The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook

     It is diet season, and as fate would have it, the most beautiful cookbook arrived on my doorstep to entice me. The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook, written by Jessamyn Walman Rodriguez and the bakers of Hot Bread Kitchen with Julia Turshen  is a culinary and literary gem.
     Many would agree that the concept of hot bread is tempting all by itself, the comfort of hot bread and melting butter speaks to all the senses. What makes this book such a treasure is the artistry that the authors have used to marry the multicultural staple of hot bread with the people and countries that the products come from.
     Hot Bread Kitchen in East Harlem, New York, may seem similar to many bakeries around the world.  The part that makes this one unique is that the bakery offers education and opportunity to low-income minority women.  The women become trainees and learn skills and the English language. Through this education and training the women are then able to begin their own businesses or obtain management positions in other food production businesses. The sale of the breads that are made at the bakery support the training of the women.  The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook, highlights the breads and the people that make both the bakery and the book a wonderful thing.
    Aside from the stories of this incredible enterprise that is helping minority women achieve sustainability in our economy, the book is a wealth of information in the art of baking breads from many cultural venues.  From unleavened flatbreads to tortillas and crusty baguettes to challahs the recipes and instructions in the book are well illustrated and easy to follow. The book even includes many recipes for dishes that compliment the cultural breads.
    I love a good cookbook, but honestly, most cookbooks that I peruse I simply flip the pages until something captures my eye and then I read the recipe and ingredients.  In The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook, I was  hooked from the introduction page to the final page.  The layout, the stories, the pictures the instructions and of course the recipes  were all wonderfully done.
     I tried my hand at one of the recipes.  I made the "Rustic Batard," a crusty hearty bread.  I followed all the directions which included making "Pâte Fermentée" the day before which had to set overnight in the refrigerator.  My dough shaping leaves a bit to be desired, as my loaf did not have the exact shape as the one in the illustration, but the taste and texture of the bread was perfect. This means the recipe works, which makes me anxious to try all the others in the book.
     Bread is  a universal sustenance and a true joy to make and eat.  Whether one is a bread baking master or novice, The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook is an enchanting addition to any cookbook library.


FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review