Ten Speed Press, September 2007
$35 hardcover

With the low-carb craze finally safely behind us, bread has reclaimed its “staff of life” status and then some, thanks to whole grain goodness.

In Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads, the baking instructor begins with his own fascinating journey as a “bread head.”

His ruminations on breadmaking as a social construct move to a good amount of how-does-it-all-work science, but you don't have to re-take high school chemistry to produce an impressive Whole Wheat Challah.

In Reinhart's previous book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice (the James Beard and IACP Cookbook of the Year), he introduced a technique called delayed fermentation. This technique is applied to whole grains here, and can make the resulting breads taste great, an essential component to getting people to enjoy — and even prefer — whole grains.

Whole Grain Breads provides detailed instructions, proven techniques (he enlisted 350 testers to help with the book), and common questions that come up during the breadmaking process. There are good-looking photos of glorious whole grain bread creations, but also very informative step-by-step photos alongside recipes and techniques.