Published in October 2011 by Free Press.
Selected by The New York Times as a Notable Cookbook of 2011!
Order now from your bookseller of choice!
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Publicity & Reviews
Make the Bread, Buy the Butter, American Public Media: Marketplace, October 14, 2011
Buy or Make, What Food Staples are Cheaper to Make at Home?, ABC: Good Morning America, November 4, 2011
Notable Cookbooks of 2011, The New York Times, Nov 30, 2011
Cookbook Review: Make the Bread, Buy the Butter, The Oregonian, December 12, 2011
Marshmallows From Scratch, National Public Radio: All Things Considered, December 16, 2011
Readings & Appearances:
November 1, 2011 @ Books, Inc. in Berkeley
November 12, 2011 @ Book Passage in Corte Madera
January 11, 2012 @ Omnivore Books, San Francisco
About the Book
Should you bake your bagels or buy them? Is it really a good idea to keep chickens in your backyard for eggs? Is there any point in making your own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when you can buy them individually wrapped and frozen? When you can buy everything you eat already made, from bottled salad dressing to canned gravy, what does it make sense to cook for yourself?
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| Haven't you always wondered? |
52 comments:
Keep us posted on your East Coast tour!
I just started reading Make the Bread, Buy the Butter and LOVED your opening thesis that just as we now may find the idea of Uncrustables bizarre--who would buy a Big Food produced frozen PB&J sandwich?--people a couple of generations ago would have found our current practice of buying the bread and the jam and the peanut butter just as odd. i've enjoyed your blog for a long time and am looking forward to reading the rest of the book!
i bought your book! i was recently directed to your blog and i ended up spending a couple hours going back through all of your food pictures and life experiences and i really liked all of it. i hope to start a farm-like thing with my boyfriend when we finish grad school and i really enjoyed reading about your goats and chickens and other animal adventures. :) i like the way you write and am sure that i will enjoy the book and the recipes in it!
I just bought the book, after hearing the interview on This Splendid Table. Love the sense of humor infused throughout. As a beginning cook I am wondering what neutral vegetable oil is....
Will definitely be trying many recipes!
Your cookbook was delivered yesterday after being ordered from Amazon.ca. Thanks for a great read! The section on raising chickens had me in stitches!
I'll be trying some recipes next week when I get back from my business trip.
I've put your book on my blog at www.HeatherStewartQuilts.blogspot.com if you want to have a look.
Cheers! Heather
Just bought the book and absolutely love it. However, I made the Everyday Bread and it turned out like a rock or door stop maybe. Could the temperature given perhaps be wrong? 450 seems high.
I am enjoying your book and tried the Rye bread recipe. It is delicious. The Everyday Bread looks easy, but I'm wondering about putting it in the pans right away before letting it rise. Is this what you do?!
Thanks for the laughs in your book!
Happened to stumble across the headline "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" and had to chuckle. I spend my boyhood summers on my grandfather's farm in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. I remember making butter. As you might suspect, it begins with a cow. The milk was put into one-gallon glass jugs and left in the spring house to turn. At that point, I would bring them up to the kitchen and pour the milk into a wooden churn. Churning was my job, and my grandmother constantly cautioned me against becoming too enthusiastic. A certain cadence was required. Too fast or too slow and the butter flakes would not separate from the milk. Occasionally, I would pull the top from the churn and check to see if there were yet golden flakes floating in the milk, indicating that the butter was separating out. As I continued to churn, those flakes would grow larger and begin to stick together. When that process was complete, I would pull the lump of butter out, then strain the remaining milk through cheese cloth to catch any remaining flakes. Then I would kneed it to press out any residual milk. After the butter would be pressed into a wooden mold. What emerged was a beautiful butter "sculpture" with a tulip flower imprinted on the top. If memory serves, it was the most delicious butter I have ever eaten. As for the milk that was left over, it was "buttermilk," which I could never abide. I figured if you take milk that has turned, and then remove the only good part of it, why would any sane person want to drink what was left. But those were different times.
I bought your book on Saturday... And on Sunday I made your bread and peanut butter!
Just finished your book and LOVED it! I have found new inspiration to cook and bake all kinds of new recipes! I would love to see more "test" comparisons of quality, cost, hassle, etc. of different types of foods on your blog! Also... along with Liz, my Everyday Bread didn't turn out either. I may try it again- hand mixing this time, as well as reducing the temperature due to using a glass pan. Thanks for the great read!
Love your book. Please advise on the Everyday Bread, tried twice but did not turn out as well as expected, do believe temp is too high.
Kat
Congratulations on being named one of the New York Times Notable Cookbooks of 2011!
