Loaf Story: A love-letter to bread, with recipes (Tim Hayward)

A loaf of bread means different things to different people. It's at once the centrepiece of the family table, it's the source of the demon gluten, the reassuring heft of an artisan sourdough, or the fluffy comfort of a white sandwich loaf – it's the best thing since... well, sliced bread. This is NOT a book about how to make bread. No kneading, no rising, no baking. Loaf Story is a food book about bread – not just the role it plays in people's lives all over the world, but how it has been adapted and used in so many dishes. It is food of poverty and yet now we routinely pay big money for an artisanal loaf. Why does it have such a hold on us?

From the British and American white sliced loaf to the French baguette, Scandinavian rye, and the uber-trendy Japanese katsu sando, the cultural significance of the loaf is manifold. With recipes for 60 dishes that can be made on bread, in bread and with bread, including a look at the myriad uses for breadcrumbs, croutons, and hollowed-out loaves, as well as the hallowed doorstep sandwich and a classic BLT, Loaf Story is a heart-warming celebration of the staff of life.