Gee Sandy - Grandmas White Loaf: A Step-By-Step Bread Making Photo Cookbook Using Only 4 Ingredients

I love recipe books. I can flick through them for hours, looking for inspiration. There are, however, some things about most cookbooks that drive me mad.

I hate recipes without a photo of the end result. How do I know Ive got it right if theres nothing to compare my efforts to?

Also, Im a detail person, so recipes that skimp on the descriptions and instructions annoy me. If a recipe calls for an unusual ingredient, I want to know a little about it and where to get it. If possible, I want suggestions for substitutions, just in case that elusive ingredient isnt available local to me.

I dont just want to know what ingredients Ill need, either. I want to know which equipment and utensils are required, before I start. Reading instruction like strain through a muslin cloth half way through a recipe, when I dont have one, make my blood boil. Also, if there are tricky techniques involved, I need to know how to do them, preferably with more photos.

Finally, I want my recipes to be as international as possible. If the author uses an imperial or volume measuring system, I need to know whether its an American cup (1/2 a US pint or 8 US fluid ounces) or a European cup (240 millilitres.) Similarly, an ingredient had different names, such as All Purpose (AP) flour in the US and plain flour in the UK, its nice to have a heads up, instead of having to go search for the information.

Thats the inspiration for the You Can Always Make series. Recipes that tell you everything you need to know to complete them, assuming no prior knowledge or experience. The recipes have been researched and adapted from a wide variety of sources, to figure out which elements of the recipe are fundamental, and which are optional.

Theyve been tested by Sandy first, to devise the instructions, and then followed by Alan to ensure the instructions are easy to follow. Only then have we photographed each stage of the recipe and compiled the books.

The end result is a series of step-by-step photo guides to recipes that anyone should be able to follow. Theyre great for kids, although of course adult supervision is required. Theyre also ideal for students away from home for the first time and learning to fend for themselves, and for anyone who finds the kitchen a challenge.

While some recipes may include advanced techniques and equipment, the Basic series is just that basic. The recipes included in this range require minimal ingredients, most of which are store cupboard staples and use only equipment you should find in any kitchen.

Essential, recommended and optional ingredients and stages are clearly marked as such. Leaving out recommended ingredients might alter the end result, but wont cause the recipe to fail. Where optional ingredients are included, theres also an explanation of why you might want to use them.

The recipes also include metric (which remains the same worldwide, and therefore is used as the base measurement) European imperial and US by volume measurements, which should keep just about everyone happy. Tools and equipment are generally described using UK terms. Where possible US equivalents are included, or where the US description is more self-explanatory (as in a dish towel rather than a tea towel) weve deferred to the US term.

We suggest you try your hand at some of these basic recipes and practice the simple techniques included in them before moving on to more advanced creations.