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For Him / Her / Kids
Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish — the artisan bread book for a home oven
Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish (Hardcover)
Reviewed by the WhyToBuyThis team · Updated September 2026 · How we choose
Perfect for
- Bread bakers
- Sourdough and levain
- Homemade pizza
- Cookbook lovers
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Price: $18.09
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- Great gift ideaChosen for real-world gifting
- Hand-pickedCurated, not scraped
- Honest reviewThe catch, not just the hype
Why this gift works
Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza is Portland baker Ken Forkish's guide to bakery-style bread in a home oven, with every recipe developed and tested in one. It moves from straight doughs to pre-ferments such as biga and poolish, then to naturally leavened levain breads and several styles of pizza dough, and it teaches baker's percentages, scheduling and how to build a levain. It won the 2013 James Beard Cookbook Award for Baking and Desserts. This is the 272-page hardcover from Ten Speed Press.
It is the book for the home baker who has made a few sandwich loaves and wants crackly crusts and open crumb. Forkish's method uses a food scale and a Dutch oven, and both are in this guide.
Who is this gift for?
Great for
- A home baker ready for artisan bread
- Someone starting sourdough
- A homemade-pizza fan
Think twice if
- They only bake sweets
- They want quick recipes
The catch
It covers bread and pizza only - no cakes or cookies - and the method needs a food scale and a Dutch oven. Hands-on time is short, but the doughs ferment for many hours, so bakes take planning.
Skip for a cake and cookie baker who has no interest in bread.
Key specs
| Author | Ken Forkish |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Ten Speed Press, 2012 |
| Format | Hardcover, 272 pages |
| Trim size | 8 x 10 in |
| Awards | 2013 James Beard Cookbook Award (Baking & Desserts); 2013 IACP Award |
| ISBN | 160774273X / 9781607742739 |
Worth knowing before you buy
- The Kindle edition is a separate listing.
- It was published in 2012.
Why we like it
- Recipes built for a home oven
- Teaches baker's percentages and timing
- Goes from simple loaves to levain
- Award-winning
What to look for in a bread baking book
- Home-oven recipes. Books written for home ovens are easier to follow than scaled-down bakery recipes; Forkish tested every recipe in one.
- Their level. This suits bakers who have made basic bread and want artisan loaves.
- Weights, not cups. Serious bread books use grams, so pair it with a food scale.
Questions people ask
Straight doughs, pre-ferments like biga and poolish, naturally leavened levain breads and several pizza styles, plus baker's percentages and scheduling.
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