How to Bake Bread: The Five Families of Bread

We all know whole grain breads are better for us, but will we actually eat them, much less take time to bake them? Yes, says beloved baking instructor Peter Reinhart, but only if they are very, very good. So Reinhart, with his decades of experience crafting amazing artisanal breads, has made it his mission to create whole grain breads that are nothing short of incredible.

In this follow-up to his award-winning book The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Reinhart offers groundbreaking methods for making whole grain breads that taste better than any you’ve ever had. And because his approach is also simpler and less labor intensive than conventional techniques, you'll choose to make and eat these breads. His fifty-five recipes for whole grain sandwich, hearth, and specialty breads, plus bagels, crackers, and more, incorporate widely available whole wheat flour as well as other flours and grains such as rye, barley, steel-cut oats, cornmeal, and quinoa. Each is so rich with flavor and satisfying texture that white-flour counterparts pale in comparison.

Written in Reinhart's famously clear style and accompanied by inspiring photographs, these recipes were perfected with the help of nearly 350 testers. Introductory chapters provide a tutorial, with step-by-step photographs, of the delayed fermentation method that is at the heart of these recipes, as well as a crash course in baking science, discussions of grains other than wheat, and more. Advanced bakers will relish Reinhart’s innovative techniques and exacting scientific explanations, and beginning bakers will rejoice in the ease of baking wholesome breads with such extraordinary flavor.

Peter Reinhart is a baking instructor and faculty member at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the cofounder of Brother Juniper’s Bakery in Santa Rosa, California, and is the author of six books on bread baking, including Brother Juniper’s Bread Book, Crust and Crumb, and the 2002 James Beard Cookbook of the Year and IACP Cookbook of the Year, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

Hardback, 9-1/4 " x 10-1/4", 320 pages, loaded with beautiful color illustrations.

Handmade in Austria, the KoMo Classic stone burr grain mill has special appeal to lovers of elegant design, natural materials and fine craftsmanship. KoMo believes that design sophistication lies not in more complexity, but in simplicity. The Classic's construction of solid native beechwood or American Walnut with finger-jointed corners mirrors the warm and simple goodness of whole grain foods.

KoMo mills are built for performance and also for longevity, which is reflected in their long, twelve year warranty. Thanks to the quality of their materials and hand built craftsmanship, there's every reason to expect your KoMo mill to continue serving the next generation. Should your mill need anything years from now, the burrs and all other parts are easily accessible and serviceable. Most other grain mills have much shorter life cycles, and many are not repairable in the event of a problem as seemingly minor as clogged burrs, requiring disposal of the entire mill.

In addition to the major environmental benefit of building long-life goods, KoMo partners with PEFC, the world's largest forest certification organization, to both protect and restore forest lands. You can learn more about KoMo's PEFC certification below.

Housed within the Classic's handsome exterior is an exceptionally advanced, yet beautifully simple, milling mechanism. Precisely fitted corundum-ceramic burrs grind to any texture you choose, from exceedingly fine flour to coarse meal or cracked grain, all by simply rotating the grain mill's hopper to align with your choice on the front texture setting scale. The Classic—a graceful union of natural elegance and perfect function—is KoMo's best selling mill.

All KoMo electric grain mills are equipped with specially developed motors that provide reliable and efficient power. The Classic, with its 360 watt motor, produces 8-9 ounces of flour per minute for bread flour texture. Its large solid wood hopper holds 2 lb., 1 oz. of grain.

All dry grains can be ground with the KoMo Classic mill, including soft or hard wheat, oat groats (dehulled oats), rice, triticale, khorasan, spelt, buckwheat, barley, rye, millet, teff, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum, soybeans, and dent (field) corn. It will also grind lentils, dry beans (pinto, red, garbanzo/chickpeas, kidney & more), coffee beans, and dried, non-oily spices. It isn't suitable for oilseeds like flax or sesame, popcorn, cocoa nibs, cinnamon sticks, or sugar.

Dent (field) corn and soybeans can be ground to any texture from cracked to meal to very fine flour. For these very large-kerneled grains, grind first with the stones opened widely to produce cracked grain, then a second time if you want flour. The KoMo Classic will grind oats to a wonderfully soft, fine textured flour, but open the stones about five clicks (or so) wider than you would for a hard grain like wheat, otherwise the soft oat flour will fill the stones' furrows and in-feeding will stop. Opening the stones further will give you a cereal grind for porridge, or coarser yet for cracked oats, similar to steel-cut.

If you prepare food for someone with a food allergy, see KoMo's optional interchangeable insert system. This ingenious solution lets you grind different types of grain in the same mill while keeping food types completely separate.

