A Simple Loaf: from First Batch to Daily Bread

Have you ever wanted to bake your own bread, but hesitated because it seemed too complicated?

A Simple Loaf was written for the beginner who wants to learn without being overwhelmed by rules, terminology, or complicated techniques.

I didn’t begin as an accomplished bread baker. My first loaves were better suited for doorstops, my biscuits could have doubled as hockey pucks, and there were plenty of failures along the way. What I eventually learned was that bread baking isn’t nearly as difficult as I once believed. It simply takes a little understanding, practice, and a willingness to pay attention to what the dough is telling you.

In this 50-page guide, we’ll begin with the basics and work our way forward. You’ll learn common bread-baking terms, the equipment and ingredients you actually need, and practical tips that can make the process easier. From there, we’ll start with quick breads before moving into biscuits and scones, yeast breads, sourdough starters, and a simple sourdough loaf.

Along the way, you’ll also find recipes for favorites such as Southern Cornbread, Blueberry Lemon Bread, Cheese Biscuits, Lemon Scones, Aunt Dot’s Hot Rolls, Country White Bread, French Bread, Bread Pudding, and more.

And because bread doesn’t always behave exactly as expected, each major section includes troubleshooting help for some of the most common problems you may encounter.

There’s even a section devoted to putting extra bread to good use with croutons, breadcrumbs, French toast, bruschetta, and other simple ideas.

A Simple Loaf isn’t about baking perfect bread. It’s about learning how bread works well enough that you can walk into your kitchen, pull out the flour, and begin.

Inside you’ll find:

• Bread-baking terms, tips, ingredients, and basic equipment
• Quick breads, biscuits, and scones
• Yeast breads and simple bread-making techniques
• Troubleshooting help throughout the book
• Ways to use leftover bread
• Sourdough starter basics
• “Big Jeff,” my family sourdough starter
• A beginner-friendly sourdough bread recipe
• 50 printable pages in PDF format

Digital product: You will receive a PDF file to download. No physical product will be shipped.