Even if you already know how to handle dough, I would suggest Hamelman's as a go-to reference. He covers the technicalities very clearly and discusses a few points, such as the all-important scoring just prior to baking, which none of the other books (that I've read) explain.

I have one niggle about this book ~ the author gives the home (not industrial) overall formulas in the recipes as pounds and ounces, no metric except for the commercial quantities. Yes, there are baker's percentages, but Hamelman's book is the only one of the 8 I've read in the last 12 months that doesn't stick to metric for home baking. ( )

Do you bake bread?

Yes-> Get this cookbook.
No-> You're weird. Get this cookbook. Start baking bread.

An absolute essential in every bread baker's home, though not flawless. ( )

Fabulous book. Hamelman treats you seriously, assumes you have a brain and can work out that things can be varied. His recipes include a conversation with you about the variations. He also informs you in general about what you can expect when you vary things.

The nicest treatment of grain breads I've come across so far. My only mild quibble is that I wish the amounts for the home baker were given in metric as well as imperial. ( )

Buy this book if you are serious about making top quality bread. The techniques are here. The diagrams are good. Performing it all takes practice and more practice. I have taken Jeffrey Hamelman's Fundamentals of Bread class at King Arthur in Norwich, Vermont. This book memorializes his teachings, which is vital for your quest for excellence in breadmaking. My baguettes are better each time I make them. They are better than any baguette available locally. I make 4 a week, and since I can't eat 4 a week, my neighbors love me. You, too can join this quest for perfection in bread; just buy Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, lots of King Arthur flour, and go for it. ( )

This has become my primary reference for baking bread. I started with Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice and a few months later purchased Hamelman's Bread. While BBA goes into a fairly lengthy narrative describing Reinhart's flavor building techniques, Hamelman's Bread goes into greater detail on the actual handling and shaping of the dough, as well as providing detailed information on additives, ingredient temperatures, and other practical details.

There is one caveat to my recommendation of this book: earlier versions of it were very poorly edited and in some of the recipes the ingredient amounts are badly off, especially for the home baker. Make sure you seek out the errata sheet for the book. With this in hand, Hamelman's Bread is a complete success. I haven't had any disappointing bakes using this book. ( )