The Rye Baker is an utterly beautiful, well-researched treasure of a cookbook on baking rye breads. This book will open up a whole new world to any reader. I read and own a lot of bread baking books, and I've never seen anything approaching the level of detail and variety found in Stanley Ginsberg's book. He has clearly done an exceptional amount of research into the use of rye as an ingredient in baking, both contemporary and historically throughout Europe and the US. From well-known favorites like Boston Brown Bread and Jewish Bakery Pumpernickel to regional specialties like Slow-Baked Frisian Rye (Holland), South Tyrolean Christmas Zelten (Italy), Sauerkraut Bread (Germany), Normandy Apple Cider Rye (France), Riga Rye (Latvia), Ginger-Plum Bread (Germany) and Yogurt Rye (Poland), this book explores the stunning variety of breads made with rye.
Importantly, all of the recipes and explanations are accompanied by measurements in grams, ounces, volume, and baker's percentages. The handful of comparisons I've made while starting to bake from this book indicate that the conversions are correctly done between weights and volumes.
This book starts with an brief introduction to how this book came into being, the history of rye in agriculture and food, a very comprehensive section on ingredients, including US-Europe flour equivalencies and a breakdown of their protein and moisture content. This section is packed with concise but key information on the roles of salt, sweeteners, spices and herbs, leavening, yeast, liquids, and other mix-ins like fruits and seeds. This section also walks you through starting and maintaining a rye sourdough culture.
Following the introduction, there's an in-depth chapter on understanding the terminology and techniques used in these recipes - "Nine steps to great rye bread". This section covers things like why and how different types of preferments are used, the importance of accurate measurements and scaling, benching the dough, etc. Even if you are an experienced baker, this section contains lots of interesting details about how baking with rye works and the rationale behind some of the different techniques.
An equipment section follows the "Nine steps", and again, Stanley goes into a lot of detail about the roles of specific equipment (like proofing baskets, steam pans, and baking stones) in turning out a great loaf of rye bread. This chapter concludes with a short section on cooling and storage.
The recipes themselves are split into Immigrant Bread (America), the Essential Loaf (France and Spain), Robust and Complex (Holland, Denmark, and Northern Germany), Sweet and Crisp (Sweden, Finland, and Iceland), Aromatic and Flavorful (Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy), Dark and Intense (Russia and the Baltics), Tender and Piquant (Southern Poland), and Rich and Varied (Central and Southwestern Germany).
While a lot of the recipes make use of a starter or preferment, there are plenty of recipes that look delicious and take very little advance notice. I just got this tonight and my loaf of Spiced Honey Rye (France) is already cooled and ready to eat. It smells and tastes utterly amazing. If I were to bookmark all the recipes I want to make from this book, I would flag almost every page. There's so much knowledge and diversity of rye-based recipes in here, this bread book will be a great resource for anyone (home baker or professional) who enjoys baking bread.
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From the Publisher
The definitive resource for home bakers and professionals alike
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“A must-have for all serious bread bakers; an instant classic.”—Peter Reinhart, author of Bread Revolution |
Advanced bakers will relish Stanley’s methods, ingredients and carefully sourced recipes, while beginning bakers will delight in his clear descriptions of baking fundamentals. |
With over 70 classic recipes, The Rye Baker introduces bakers to the rich world of rye bread from both the old world and the new. |
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Reviews with images
Not for the beginner, but ideal for the more experienced baker
I gave this to my wife for Christmas. She has been baking seriously for several years, doing a lot of sourdough. I gave her a proofer last year, and that has made everything much easier and dependable--no more trying to find places warm enough for the dough to rise, but not hot enough to start cooking it!This Provençal Rye was her first major attempt from The Rye Baker. It takes a couple of days lead time, but it was a complete success--delicious!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
This Provençal Rye was her first major attempt from The Rye Baker. It takes a couple of days lead time, but it was a complete success--delicious!
Not for the beginner, but ideal for the more experienced baker
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
I gave this to my wife for Christmas. She has been baking seriously for several years, doing a lot of sourdough. I gave her a proofer last year, and that has made everything much easier and dependable--no more trying to find places warm enough for the dough to rise, but not hot enough to start cooking it!Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
This Provençal Rye was her first major attempt from The Rye Baker. It takes a couple of days lead time, but it was a complete success--delicious!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2017
Top reviews from other countries
Anthony Prudori
LOADS of information about baking with rye!
Reviewed in Canada on October 6, 2023Will v B
quite possibly the quintessential book on rye.
Reviewed in Brazil on December 19, 2020