As with all KoMo grinders, cleanup of the Classic is minimal and easy, and full access to the milling stones takes just seconds, without tools. A sealed wooden lid keeps everything clean between uses. Sound level is a big issue with many grain mills. Among the world's quietest-running grinders, KoMo mills don't have the high-pitched sound level that many mills do, which makes them kind to your ears and your nerves.

The KoMo Classic mill is available in the standard 110V version for use on U.S. power, or a 230V version for use overseas. Mills with 230V power are equipped with a Euro plug. For more details about the Classic mill, see the specs tab, above.

For more details see the specs tab, above.

If the Italians don't already say "It's the cat's pajamas" we think they'll start soon, just to describe their Famag mixers. These Italian-made spiral dough mixers are world renowned for strength, quality, and exceptional baking results. And now they’re available in the U.S. for the first time, with industrial duty motors designed specifically for U.S. voltage. As Famag's exclusive U.S. importer, PHG is proud to offer these high performance dough-making marvels! You'll call them the bee's knees and the cat's whiskers because they make the smoothest, silkiest dough you've likely ever seen—quickly and effortlessly, and in your kitchen.

Designed expressly for ideal dough-mixing and kneading results, Famag spiral mixers feature a spiral agitator that remains stationary while the bowl rotates, bringing the dough to the stainless steel dough hook with each revolution. This action is exceptionally thorough and uniform, while avoiding both overworking and overheating of the dough. An integrated offset breaker bar ensures ideal metering of the dough into the spiral hook. This three-way kneading process is exceptionally thorough and fast, yet the low impact and widely distributed dough contact of the spiral hook completely avoids overworking and overheating of the dough. Wide-range, infinitely variable speed adjustment lets you dial in precisely the action you want.

The IM-8 mixer is available in two dough hook RPM ranges: 98-245 or 130-312 RPM. Read about the difference between these models in the high hydration dough section below.

Famag mixers feature a heavy duty chain overhead drive with a high torque dual-belt final drive. FAG sealed industrial ball bearings are used for exceptionally long life. Construction is robust throughout, as reflected by the substantial 77 lb. weight of the IM-8. Epoxy powder coating over a steel cabinet protects the handsome appearance of your Famag mixer.

The Famag IM-8 mixer is available with either a tilting head that features a high lift drive and lift assist, or with a fixed head. The model with the fixed head is the IM-8, and the model with the tilting head and removable bowl is the IM-8S. The bowl is removable on the mixer with a tilting head, and is not removable on the mixer with a fixed head.

If you're mixing high hydration doughs we recommend you purchase the tilting head/removable bowl mixer so it's easier to remove the dough from the bowl, and to clean the bowl. It's easy to remove low hydration dough from the fixed head mixer than it is to remove high hydration dough, and cleaning the bowl after mixing low hydration dough is easily done with the bowl attached to the mixer.

Thanks to the spiral hook’s action, mixtures that overtax other designs—such as pizza or bagel dough—are handled easily, quickly and efficiently in the Famag spiral dough mixer. Doughs of all kinds, from heavy to high-hydration artisan doughs, come out smooth, silky and perfectly developed.

The Famag IM-8S HH mixer is identical to the standard IM-8S Famag mixer, except that it has a special sprocket that allows the mixer to run at a faster RPM. The spiral hook on this model runs at 130-312 RPM, while the hook on the standard IM-8S mixer runs at 98-245 RPM. Click for the approximate RPM at each speed, for each model. The IM-8S HH mixer is designed specifically for high hydration dough (over 75% hydration). If you aren't planning to make a lot of high hydration dough, the mixer with the regular sprocket is a great option.

Famag's IM-8 mixes and kneads up to 17.6 lbs. (8 kg) of dough at 60% hydration (or more at a higher hydration), but also handles batches as small as 2.6 lbs. (1.2 kg) equally as well. In terms of flour capacity, this is 11 lbs. (5 kg) down to as little as 1.6 lbs. (750 g) of flour. Capacity of the stainless steel bowl is 11.6 quarts (11 liters). The kneading arm of the Famag lifts high for bowl access and removal, and provides lift-assist.

There are two buttons on the Famag mixer for controlling the direction of both the dough hook and bowl. The left arrow button moves the spiral hook in a downward motion, and the right arrow button moves the hook in an upward motion. The left arrow button can be referred to as the “forward” direction while the right arrow button can be referred to as the “reverse” direction.

