You can't beat the satisfaction of baking (and eating) your own loaf, or the delicious aroma it creates as it bakes min your oven. Bread making isn't a labour-intensive process but you do need a bit of time and some forward planning. Follow the step-by-step instructions in the recipes and you'll soon be on your way to a fantastic loaf. It doesn't have to be perfect – it's homemade after all – and that's why you'll be so proud of it. Like any type of baking, bread making can be full of pitfalls, but if you follow the step by step recipes then you can avoid them. It's worthwhile investing time in understanding what makes a good loaf – and that generally means learning by mistakes! Read through the techniques and troubleshooting sections for lots of tips before you get going. This book is full of bread recipes for loaves of all shapes, to suit all tastes, but it isn't just about the recipes: it's about making all of your bread making even better than before. Ruth Clemens, finalist on The Great British Bake Off has crammed in as many tips and tricks as possible, plus explanations of why you should do a certain something at a specific stage – the sort of thing that's missed out of most recipe methods. You'll then be able to apply these techniques to all of your bread making – and you'll be turning out delicious homemade loaves in next to no time. The recipes are in three sections by method; straightforward doughs in Brilliant Basics, doughs made using a pre-ferment in Perfect Pre-ferments, and recipes that have slightly different methods in Further Favourites. Some of the 30 recipes include Crusty Cobb, Ciabatta with Olive Oil, Chocolate and Hazlenut Wheel, Teacakes, Danish Pastry and Savoury Bagels. There are breads for every occasion, each with its own variation to show you how things can be mixed up a little bit to create something different. You'll learn all sorts as you go and Ruth will be here to help you along the way.