Love, love, loved this book! Read it in one day and made the bread and peanut butter the next! I won't be curing meats in my house but I can't wait to try some of the other recipes! I've let all the readers (could just be my mom, I'm not sure) of my blog know I loved it too.
oh my gosh! my lovely neighbor just gave me your book for my birthday yesterday and i have not been able to put it down, and we are talking reading while walking here! i love it! it was the perfect present for me because i love experimenting on things like bagels or ladyfingers and i make my own nutella for sure! i do tend to go a bit overboard sometimes and that is precisely why your book is perfect for me, i need to know where to draw the line. and i 100% agree with the whole dinner party and entertaining anxiety-i definitely have that. anyway fantastic book and you are truly hilarious! i look forward to reading through your blog! also would it be possible to use vanilla vodka and slightly dry vanilla beans to make the vanilla extract? i would love to know!
-rachel the girl who wants to try cooking everything (even if its just once ;-D)
I just heard your marshmallow story on NPR. Great! I can't wait to read your cookbook.
I heard about your book on Splendid Table and bought myself a copy as a christmas present. I just finished reading it. It was wonderfully enjoyable. I hope to try some of the recipes and even if I don't, I plan to follow your blog now that I have found it. Thanks for the effort.
Some decades ago my wife stopped cooking. As I did not want to stop eating, it was incumbent on me to learn to cook. As it turns out, I really enjoy it and have spent years learning to be a moderately competent home cook. While she won't cook, my wife does buy me cookbooks and washes the dishes. For Christmas she gave me several cookbooks including your marvelous Make the Bread Buy the Butter. I enjoyed it so much that I felt compelled to find your web site and complement you on the most fun cookbook I've read in years. I have bookmarked your site and hope to read more about your adventures in and out of the kitchen.
Loved the book, but either I'm doing something wrong or the bread recipe just doesn't work. I've tried it twice now and the dough refuses to rise. Maybe it's supposed to be a TABLESPOON of yeast instead of a teaspoon?
Just started reading your cookbook.
Your hash brown recipe needs some improvement. I learned from a old school diner owner in Illinois many years ago working as a cook.
The best recipe for hashbrowns is to boil the potatoes, let cool, and then grate them. They will firm up after sitting, cook faster, and they will have absorbed more water which will make them absorb less grease.
Note do not overcook the potato, more than blanching, but less than mush is ideal. This will also cook the starches and give you a much better texture.
Uses for old Veg fry oil.
If you have the old fats and oils, you can mix it with the chicken feed, not to much but a couple cups over a week will give the chickens a huge boost of calories and make them very fatty and tasty.
I just got your book (my son ordered it) and started at "Eggs". I wanted to see what you'd say about it. I recently got my own chickens and am now enjoying my own eggs!
I'm sorry you had such bad luck in the beginning.
You don't relate it in your story, but I hope the owners of those loose dogs got ticketed and fined for letting their dogs run loose and cause damage. I also hope you got reparations from those owners.
It's also too bad you didn't know about electrified poultry netting. You can get that from www.premier1supples.com. Order the length and height of netting you want and a solar charger and you're in business. It would keep dogs out, but maybe not foxes or bobcats.
Good luck now to you and your girls. Oh, don't let your daughter tell you how to enjoy your chickens. Go ahead, be a dork! :D
I bought your book on my Nook Color yesterday afternoon. Thank you for your pragmatic approach to this eating and feeding my family in a healthier, more sustainable way. I've read almost all of it and am re-inspired! (and also dangerously close to starting the required neighbor permission process we have here for backyard chickens!!)
My brother-in -law bought me your book as a gift, it is now a treasured possession! He came up to visit and, as a family, we spent our New Year's day making worcestershire sauce, cheeze-it's and horseradish, could it have been any better?
I just finished reading your book and I'm sad to be done with it!! I loved all of your stories, especially about the bees and the goats, and you have really inspired me to make more things than buy them. I'm super excited to make homemade Oreos and ricotta cheese and vanilla extract?!?! Why have I never thought of that?! I will surely keep this cookbook forever and refer to it very very often I'm sure!!! Great job! Cheers!! :)
Jennifer, I devoured MTB,BTB over Christmas vacation, and I loved it and flagged nearly all the recipes. My marshmallows were quite a hit! My Vadouvan spice mix arrived in yesterday's mail, so I was working on the Vadouvan Mac n' Cheese this evening, and I hit a snag. In step 2, where you put breadcrumbs into a skillet with butter, what is the purpose of this pan? Simply to brown the breadcrumbs? Are these the same breadcrumbs you later sprinkle on top? Sorry, I just got a little lost in this one about what was going into what pan... I actually ran out of pans, so was glad I had halved the recipe!
