On 2020-04-23 7:37 p.m., U.S. Janet B. wrote:
> On Fri, 24 Apr 2020 01:24:49 -0000 (UTC), Jinx the Minx
> > wrote:
>
>> Boron Elgar > wrote:
>>> On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 14:34:45 -0600, U.S. Janet B. >
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 15:01:48 -0400, Boron Elgar
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 10:54:26 -0600, U.S. Janet B. >
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> AP flour is fine maybe even best for most bread that you want to make.
>>>>>> The high protein bread flour is for those artisanal loaves with crisp
>>>>>> crust and meant to hold their own shape. The way your grandmother
>>>>>> made bread.
>>>>>> Janet US
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I've 5 loaves on their final proofs. AP+WW+lots of old fashioned and
>>>>> steel cut oats) and another 10lbs of dough in the fridge for
>>>>> tomorrow's bake. Tomorrow is all white sourdough.
>>>>>
>>>>> Lots of freezer space, obviously, for afterwards.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is all Hecker's AP flour for the white. When I could not find any
>>>>> flour at all in the local store, I looked online and discovered a
>>>>> bakery supply on Long Island that delivered in 25lb bags. They screwed
>>>>> up one item in the order (measuring pitcher) and when they re-shipped,
>>>>> they sent the original order a second time and I was told to keep it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Lordy- 50 lbs of Heckers. Um..the other part of the grain order was 5
>>>>> lbs of rye. That itself was an over-reach. Now I have 10 lbs of rye in
>>>>> the freezer.
>>>>>
>>>>> I figure I have 6 weeks until the heat hits and I have to stop baking.
>>>>
>>>> Holy Mackerel, BreadWoman! 5 pounds of rye? 50 pounds of white is
>>>> something I used to go through in one winter. Got room in the freezer
>>>> for the rye and white for this summer? I bet you'll use half of the
>>>> flour before it gets too hot. Do you have "Bernard Clayton's Complete
>>>> Book of Breads"? There are a couple, maybe 3,4 rye loaves in there
>>>> that I have tried and liked and a bunch more I haven't tried.
>>>> Good Luck (although with the extra flour it looks like you have
>>>> already lucked out) 
>>>> Janet US
>>>
>>> I've large very heavy duty cylindrical Tupperware type containers for
>>> the AP. No Room in the freezer for them but they hold maybe 11-13 lbs
>>> apiece with tamping down. It stays cool in the basement for the flour,
>>> though.
>>>
>>> I have these containers because I used to have so many different
>>> flours and grains for breads. There is just the two of us now, so I
>>> cannot go through all that variety these days. Now the containers are
>>> just stacked on a shelf. I am glad they came in handy.
>>>
>>> I do have Clayton, but I make a Jewish style rye based loosely on
>>> Beranbaum and Leader, I believe. Old, old books, all of them.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I enjoy baking bread but Im pretty much a novice and Id love to perfect
>> it. If you had only one bread baking book to recommend as €śthe one€ť, what
>> book would it be?
>
> LOL, good one! one favorite.
> Janet US
>
I, like you have many favourites but for beginners most of them are a
bit overwhelming.
Many years ago after a series of failures, I decided to go back to
square one and get a book that would make me start from scratch. On
holiday in the UK, I went into a branch of a major bookstore chain and
went through all the bread books. I chose "Ultimate Bread" by Treuille
and Ferrigno:
http://tiny.cc/ggpnnz
Unfortunately, the North American edition has the recipes in cup measure
which doesn't help the beginner learn the feel of the dough. The recipes
work and they helped me get my confidence back. Incidentally, I took a
course in Italian cookery given by Ursula Ferrigno and she is the most
delightful person.
As an alternative, I would look at Cyril Hitz "Baking artisan bread":
http://tiny.cc/cmpnnz
The book comes with a dvd. I had a question about one of the recipes and
e-mailed Hitz and received a very helpful reply a few hours later.