In this break-through book, award-winning author Nancy Baggett states that as a child she was "lulled by the peaceful, calming nature" of making bread. As an adult she loved the "the feeling of tranquility and connectedness with the past, and the extraordinary sensory experience and satisfaction" of breads. Motivated by this love, she became a food professional which satisfied one urge, but deprived her of the time to indulge in the sensory experience of baking. Like many dedicated artisan bakers, she experimented with a return to long, slow rises. Working through complexities that would stall a less dedicated baker, Baggett rose to the challenge and created recipes that eliminate obstacles the deter a home bake and, miraculously, require no kneading. The result is Kneadlessly Simple, packed with recipes for baked goods that "will routinely have superior texture, aroma, and taste" and will not have the baker pounding away at the dough.
IACP winner and James Beard nominee, Bagget begins with nine simple steps to success. The steps are swift and sure, written in immaculate detail that carries no excess verbiage. (The first step states: "Stir together the basic dry ingredients like the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl large enough for the mixture to triple in size.") The steps are simple and well-delineated, and Baggett explains in a separate section the chemistry behind the miracle of the breads. She has a section on Basic Know-How, Ingredients, and Troubleshooting, then plunges into a wide variety of baked goods, divided into chapters that illustrate the range of her expertise:
-Easiest Ever Yeast Breads
-American Favorites
-Old-World Classics
-Healthful, Whole-Grain, Multi grain, and Gluten-Free Breads
-Sweet Breads and Gift Breads
-Toppings, Sauces, Glazes, Drizzles, and Finishing Touches
In this wide variety of no-knead breads are recipes such as Rosemary Foccaccia, Ciabatta and Baguettes. There are mouthwatering and buttery Pull-Apart Butter-Top Rolls, and Brioche (with a variation for Brioche with Chocolate Shards). There are classic all-American favorites like San Francisco–Style Sourdough, Anadama Bread, and Cinnamon-Raisin Bread as well as health-giving Hearty Multigrain Boule, 100 Percent Whole Wheat–Honey Bread, and Gluten-Free Faux Rye Bread. There are sweet breads for festive occasions and for gift-giving (as well as family eating) such as Panettone, Spiced Cranberry Orange Coffeecake, Mardi Gras King's Cake, Cornish Saffron Bread or Cherry and Chocolate Coffee Ring with Kirsch. You'll even find recipes for bread-making kits you can give as gifts such as Chocolate-Chocolate chip Bread Kit
All recipes include a "KS (Kneadlessly Simple) Quotient" that gives tips to each recipe. The book is illustrated with gorgeous color photos by Alexandra Grablewski.
Kudos for Kneadlessly Simple :
"Nancy Baggett has brought all her considerable baking and teaching skills to the table in her newest book, Kneadlessly Simple. Bakers always knew that making bread was fun, but now, with Nancy's help, it can also be surprisingly easy. She really gets the artisan principles of slow-rise bread baking and has created an easy method that will work for home bakers of all skill levels."
—Peter Reinhart, author of Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor
"Nothing beats the flavor and texture of good homemade bread, especially when it's made from a no-knead, no-fuss dough and it rivals the best artisan bread you can buy anywhere. That's just what Nancy Baggett gives you in Kneadlessly Simple—an adaptation of all the most up-to-the-minute methods for producing outstanding bread with little effort—you'll love it!"
—Nick Malgieri, author of The Modern Baker
©
About the Author:
Nancy Baggett is a baking expert, food journalist, and best selling cookbook author whose thirteen titles include the IACP Award–winning International Chocolate Cookbook, The All-American Cookie Book, a James Beard Foundation and IACP best baking book nominee, and The All-American Dessert Book. She contributes to Eating Well, the Washington Post, and many other leading food magazines and newspapers, and is an occasional commentator for NPR's Weekend All Things Considered. Baggett appears frequently at culinary and food writing workshops, classes, and demonstrations around the country, and has been interviewed on many national TV and radio shows.