Bakeaholic Bliss
Whether you are new to baking or an old baking pro, everyone needs a good baking book. And this time of year, especially as the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, the smell of something baking in the oven is soul warming and life affirming. Here are a few of our choices to enhance your baking experience and make some delicious treats.
The King Arthur Baking School: Lessons and Recipes for Every Baker by King Arthur Baking Company
Whether you are a novice or experienced baker, Baking School is an amazing book! It is a great resource, has solid recipes, and if you have EVER done a King Arthur Baking Company recipe, guaranteed delicious! I love to peruse this cookbook, their catalogue and website for the interesting and inventive products that they have to take your baking to the next level.
What's for Dessert?: Simple Recipes for Dessert People by Claire Saffitz
Never trust anyone who says that they do not like dessert. And this book has something for every dessert taste out there. This book is chocked full of delicious and accessible (yet still decadent) recipes and troubleshooting that makes baking a fun and delicious adventure.
Pie Academy: Master the Perfect Crust and 255 Amazing Fillings by Ken Haedrich
Want to up your pie game? And really, who does not need more pie? This book's focus on only pie is a great way to learn to bake those pies like grandma used to make. Pie crust has always been a demon in my kitchen, but after this book, I am gaining confidence in my pie making skills and ready to take on the pie world this holiday season.
I love this book and want to spend 2024 baking a weekly pie from this book (now I have mad pie skills). I love that this book finds the essence of every state and embodies it in pie. Sweet pie, savory pie, pies with fillings you never imagined. 2024 is going to be a very tasty year!
Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho
For armchair (or stomach travelers), this book is a total gem! It is filled with wondrous tastes and textures as Kristina Cho takes us on a culinary tour of Chinese bakeries. I was introduced to tastes and combinations that I had never experienced before and it was glorious.
Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts by Stella Parks
This James Beard Award winning book is full of childhood staples and American favorites--everything from Blueberry Muffins (that will knock your socks off) to Vanilla Wafers to American classics. This book is geared for the novice and the experienced baker with lots of substitutions to augment already memorable recipes. I loved the walk through history of some of our favorite sweets along with the recipes themselves that took me back to childhood.
Chetna's Easy Baking: With a Twist of Spice by Chetna Makan
As a contestant on The Great British Baking Show, this book is full of delicious bakes with an Indian spin. They are a wonder for the tastebuds and such a special treat that you will never bake the same afterwards. Sweet and savory baked good that will make your mouth sing!
The Great British Baking Show Kitchen Classics by The Bake Off Team
Relive the deliciousness of the 2023 season of The Great British Baking Show with this book. Full of signature bakes and wondrous tastes and twists, you will come back to this book again and again.
Pie is Messy: Recipes from the Pie Hole by Rebecca Grasley and Willy Blackmore
Inspired by the author's own journey from nursing to baking and opening a pie bakery, this book is full of old favorites and new tastes in an easily accessible and informative way. The mysteries of pie making open up and each recipes is a culinary adventure!
Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s by B. Dylan Hollis
This book is Rediscovered Books' Holiday Food pick for this season. If you did not know, we choose a book each holiday season and spend 6 weeks experimenting and eating good food over the holidays at the bookstore.
After last year's raging (and delicious) success of 52 Shabbats, the bar is high. But internet sensation B. Dylan Hollis and his experimentation with historical recipes had us hooked. He is a charmer, a character, and so much fun. His walk through the decades of the 20th century and history of baking highlights economic highs and lows and celebrates the ingenuity of home bakers to make delicious things out of what was available.
So far, the Dutch Apple Cake and Chantilly Cream was delicious. Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake, Tomato Soup Cake, Haystacks, and Grasshopper Pie are on the docket!