I need an instruction book, not a cookbook

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JustJoel

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I’m sure that many of you know that my obsession this year is bread machines and bread. So far, I have only followed recipes in books and from the Internet, with only occasional and very small tweaks, and I’ve done very well, if I do say so myself.

But.

I would like to start experimenting with my own ideas, but I “knead” a textbook; something that teaches me about ratios, and liquid contents of ingredients (like tomato paste), and the weights of different flours, etc. etc. etc.

Any suggestions are welcome. I would prefer a book in Kindle format, rather than a hard copy. And I really don’t want to purchase anything without recommendations from you fine chefs. So, thanks in advance.:chef:
 
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee; New Complete Techniques by Jacques Pepin; Ratio by Michael Ruhlman; Sauces by James Patterson; Cookwise by Shirley Corriher also Bakewise.
 
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee; New Complete Techniques by Jacques Pepin; Ratio by Michael Ruhlman; Sauces by James Patterson; Cookwise by Shirley Corriher also Bakewise.
Thanks! I downloaded most of them. Shirley Corriher’s books weren’t available as e-books; illl save sauces for later; and Jacques Pepin’s book is more of a culinary school textbook. I’m looking forward to studying Ratio, as that is the thing that will help me in creating my own recipes. Thanks!
 
If you are looking for books about bread, you might want to check out Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza by Ken Forkish. I picked it up from the local library, and thought it gave a pretty good explanation about making bread.
 
I have found James Beard's book "Beard on Bread" to be very help. It's old-school bread baking, though, so if you want to make no-knead or slow cooker bread, this isn't the book for you.

As far as basics of food and cooking, I often refer to my copy of "The Wise Encyclopedia of Cookery". While it does include some recipes, it is mostly a description and usage of all kinds of ingredients, charts of animals and where each cut of meat comes from them, and all sorts of other bits of kitchen info.
 
I have found James Beard's book "Beard on Bread" to be very help. It's old-school bread baking, though, so if you want to make no-knead or slow cooker bread, this isn't the book for you.
Slow cooker bread? I hadn't heard of that, so I had to ask Mr. Google. There are recipes for this, but they call out for broiling the finished loaf to get the crust, which in my mind kind of defeats the purpose.

Ken Forkish maintains that dutch oven bread is ideal for the home bread maker, and his book was written with that in mind.
 
Are you looking for books just about bread baking, or cooking in general, or both?

"Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" is another great book on making no-knead bread. Their technique uses a baking stone and a broiler tray of water for the steam, which I find easier to use because I don't have to lift the enameled cast iron Dutch oven in and out of the oven.

Their basic dough recipe can be used as a basis for many other types of bread, including sweet breads. I love it: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2013...tes-a-day-is-launched-back-to-basics-updated/

For general cooking, "Ruhlman's Twenty," by Michael Ruhlman, describes the basic cooking techniques and how they work. It's also full of exquisite photographs by his ex-wife. I initially bought the Kindle version, and then I bought the hard-cover book (used on Amazon) to better see the gorgeous photos.

From a review at http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/09/cook-the-book-ruhlmans-twenty.html

The first technique that Michael Ruhlman introduces in his latest cookbook, Ruhlman's Twenty is simply titled Think because in his words, "Thinking in the kitchen is underrated." Ruhlman wants us to stop blindly following recipes, in an A plus B equals C, kitchen robot kind of way, and start thinking about the hows and whys that make recipe work.

In order to better understand these hows and whys, Ruhlman has introduced 20 fundamental techniques for today's kitchen in his latest volume—Think, Salt, Water, Onion, Acid, Egg, Butter, Dough, Batter, Sugar, Sauce, Vinaigrette, Soup, Sauté, Roast, Braise, Poach, Grill, Fry, Chill—all of which are not only tackled in typical Ruhlman straight-talk, everyman science but illustrated with a set of recipes that puts each technique into action.
 
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I'll plus-1 the Ruhlman's Twenty, by Michael Ruhlman, for general cooking principles.

CD
 

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