COOKBOOK WATCH

Two schools of home bread baking have emerged in recent years. There are the bread machine bakers, who want their bread fast and easy no matter how lopsided or cottony the final product. And there are the sourdough-devoted, who nurture wild yeast starters with daily feedings to produce the crusty rustic loaves in the tradition of old-line French bakeries.

But baker and food consultant Charles Van Over tries to have the best of both worlds. He takes advantage of modern kitchen technology--in this case the food processor instead of the bread machine--to make bread faster, but he manages to produce loaves with the look of more rustic bread. His new smugly titled book, “The Best Breads Ever” (Broadway Books, $27.50), explains the process.

Jill Van Cleave takes a more humble approach to baking. In “The Neighborhood Bakeshop” (Morrow, $25), she explores the tiny cake shops and bread sellers that give character and good smells to cities across the country. The book’s recipes come from great American neighborhood bakeries or were developed to match the style of some of the country’s best-loved bake shops, including Los Angeles’ own South-Central treasure, the 27th Street Bakery.