Book Review
For Babette Kourelos, founder of Babette’s Bread and the author of the beautiful new book of the same name, the happenstance baking of a humble cottage loaf completely changed the trajectory of her life. It led her away from a career in law to answer a different calling: bread. Seeking comprehensive training, she undertook an apprenticeship with renowned French master baker Gerard Rubaud in the woods of Vermont. In this visually appealing and practical new book, Babette takes readers on a culinary journey, bringing her incredible know-how into readers’ kitchens, and inspiring them to fall in love with the art of bread-making.
Great bread starts with passion, and Babette Kourelos, founder of Babette’s Bread and now the author of a great new book of the same name, has passion in plentiful supply for bread-making. With her simple and unpretentious approach, Babette aims to both demystify and simplify the process of making beautiful, wholesome, and healthy bread. She provides both the newbie and seasoned bakers with everything they need to bring this life-affirming bread-making practice into their lives and their homes. With more than 60 accessible bread recipes that take their inspiration from around the world, the home baker needs only to have a handful of basic ingredients and a simple understanding of fermentation to produce wholesome and rustic breads—no bread machines required. Babette guides bakers through each stage of bread making: sourcing quality ingredients to fermentation, shaping, baking, and storing. Her chapters on straight dough breads, pre-fermented, cold fermented, sourdough, sweet and enriched, rye, whole grain, steamed, and quick breads, will make you want to dash to your kitchen, put on your apron, and get kneading!
What makes Babette’s Bread a really engaging and easy book to use is the fabulous photography, illustrating every chapter with images of Babette at work creating delectable loaves, mouthwatering focaccias, rolls, bagels and buns. She also intersperses the recipes with memories from her childhood and anecdotes from her apprenticeship in the Vermont bakery, through to the day-to-day running of her bakery. This is not just a practical guide to bread-making, it’s like having Babette in the kitchen with you as you learn the skills and techniques from her as you go.
Author Quotes
Little did I know that a simple loaf of bread would forever change my life. That it would lead me away from a career in law and down an arguably harder but definitely more delicious and meaningful path.
This book is the culmination of years of learning: hands-on learning in my bakery, knowledge gained from baking for my family at home, and practical lessons learned during my weekly bread classes.
This isn’t a textbook. Rather, it is a collection of recipes of everyday life and everyday baking. A reliable guide for baking beautiful, read bread at home. I want to show you that baking bread is a simple process - simple enough to fit into your weekly or monthly schedule.
About the author
Babette Kourelos is a baker, teacher, and now an author of a new book, Babette’s Bread. She is currently based in Vancouver, BC, and ran a well-loved artisan bread bakery and baking studio in Johannesburg’s Maboneng Precinct in South Africa for several years before moving to Canada in 2020. She apprenticed under the late French Master Baker Gerard Rubaud in Vermont. Babette has been a guest speaker at several Women in Business events including several Lioness Lean In and other Lionesses of Africa events in South Africa. She was also a judge at the World Bread Awards USA.
To Buy Your Copy of Babette’s Bread
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: AMAZON
US ORDERS: Publishers Group West / ingram Content Group / 866.400.5351 / IPSorders@ingramcontent.com
CANADIAN ORDERS: Heritage Group Distribution / 800.665.3302 / orders@hgdistribution.com
Why LoA loves it…
The first time I met Babette in Johannesburg many years ago, and listened to her speaking about her passion for bread-making, I knew there was something special about her entrepreneurial journey. I remember walking into her artisan bread bakery in Maboneng, smelling fresh bread in the air, and watching her making baguettes and making it look easy, and thinking that this was an entrepreneur who would create a very special, life-enhancing business. Babette has done just that, now taking her talent and business to Canada but sharing all her considerable knowledge and skills with all of us in this fabulous new book. Her warmth and passion leap off every page, and her storytelling and memory-sharing of her own entrepreneurial and bread-making journey, makes this an engaging read. This is a book that every professional and home cook alike needs in their kitchen. It’s also a great source of inspiration for every woman entrepreneur who is following their own passion and turning it into a business. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa