The Fresh Loaf

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Suggestions for bread science books

ichadwick's picture
ichadwick

Suggestions for bread science books

I’m looking for recommendations for books with the science of food, with a particular interest in baking, bread, and fermentation, as well as the effects of ingredients and heat. I have a fairly good understanding of chemistry, physics, and microbiology so I appreciate something with a bit of depth.

I already have:

Bread Science by Emily Buehler. Excellent book, and fun to read. She has a good food science blog, too.

Baking Science by Dikla Levy Frances. Good book for cakes, pastries, and tarts, but little about bread, and nothing on sourdough.

Sourdough by Science, by Karyn Lynn Newman. Meh. Okay book for technique, but little actual science.

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, by Harold McGee. Superb book about food, and food science, with good sections on bread, flour, and fermentation. I have the original edition (1984) but have a later edition on order.

Plus I have many other books with some science in them (like Hamelman’s book). But I am interested in more depth and detail about the science behind all aspects of bread. Any suggestions will be welcome. I have looked at Modernist Bread, at $650/set, and some other textbooks at $200+ each, but they're a bit too rich for my budget.

(PS. I had originally posted this in the wrong area...)

yozzause's picture
yozzause

i picked up a couple of interesting books in a sale of library books at a food  technical school i think i paid 50 cents  the first sonds right up your street  PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY OF BAKING 3rd Edition its an applied science publishers ltd London three authors K J Dean, N E Edwards and C A . Russell.

The other that i find more interesting is Practical Baking by William J  Sultan mine is the 2nd edition. the fact that both these books have a number of editions means they must be a few in circulation.

You might be able to contact libraries that are attached to culinary or baking institutes and express your interest in books that they often retire and replace.

Kind regards  Derek