It’s grey, wet, dreary, miserable and downright yucky here in the Pacific Northwest, and like many people I’ve been turning to copious amounts of hot tea and sweet goodies to get me through the endlessly soggy days. Christmas cake and shortbread cookies are wonderful, but sometimes even the most die-hard Christmas dessert fans need to give their baking repertoire a bit of a shake up. If, like me, you’re a devotee of the Great British Bake Off, and want to bring a bit of the British summer into your life (well, minus the rain, we have enough of that here, thank you very much), why not give one of these delicious reads a go? Preheat the oven, pop the kettle on, and bake!
The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake
Get baking tips straight from the source with this beautifully photographed guide to all things British Baking, and bring a little bit of the delight that is Mary Berry into your home. And the best part is that no one will be judging your baking on national television!
Bring a bit of Britain wherever you might be with this guide to recreating the quintessential British tea party, complete with fashion and decor tips and plenty of recipes for British baked treats. Or, be lazy like me, and just enjoy all the nifty illustrations. Though if you do decide to thrown a vintage tea party, do invite me, won’t you?
Don’t let dietary restrictions keep you from living out your GBBO dreams. This colourful collection of gluten free and vegan baking recipes from New York-based Babycakes offers recipes for cookies, doughnuts, cakes and other delicious goodies. This is also perfect for office parties or cookie exchanges when you want to take into account the dietary restrictions of others. Thoughtful sharing is caring, after all.
William Alexander is determined to bake the perfect loaf of bread, and he’s willing to go to some crazy lengths to do so. Over the course of a year he will bake with French monks and Moroccan villagers, grow and harvest his own wheat, capture his own wild yeast, and develop a true appreciation for this ancient dietary staple. Fancy cakes and complicated breads will always have their place, but sometimes it’s the simplest foods that are the most honest, and the most memorable.
Great British Bakes: Forgotten Treasures for Modern Bakers
Perfect for bakers who like a bit of history with their desserts, this collection of forgotten favourites explores different periods of British history and reworks classic recipes for modern cooks. Baking is a centuries-old tradition that has been shaped by the changing forces of time and space, and many of the recipes we love today are rooted in strange and wonderful recipes beloved by our ancestors. Fascinating stuff.
This memoir from office worker-turned-pastry chef Dalia Jurgenson is a delicious read for anyone who’s ever daydreamed about a career as a baker. A career in front of the oven is certainly not for the meek or weak at heart, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll likely be satisfied to live vicariously through this memoir while eating a store-bought cookie on the couch…
Alright bakers – ready, steady, bake!