What's your favorite Artisan Bread book to bake by???

I'd suggest "Breads from the La Brea Bakery" by Nancy Silverton. Just skip the starter directions.

You might want to check the growing list here too, since the description of who the book is for varies :)

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/bookreviews

go with Hamelman...it is very informative and has many different types of bread.

Pam

...and I have have learned something from them all.

If I could have only one, it would be Hamelman.

Michael

Bread by Hamelman.  I feel his recipes are reliable and wonderfully varied.  However, I think the book is best used after one has mastered the basics.  For example, when he says to bake with the usual steam, that does not give you the details as to how, as a home baker, to proceed.  Maggie Glezer's Artisan Baking Across America was my "primer," and Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery is very specific as to tools needed (before each recipe) and technique.  I also recommend, if possible, watching someone who is experienced steaming the home oven.  Good luck!

Joyful

I have a very large collection of bread books, and my favorite that I always return to is, like many, Hamelman's Bread.

I really like Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice".  I've not quite made half of the breads in that book.  It is the book I pull out when I am pondering what to make next.

Dwayne