BBA Challenge

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart is a collection of 43 bread recipes, many with multiple variations. More than just a book of recipes, it is an amazing tutorial on the art of making bread, including detailed explanations of each stage of the bread making process, beautiful photos showing how to shape different loaves, and descriptions of how the bread should look and feel at every moment. In the spring of 2009, Nicole of Pinch My Salt issued a challenge to bake through the book in chronological (and usually alphabetical) order. I joined the BBA Challenge late, and completed my last bread in the summer of 2010.

Before starting the BBA Challenge, I had baked approximately four breads in my life: two loaves of whole wheat when I was in college (which did not turn out very well) and bagels and challah in the summer before I took on the Challenge. Even as I learn newer and better techniques and discover other amazing recipes, this book (and challenge) will always hold a special place in my heart as the things that turned me into a bread baker.

Check out Nicole's BBA Challenge page for links to her amazing posts on each bread, the official blog list for the Challenge, as well as links to the Facebook page, Flickr page, and more!

Favorite recipes from the book:
BBA
1. Artos
2. Bagels*
3. Casatiello*
4. Cinnamon buns & sticky buns*
5. English muffins*
6. Focaccia*
7. French bread
8. Italian bread
9. Pain à l'Ancienne
10. Lavash crackers*
11. Multigrain bread*
12. Pane Siciliano
13. Portuguese sweet bread
14. Pugliese
15. New York deli rye
16. Vienna bread
17. White bread*
18. Potato, cheddar, and chive torpedoes*
*made again

Recipes made:
BBA
19. Anadama
20. Ciabatta
21. Cornbread
22. Kaiser rolls
23. Light wheat bread
24. Marble rye
25. Pain de campagne
26. Pizza napoletana
27. Poolish baguettes
28. Potato rosemary bread
29. Basic sourdough
30. Poilâne-style miche
31. Pumpernickel
32. Swedish rye (limpa)
33. Whole wheat bread
34. Roasted onion asiago miche
35. Brioche
36. Challah (this version)
37. Cinnamon raisin walnut bread
38. Cranberry walnut celebration
39. Panettone
40. 100% sourdough rye
41. Sunflower seed rye
42. Stollen
43. Tuscan bread