Celebrate the holiday season with cookbooks you can give as gifts to fellow bakers or sell in your bakery. Below are a few recent titles that may inspire new product ideas or appeal to home-baking consumers.
A YEAR OF PIES: A SEASONAL TOUR OF HOME BAKED PIES
by Ashley English
Lark Crafts/Sterling Publishing Co., ISBN 978-1-4547-0286-3
August 2012, 176 pages, $19.95
From Ashley English, author of the Homemade Living series, comes a guide to creating sweet and savory pies and tarts that celebrate the best of what each season has to offer. With 60 recipes (15 each for winter, spring, summer and autumn), English offers both time-honored classics, such as blueberry and shoofly pie, as well as unexpected recipes, including asparagus and dill quiche and saltwater taffy pie. Each chapter contains two guest recipes submitted by top food bloggers, and a basics section provides six staple pie crust recipes, crust troubleshooting tips and step-by-step instructions for creating decorative crusts.
BAKING OUT LOUD: FUN DESSERTS WITH BIG FLAVORS
by Hedy Goldsmith
Crown Publishing, ISBN 978-0-307-95177-9
October 2012, 224 pages, $27.50
Pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith’s mastery of pastry, playful sense of humor and childhood love of Easy-Bake Ovens and Oreos are the hallmarks of this dessert cookbook created for the child in everyone. Goldsmith transforms nostalgic favorites into grown-up treats with bold flavors and unique twists. From her signature version of the Pop-Tart to red velvet twinks, s’more brownies and tangerine creamsicle pots du crème, all 80 recipes are sophisticated yet simple enough to make at home. And for out-of-the-ordinary toppings like marmalade, jam and magic shell, the final chapter, “Things That Rock My World,” is the icing on the cake for this bright, quirky book.
FLOUR WATER SALT YEAST
by Ken Forkish
Ten Speed Press, ISBN 978-1-60774-273-9
September 2012, 272 pages, $35.00
Ken Forkish, Modern Baking’s 2012 Leadership Award winner for Quality and the baker behind Portland, Ore.’s Ken’s Artisan Breads, makes artisan bread accessible to the home baker with his first cookbook. This book translates his nearly obsessive attention to the art of handcrafted bread for even the most novice home baker. Forkish tested each formula in his home oven, which–coupled with clear instructions and precise recipes–result in high-quality breads and pizzas straight from the home oven. The book also addresses experienced bakers who want to learn different approaches to making dough, with chapters dedicated to manipulating ratios and mastering preferments. Whether the reader’s goal is to master straight doughs for fast, delicious fresh bread, learn the step-by-step technique for making levain starters, or produce the perfect pizza crust, Forkish provides the education and tools to take any bread baker’s skills to the next level.
STICKY FINGERS’ SWEETS: 100 SUPER-SECRET VEGAN RECIPES
by Doron Petersan
Avery, ISBN 978-1-58333-463-8
February 2012, 224 pages, $27.50
Is there such thing as a great-tasting dessert free from cholesterol, eggs, butter and milk? Doron Petersan, owner of the acclaimed Sticky Fingers vegan bakery in Washington, D.C., is determined to prove not only that this statement is true, but also that tasty vegan desserts don’t have to be complicated. Sticky Fingers’ Sweets contains 100 recipes as well as the simple science behind vegan baking to ensure successful results every time. Recipes include New York Cheesecake Cupcakes, Hazelnut Biscotti, Cowvin Cookies (the bakery’s most popular product), Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and Seoul Sticky Bread. Throughout the book, readers also will find “Love Bites”–sidebars highlighting specific ingredients and their nutritional benefits. More than a vegan-friendly dessert cookbook, this book is great for anyone who loves to bake and wants to sneak a little nutrition in with their indulgence.
SPRINKLEBAKES: DESSERT RECIPES TO INSPIRE YOUR INNER ARTIST
by Heather Baird
Sterling Publishing, ISBN 978-14027-8636-5
May 2012, 276 pages, $19.95
Author of the award-winning SprinkleBakes blog, Heather Baird combines her skills as a baker and painter in this unconventional, colorful cookbook. Instead of organizing the recipes by dessert type, chapters are listed by blank canvas, line, color, sculpture and mixed media. As a result, readers get both expert baking instruction and an artist’s handbook on painting techniques such as how to get clean brush strokes or create texture through painting, color theory and sculpture molding. The sharp, attractive, step-by-step photographs help bring Baird’s dazzling dessert creations to life.
PROFESSIONAL CAKE DECORATING
by Toba Garrett
Wiley, ISBN 978-0-470-38009-3
January 2012, 416 pages, $65
From Toba Garrett, the IACP award-winning author of Wedding Cake Art and Design, comes the second edition of Professional Cake Decorating, a resource for professional bakers and cake artists as well as students and cake decorating enthusiasts. The start of the book introduces all the fundamentals of cake design, from assembling and icing a layered cake to stacking cake tiers. Subsequent chapters are laid out like mini classes. Garrett describes each technique and its uses, offers step-by-step instructions (with accompanying illustrations and photos) on how it’s done, builds on the basic skill with more complicated variations, and provides “homework” in the form of review exercises and tests for mastering the technique. Garrett also includes recipes for cakes, fillings, icings and cookies as well as an appendix of templates for easy replication of her designs. Whether you’re a novice or advanced cake decorator, this book will guide you through the creation of beautiful decorated cakes.
COOKIES, COOKIES & MORE COOKIES!
by Lilach German
Imagine Publishing, ISBN 978-1-936140-23-7
July 2012, 144 pages, $18.95
Few desserts are as universally beloved as cookies, and Lilach German pays homage to the handheld treats with recipes for every palate and occasion. German offers everything from classics like French Madelaines, almond horns and diamond butter cookies; to children’s cookies like Nutella thumbprints and homemade ice cream sandwiches; to holiday varieties like gingerbread men and Passover cookies; and even cookies for the health conscious, like tehini & agave cookies and energy bars. The book also includes instructions for basic types of dough, icing and meringue. Mouthwatering photos not only inspire the reader to bake cookies but also give some great ideas for presentation.