I heard your bite on NPR before Christmas, and quickly got your book for my fiancee. We love it! I LOVE IT! We live in Montana where there is still a sense of homesteader instinct or something, and your book fits right into this. We've "mastered" fermented pickles and bread (thanks to the no knead meathod: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html) and some smoking techniques to play around with meats (smoked fish!). My family and I look forward to making cheese, marshmallows, pancetta, and more with your help. Next up: homemade venison bologna and corned elk/venison! Thanks for being you...
I got your book as a Christmas present after raving to my family about an NPR spot that talked about it, and I don't think it's possible to love a book more. I love the humor, the insight, the foolproof recipes, and the honesty of the failures. I can't wait to try so many of these recipes, but as my fiance is similar to your husband in his skepticism of fancy foods (how can he NOT love chicken saltimbocca? I'm pretty sure that's illegal!), I'll have to space them out to keep him from rioting.
Your homemade wheat bread recipe is fantastic, I've made 6 loafs since Christmas and only 2 didn't rise! Damn you, cold apartment, damn you straight to hell.
My husband gave me you cookbook for Christmas and I spent the next week rereading every paragraph outloud to him so we cry laughing tears together at your adventures. I loved every word of your book! Thank you! I'm excited to try the ginger ale out. Do you have any suggestions on how to add fruit flavor to it, ie raspberry ginger ale?
i think neutral oil is oil with no flavor, like canola oil instead of say, olive or sesame oil. i love making from "scratch" and this book answered my question of "can I make my own graham crakers?" cause there is high fructose in the stores, and the organic is SOOO expensive. also, can't wait to try the ginger ale recipe and any other recipe containing ginger. great book (I got it as a gift for Christmas)and will recommend it to all! P.S. what is instant yeast? like those packets or rapid rise or fresh or.....
Hi Jennifer,
I heard your interview on NPR and love the concept of your book!
I am the Founder of the online financial lifestyle magazine TheSavvyLife.com and if you're game, I'd really like to interview you. Can you contact me at Melissa@TheSavvyLife.com?
Thank you!
Melissa
I love the book. I have tried to make the sandwich bread and it tastes great but does not rise enough. I have tried following the recipe exactly, adding more yeast, putting it into the food processor to knead for one minute. Has anyone gotten the bread to rise and what is your secret.
Heard you on NPR, immediately bought the book, read it cover to cover, and bought more for friends for Christmas. Love it.
I also heard you on NPR and bought the book on a whim (I'm more of a library gal.) I was laughing so hard last night reading about your hot dog making experience that my daughter ran downstairs wondering what was wrong. When she heard that I was reading a cookbook, she made that teenage daughter face, and walked back upstairs. Seriously that was the funniest thing I have read in ages. GREAT BOOK!
I received your book from my husband for Christmas. He found an article in one of the airline magazines and thought it was right up my alley. I've read most of it and have tried several of the recipes... LOVE IT! Some of the recipes didn't work for me (like the yogurt, but I believe it failed due to a very cold house. I was determined, and found that the crockpot method works great in my case!). I've been looking at you book daily, and brag about it wherever I go... Love the stories, the humor, the layout.
Couple suggestions... Popcorn - If you cook the corn on low and let them toast a little, it adds a nice rich flavor. Onion dip - I've been making this almost identical to your recipe (bases on trial and error) and found that adding a little beef flavor adds what is missing (I don't like to use bouillon, but in this case it really helps, not sure if you have any suggestions for substitute?). Can also use greek yogurt for the sour cream. Thanks so much for a wonderful book! I'm working on making cheese next!
Love the book! About freezing chicken stock: I pour it into ice cube trays, freeze it into cubes then put them in a zip lock bag in the freezer. I just take hoever many that I need out. If they stick together just whack the bag on the counter or drop it on the flor before opening.
I adore your book! I read the review in EW and knew instantly that I had to have it. I love your writing style and sense of humor - there were many laugh out loud moments as I was reading the book! I flagged about 35 of your recipes to try out and I cannot wait! So far I've made the yogurt, and I am starting the vanilla tonight. Thank you for being such an inspiration and blazing the trail for the rest of us!
Hi Jennifer-
Here is a link to the review I wrote of MTB,BTB. It was such a pleasure speaking with you and reading this book (which I have turned to many times in my own kitchen since then!). Keep up the good work.
https://www.facebook.com/LifeToldinRecipes
I loved the book, but I'm having trouble with the apricot ginger bread. Is it really a tablespoon of salt? I'm not sure what I am doing, but the bread will not rise.
