BERNARD CLAYTON'S NEW COMPLETE BOOK OF BREADS

A revision of a popular 1973 book by an industrious author whose taste strikes chords in a wide public. That taste is for bread with a lot of stuff put in it--herbs, spices, onion powder, dry milk, molasses, instant coffee, cheese, yogurt, raisins, fruit juice, coconut flakes A few recipes stick close to the basics of flour, water, yeast, and salt--for example, a French pain ordinaire, several versions of Jewish-style rye, a plain pizza dough. Most depend on other strong accents of flavor or texture. Among the inventive juxtapositions are basil with zucchini in muffins, fresh sweet clabber (fromage blanc) in an egg-enriched yeast bread, and Camembert baked in brioche dough. The recipes are detailed and cumbersomely designed to accommodate different equipment and yeast strains. The roving international emphasis betrays a spotty command (French pain d'Épice is baked like plain or ornamental gingerbread, not in loaves). Of far greater value are the many recipes from Slavic, German, and other ethnic cooks in Clayton's native Midwest. ""Complete"" this is not, in terms of really delving into ingredients and techniques--but it does reach as far afield as soda crackers, homemade dog-biscuits, and directions for building an adobe oven. All told: just the ticket for Clayton fans; not for Elizabeth David-style bread purists.