Join the St. Paul Bread Club as they fashion their favorite recipes, share tips and secrets that have long been kept, and build a rich community dedicated to the art of the perfect loaf.

"Through Klecko and his St. Paul Bread Club Ode found a community of other bakers, each of whom came to bread for her own reasons. Ode's book is their stories, as well as their recipes, and each story is as personal as religion or biography. Some bake to recover the balance from life made hectic by a fast-paced career; others to commune with departed loved ones, through the ritual of their recipes; still others for health.

The recipes in the book are intriguing, and provide a portrait of our region through dough: There's one for the St. Paul hotel's legendary raisin pumpernickel, courtesy of Klecko; another for Iron Range Eastern European walnut potica; one using wild rice; one using Summit beer; one a Pillsbury Bake-Off veteran; one for Norwegian flatbread; and so forth."

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl in City Pages

"Baking with the St. Paul Bread Club's infectious enthusiasm and straightforward recipes successfully encourage people to reclaim the craft of home bread baking, for the sake of art, sanity, and truly tasty bread, but also for the health of our communities. One wonders if it rings more true to today than it did even three years ago, with the economy down—surely we are cooking at home more, but might we also be looking for comfort in our communities, bread or otherwise?"
The Heavy Table

Over seventy favorite recipes emerge from intimate profiles of the club members who perfected them—from the accountant and her nearly flawless baguette to the former Iron Ranger who shares the secrets of her grandmother's strudel-like potica.

The club's newest member, a book designer who was given a copy of The World of Breads nearly four decades ago, has since transformed the book's anadama recipe into a peppery delight, swapping out molasses for chipotles and butter for bacon fat.

Author Kim Ode demystifies this ancient art with special sections on "Bread Wisdom for Beginners" and "Seasonal Favorites," and club founder Dan "Klecko" McGleno offers a step-by-step guide to starting a bread club in your own hometown. Whether you prefer to bake in solitude or wish to build a community in pursuit of the perfect loaf, this book reveals the true heart of this everyday food.