book comes in very handy when trying to find inspiration to bake a nice piece of bread, I got my bread machine for about 1 year and I have only tried to make Pan de muerto, conchas, white bread and multigrain bread. This book has given me more options, specially with the breakfast breads, I will be making shortly the cardamom tea bread.
I liked that there different pizza crust recepies, and different toppings suggestions as well.
The only thing that would make this book better is if instead of cups and spoons, the measurements were in grams as I find it the best method to recreate a recipe.

[Teresa Starrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive bread machine cookbook I have ever used. It has provided me the opportunity to crank up the bread machine and try out a myriad of recipes I had never attempted before. Each has turned out perfectly! It’s been eye opening to attempt Coconut Milk White Bread, Coffee Molasses Wheat Bread, and Swedish Rye with the support of this book. I feel as though I have a safety net! In addition to the recipes, there is a wealth of information about the ingredients and the breads themselves.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the advance copy. All opinions are my own

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a bread machine on my wedding registry, so I was very interested in a recipe book for it! The introduction is great for a novice like me, and I liked the layout. Illustrations are minimal and recipes are thorough. There is even gluten free bread recipes, and not just one or two. I love that there is a whole section just for cheese and Holiday breads. An added bonus was a chapter devoted to spreads for your breads. This cookbook has convinced me to get a bread machine even if I am not gifted one. I can’t wait to get this book as well! I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazingly thorough bread machine cookbook. It basically gives you recipes for each setting of your machine and so much more. From a basic white bread to focaccia and a Black Forest bread. It has recipes completely made in the machine and some that is just started there. Sourdough? Check. Rye? Check. Herbed breads? A ton of really yummy sounding ones I’ve never heard of. If you love your bread machine as much as I do and you don’t have this cookbook, I’d make this your next purchase. I would just suggest you get a physical copy as I’m frustrated I can’t physically see what breads I want to try out versus just interested in when looking at my tabs in my kindle.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a recipe for a special bread or a family favorite, this is the first book you should check. Chock full at 300 plus recipes for bread machines with clear directions. I made the Cinnabun Coffee Cake which was delicious per everyone who tasted it. Definitely a good choice if you host family for the holidays. Disappointed that amounts were not in grams for the recipes. Providing a chart is not the same.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.