I am going through my own sustainable transformation. Started with my husband suggesting we start a garden. I didn’t know vegetables could taste so good! Then it grew to canning some of that produce. In the middle of February (in Canada), I am enjoying peaches as if it were July! Now we’re making our own bread, iced tea, and hummus. We’ve started using cloth napkins instead of paper. You’re book gives tons of ideas that I am going to adopt right away. I made the peanut butter and love it! BTW – on popcorn, if you put the kernels in a plain brown lunch bag and microwave, it will pop! Healthy, fast and cheaper.
I have had the same issue with not getting the everyday bread to rise that other people have mentioned here. Each time I've made it, it doesn't rise after the first 2-3 hours; I add a little more yeast, mix it up again, leave it for another couple hours, and then it rises. Once it rises and cooks, it is delicious! I've had the same question about using a tablespoon vs teaspoon as the recipe calls for...anybody figured this out yet?
Love your book...I never would have thought to make ricotta cheese or my own cheez-its! It's been fun. I do have some frustrations with your bread recipes. I've attempted the hot dog buns three times and always duds. They never rise. Frankenstein inclinations?? The lumps just sit there. And your every day bread has the same problem. I can at least feed the sad buns to my chickens.
I saw you on TV (I think), and dug out my bread machine. With just 2 of us in the house 1 loaf at a time is perfect. It usually takes 5 minutes to set it up, and now I can slice it pretty good. I've got 2 bread machine cookbooks so I've been putting notes in them - especially for the best successes and worst failures. Thanks for the inspiration; baking bread makes the house smell wonderful, and I'm saving over 50% on bread.
Also, I had an idea you can add next time around: you can make your pancakes and have your frozen ones, too. Make a double batch, then put the extra in bundles of 2-4 in the freezer. I put them in sandwich bags, then put that in a bigger baggie. They don't take any longer to microwave than store bought ones. Do the same with waffles and they work out great in the toaster oven.
I tried your clotted cream recipe. When it was done it had this thick crust on the top though. The clotted cream was underneath but it was very hard to separate it from the crust. If anyone has any suggestions I would be very grateful! Thanks!
Love your book! Reviewed it on my blog, Mama Bear Review. Love how all your comments are relevant for time, money and most importantly FLAVOR. Can't wait for more from you!
I tried your "Everyday Bread" recipe from the book. However, my bread didn't rise at all. You don't indicate any kneading in your recipe, so I didn't do any. Can you think of any other reasons the bread might not have risen? Thanks.
I'm going with this is the best place to put this. In your book you said you didn't have any luck with a hamburger bun and I wanted to share my preferred recipe with you.
http://www.food.com/recipe/light-wheat-hamburger-buns-258471
If you don't like wheat buns, I had no problem subbing in white flour for the wheat. Also make sure it gets good and puffy on the second rise. They still come out okay if it doesn't but much better if you give them the time they need (I find about 1.5 hours on the second rise).
Also, thanks for writing such a great book!
Just finished reading this insightful, honest, and enchanting cookbook. Your humor had me laughing and sharing excerpts and giggles with my boyfriend. I love your low-key approach to the Every Day Bread and Yogurt. Both turned out lovely. Thank you for sharing.
For the readers having problems with the Everyday Bread.... I followed recipe exactly and our bread is beautifully. Hand mixed with a wooden spoon, divided dough into pans and let rise on my stove that had some residual heat from cooking something else and cooked at 45O.
Perhaps you didn't buy "instant" yeast..."rapid rise yeast" is not the same. The kitchen may be too cool also....best of luck!
I checked this book out of the library. I loved it. I'm going to try several of the recipes.
I haven't had any problems with the "Everyday Bread" either. Only once have I had problems. I don't put it back in the oven for 15 minutes though. I just take it out of the pans, turn off the oven and set it in there for 10. Also I do add 2 Tbsp. of sugar and after baking I butter the top so it will soften up a bit. Love the recipe! So easy and we all love it! Thank you so much for your wonderful sense of humor. I cracked up. We have a small hobby farm and we too have done all the animals, bees etc. It makes for a wonderful life!
I am only on pg.3 of your intro and I feel in love at "This was a stupid little sandwhich" lol I can't wait to finish !
My lovely daughter gave me your book for Mother's day and I finished it this morning. Loved, loved, loved it! The muttering ducks had me laughing and reading aloud to my husband. I think I must be a combination of you and your mother as I plan to try making cheese and have done some pretty good lamp rewiring and lampshade redos as well as canning and furniture recycling. Thanks for a good read and a good laugh!
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