Let’s Make Bread–A new comic book cookbook

Review by C.J. Bunce

Cooking is coming full circle. Cookbooks have been around for centuries, with their popularization globally taking off in the middle of the 19th century. By the advent of television cooking shows, beginning in England and the U.S., they hit a high point with Julia Child, only to have a Renaissance when the Food Network provided 24-hour TV for foodies at the end of the century. An entire generation has learned cooking from the Internet. Cookbooks never have gone away, but now chefs are returning to the print format–partnering with comic book artists to try a new way to teach cooking. Now cooking writer Ken Forkish and comic book artist Sarah Becan have introduced Let’s Make Bread! A Comic Book Cookbook, which takes the complicated art of bread making to a new audience.

This cookbook is not kids’ stuff. Bread baking is complicated, it’s expensive, and it takes time and commitment. An entire kitchen full of new equipment is required for the amateur baker, and this book lays out all the details, complete with bread baking tips and recipes.

Artist Sarah Becan’s illustrations partner Forkish and herself as characters discussing dos and don’ts, from kneading bread to making your own levain culture for long-term use (you need to feed it regularly!). Let’s Make Bread! invites readers to dig into this avenue of baking just like professional chefs do it.

Readers will find tips for temperature, dough texture, proofing, and handling dough. Seventeen complete recipes go beyond the standard lists you find in typical cookbooks, showing you each detail for both traditional and customizable loaves. These include a corn kernel bread, and a raisin-pecan loaf.

If you’ve tried online cooking videos and traditional cookbooks and you’re ready for something new, give Let’s Make Bread! A Comic Book Cookbook, a try.