Let’s Make Bread! by Ken Forkish and Sarah Becan is part of the series, Let’s Make!, which also includes Let’s Make 
Dumplings! and Let’s Make Ramen! Personally, the fusion of graphic novels and cookbooks hits all of my nerd buttons.
Graphic novels are uniquely able to elevate the cookbook format, in a way that traditional photographs are unable. The comic format overlays text and image in a way not easily done with photography. Instead of a block of text instructions with corresponding images nearby, in comic form, each step can be diagrammed and illustrated. Marrying text and image in one.
Even then, I think this book stands above the others. Bread can be made with the barest of ingredients, but the process is filled with chemistry and precise techniques, for which even slight variations can drastically alter results. This book aims to make those techniques accessible for the readers, whether they are new to baking or not. Let’s Make Bread is not necessarily revolutionary as a comic book, but this is a phenomenal cookbook and emblematic of the strength of graphic novels across many genres.
The book is co-authored by Forkish, an owner of an artisan bakery and cookbook author, and Becan, an illustrator. However, they stray from the traditional author-illustrator relationship. Becan follows the technical advice offered by Forkish and illustrates her journey, an apt decision. She is not merely illustrating the techniques as described by Forkish, rather, she is illustrating from her own first-person experience, a new baker experimenting with bread.
They spend the first half of the book exploring and explaining bread-baking basics. It includes a detailed breakdown of the equipment, ingredients, and basic techniques useful for all (or at least most) bread recipes. It also gets into the science behind bread, with spreads that annotate the anatomy of the wheat berry or offer comparisons of natural yeast versus store-bought varieties.
These illustrations are incredibly informative and minutely detailed. For example, when explaining folding techniques, they discuss hand position and direction of pressure. The accompanying illustration makes simple text that for many is difficult to visualize. I have baked many loaves of bread, had a sourdough starter for about 5 years, and even took a 5-part baking course, and yet, this book was more informative than most of my other experiences with exploring bread.
Many home bakers are fascinated (and often frustrated with) sourdough starters. Forkish and Becan carefully lay out the science behind levain (or sourdough) and include a detailed breakdown of how to make a starter from scratch and its required maintenance. Like the rest of the cookbook, this section is informative and accessible, to even the newest bakers.
They also have a page dedicated to baker’s math, the percentages that often accompany bread recipes. I knew in general what these percentages meant, but hadn’t used them for my baking purposes, but their explanation was both concise and informative, encouraging me to pay more attention in the future.
There are recipes in this cookbook, but they are almost an afterthought. The focus is on helping the reader understand bread. The recipes are organized by complexity, with a chart discussing which types of containers are required for the recipe. Each recipe includes not only a breakdown of the total time required but also a suggested schedule. Each step of the recipe is also illustrated, even those that had been explained in previous sections of the book.
The informative nature of this book with many features that aid in ease of use is noteworthy. This will not fit all graphic novel collections. I have some students at the high school interested in baking, so I will likely purchase the title, but the primary (or most appreciative) audience won’t be the ones browsing the graphic novel shelves. I, however, will be purchasing the book for myself and my cookbook collection. It is a noteworthy addition to the emerging genre of comic-illustrated cookbooks.
Let’s Make Bread: A Comic Cookbook
By Ken Forkish, Sarah Becan, ,
Art by Sarah Becan
Ten Speed Press, 2024
ISBN: 9781984860873
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