Some users incorporate ingredients with the spiral hook turning in an upward motion, to reduce the amount of oxygen incorporated into the ingredients, and then switch to a downward motion to knead the dough. Others users prefer to mix with the hook turning in a downward motion from start to finish.

Famag spiral dough mixers are available in a wide selection of colors. Dark Silver, Marina and Emerald are pearl finishes that have a subtle pearlescent luster. Sparkle Silver has a brilliant sparkle to it that catches light more than the pearlescent colors will. Arctic White, Maraschino, and Ruby have a glossy finish.

The Famag IM-8 kneads up to 17.6 lbs. of dough, making it an ideal size for home users looking for a spiral mixer for bread dough or pizza dough!

The Brod & Taylor Dough Proofer makes wholesome, made-from-scratch baking easier than ever with an optimum proofing environment plus easy storage. Set it lower for a longer “cool rise” or turn up the heat to give your yeast a boost on a cold winter day. A large window gives you a full view of the spacious interior where your largest bowl or full sized loaves fit easily. There’s no need to cover your dough as the included water tray keeps humidity at an optimum level.

The innovative Brod and Taylor folding bread proofer accurately maintains the temperature you set, in the range of 70–195°F (21–90C), in five degree increments. Its cabinet is built of super tough reinforced polypropylene with a clear viewing window. The stainless steel wire rack, power cord and all other parts fit inside the proofer when folded. Inside dimensions are 14.75” x 12.5” x 8.75” high. Outside dimensions are (open): 18” x 14.5” x 10.5” high and (closed): 18” x 14.5” x 2.75” high, so it stores very easily.

Included with the Brod and Taylor Bread Proofer & Slow Cooker is a 55-page booklet with recipes for yeast breads, sourdough, yogurt, butter, cheese, kefir, kombucha, tempeh, and slow-cooker recipes like chuck roast, pulled pork and caramelized "black" garlic.

Pizza dough... artisan sourdough... yogurt... the Brod and Taylor dough proofing box provides a warm, humid environment for more consistent results with rising yeast dough recipes. These include organic whole grain recipes, made-from-scratch bread loaves, pastries, gluten-free yeast bread recipes, soft pretzels, doughnuts, focaccia, cinnamon rolls, and croissants, to name a few. The Brød and Taylor bread proofer is also the ultimate yogurt maker, developing perfect yogurt in either one large, or several smaller containers. Nothing's easier than making delicious yogurt at home with this machine.

In addition to its outstanding core performance as a dough proofer, this versatile Brod and Taylor product is also a slow cooker, yogurt maker, hot plate and more!

Brod and Taylor's innovative bread proofing box is a multi-use kitchen tool ideal for home bread bakers—or anyone with an appreciation for scratch recipes, organic cooking and wholesome ingredients. Designed as the ultimate solution for rising yeast dough, the proofer’s consistent low-heat also works as a yogurt maker, chocolate tempering machine, bread crisper, plate warmer and more.

When your bread's been finished, your Brod and Taylor proofer is the ideal bread warmer, keeping it at perfect serving temperature. One elegant, easy-storing appliance does it all, conveniently and efficiently. It’s a great new tool for any kitchen where homemade baking is enjoyed, and it has really taken off among our customers at Pleasant Hill Grain.

The Brod and Taylor bread proofer now has a slow cooker mode! In slow cooker mode, temperatures may be set between 85–195°F (29–90C), in five degree increments. For slow cooking recipes that recommend a low setting in traditional slow cookers, set the temperature to the maximum setting of 195°F. Always use a lid on the pot when slow cooking. The rack and water tray are not used when slow cooking. For best results, use a heavy duty Dutch oven or stock pot with a tight fitting lid. Maximum dimensions for a slow cooker pot are 11.5" diameter and 8.75" high, including handles and lid.

One of the things we like most about the Brod and Taylor bread proofer is the toughness of its construction. Between the details of the design and the quality of its materials, our experience—after an extended period of offering this product—is that breakage is a non-issue. It assembles very quickly, feels solid, and truly is a rugged, reliable performer. We've used one in the PHG test kitchen for years and endorse it enthusiastically.

Michael Taylor, an engineer and longtime bread baker, is well acquainted with the homespun solutions bakers have tried in search of a more controlled dough rise. An inventor at heart, Taylor saw a real problem that needed a remedy. Home bakers needed a tool that offered the confidence and convenience of a professional proofer in an affordable, versatile, space-saving design. After years of careful research and testing he created the world’s first folding home proofer, and it's truly an outstanding product.

Cook's Illustrated recommends the Brod and Taylor folding proofer, finding that it performs well and is easy to use and clean.