Babette's Bread - by Babette Kourelos (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A Globe and Mail Best Cookbook of the Year

"This primer on bread from Babette Frances Kourelos is for new bakers and pros alike." --Town and Country Magazine

From crusty baguettes to bubbly focaccias and robust sourdoughs, Babette's Bread is a comprehensive and unpretentious guide to bread-making, with useful advice on how to make fresh homemade bread fit into even the busiest of schedules.

For Babette Kourelos, the happenstance baking of a humble cottage loaf completely changed the trajectory of her life, leading her away from a career in law to answer a different calling: bread. Before long she'd begun to fill orders from friends and neighbours. Seeking more comprehensive training, she undertook an apprenticeship with renowned French master baker Gerard Rubaud in the woods of Vermont. Bringing her newfound skills back to her native South Africa she opened a wildly successful bakery in Johannesburg's Maboneng Precinct, which she operated until moving to Canada in 2020.

Babette's Bread is an accessible primer dedicated to demystifying and simplifying this nourishing staple skill. In her introductory chapter, Babette guides home bakers through each stage of the bread-making process, from sourcing quality ingredients to fermentation, shaping, baking, and storing. She then moves into chapters on straight dough breads, pre-fermented, cold fermented, sourdough, sweet and enriched, rye, whole grain, steamed, and quick breads.

With her simple, unpretentious approach, Babette provides newbie and seasoned bakers everything they need to take back this affordable, soulful domestic practice. From a basic white sandwich loaf to, pizza dough, koulouri, challah, hot cross buns, stollen, beer bread, cornbread, pitas, bagels, pretzels, and buttermilk rusks--Babette's Bread takes inspiration from around the world and offers a range of mouth-watering breads to try.

With more than 60 recipes, accompanied by photos of delectable loaves and sun-filled work spaces, and interspersed with anecdotes from Babette's childhood, her apprenticeship in Vermont, and the day-to-day running of her bakery, this is a complete guide to fitting bread-making into your life.

Review Quotes

"Interspersed throughout the recipes (pizza dough! koulouri! challah!) are charming anecdotes about Babette's childhood and path from being a practicing lawyer to a successful baker." --Town and Country Magazine

"This deserves a space in collections that cater to both casual and adventurous bakers. Kourelos's writing is approachable, and she creates a supportive space for those starting the same journey she has explored so deliciously." --Library Journal

"Master bread baker Kourelos has trained around the world, and she shares her stories and techniques in her first cookbook - a beautiful, accessible and comprehensive guide to mastering the art of bread." --Globe and Mail

"Perfect for any dinner party" --CBC Life

"Learning to make bread from scratch can seem daunting to even the most adventurous home cook, but Babette finds the simplicity with expert know-how and warmth. This gem of a book deserves a place on your shelf." --Rachel Holtzman, New York Times-bestselling cookbook co-author

"With more than 60 recipes, abundant photos, and step-by-step illustrations, Kourelos's volume starts with tools for breadmaking (with alternatives present in most kitchens) plus a tutorial on the array of flour and yeast, and allowances for humidity and temperature. This cookbook could well begin a bread revolution." --Shelf Awareness

"Kourelos features more than 60 recipes for everyday baking. Ranging from quick breads to sourdoughs and sweet loaves to rye and wholegrain, she drew on experiences from her Johannesburg bakery, home baking and teaching in the hopes of making it less intimidating." --National Post

"With Babette's Bread, Kourelos believes that everyone can be a confident baker. She suggests starting with the simple bread recipes before tackling the more complicated ones, such as sourdough." --edible Vancouver & Wine Country

"Written by a talented and technically proficient baker, Babette's Bread is a wonderful reference and guide, through the basics to more challenging formulae, appealing to beginners as well as serious home bakers." --Martin Barnett, executive director of The Baking Association of Canada and principal of Seraphina's Oven