Baking: From My Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan
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Book Reviews of Baking: From My Home to Yours
Book Review: A great book for basics
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been using Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home To Yours" with good results for two years now. The book is full of reliable, solid recipes and has become a staple in my kitchen. In general, the recipes tend toward classic, all-American flavors and ingredients - carrot cake, muffins, apple pie, brownies, chocolate layer cake, etc. The book's strongest recipes tend to be the simplest. I've found that the shortbreads, muffins, scones, quick breads, and some of the tarts are generally quite good. Greenspan also includes many tips for adjusting the recipes. This is especially helpful for those who love to tweak or make substitutions but are worried about screwing up the product.
There are no overly-complicated recipes, but some are a bit boring and unoriginal (for example, the Allspice Crumb Muffins). In addition, there is a fair amount of repetition in the book - there are several apple tart/pie recipes, none of which seem particularly distinctive. The same is true for brownies. This makes it difficult to choose a recipe (not always a bad thing!), but it also gives the impression that the recipes were not selected very carefully. Instead, it seems they were included as afterthoughts or space-fillers.
My only other complaint about the book is the sugariness of the desserts. I routinely find myself reducing the sugar content by one quarter to one half, depending on the recipe. Of course, this is a personal taste preference and may not hold true for everyone, but I've found it to be necessary.
All in all, a solid book, especially for beginners!
Book Review: I'm cooking my way through this book...
Summary: 4 Stars
...and enjoying everything I've made! The book is large, with many beautiful photographs, so I use my plastic cookbook holder to keep the book pristine, and hold the pages open.
The recipes I've tried have all turned out perfectly. The Classic Brownies are great -- make a double batch! The Allspice Crumb Muffins are gently spiced and light, not leaden like so many muffins. The Chocolate Chip Cookies are a variation on the usual recipe; for example Dorie uses light brown sugar instead of dark. The result was a bit lighter and less pancake-shaped. The Devil's Food White Out Cake (pictured on the cover) was incredible! I didn't have time to make the marshmallow frosting as advised, so just made a quick buttercream. The cake was a hit.
My only quibble is with the recipe for Chocolate Pots de Creme. Dorie advised that these be baked in a roasting pan in a water bath, encased in plastic wrap! She claimed this wouldn't melt in a slow oven, but I found that wasn't true. After some hesitation I followed instructions, using my name brand plastic wrap. When I checked the oven after 15 minutes the plastic wrap had melted and stretched into a spiderweb of filaments. I took the entire pan out of the oven, picked away the melted plastic, and recovered the pan with aluminum foil, as I'd initially been tempted to do. The Pots de Creme came out great, absolutely delicious in spite of the interrupted baking.
I'm looking forward to more baking with this great book, but I'll trust my instincts in the future re: plastic in the oven!
Book Review: If you love baking, this book is for you
Summary: 5 Stars
It's been a long time since a general baking book has excited me as much as this one has. I have tried a number of the recipes, all have worked beautifully, and I have received nothing but compliments from the people who have sampled them. Okay, I confess, I've also received requests for the recipes.
By and large, the recipes contain easy-to-get ingredients -- though sometimes a lot of them -- don't require equipment beyond what most people have at home, and have detailed instructions. Serving and storage information accompanies each recipe. There are photos, invariably beautiful, of many of the finished products.
One of the things I love about the book is Dorie Greenspan's sense of fun. You can tell that she really enjoys baking. Each recipe begins with a description that just makes you want to rush into the kitchen and make it on the spot. There is often an anecdote about who or what inspired the recipe, and/or a tip on a technique to use when making it. Many recipes are also have a "Playing Around" section that suggests variations -- sometimes whimsical -- on the original.
A word about the book's production -- the binding is sewn, which means the pages won't pop out as the book ages, and the paper stock is heavy and coated, so it will be crumble-resistant for years to come. Best of all, the book lays flat when open, so you don't have to weight down the pages to keep them from turning at the worst possible moment.
If you love baking, especially desserts, this book is for you.
Book Review: This book weighs a TON
Summary: 3 Stars
I have been baking for some 35 years since my mom first let me make cookies on my own when I was seven, and it's been a lifelong passion for me. I am a fan of Dorie Greenspan's many baking books -- I own several of her earlier books, including "Baking with Julia," and I use them often -- so needless to say I was excited about this newest edition and ordered it as soon as I heard about it. But I have to say, when it arrived I was rather shocked at how heavy it is: it weighs in at nearly 5 (yes five!) pounds, and as a consequence it is terribly unwieldy. For those of you who own "Baking with Julia," which is also a large book, here's a comparison: the new book weighs in at 4.75 pounds, whereas "Julia" is almost a pound lighter at 3.88 pounds. Nonetheless the new book is beautiful and the recipes are inviting. But I haven't tried any yet because it's such a hassle dealing with the book itself. In fact, I am probably going to return it for just that reason. (I'm no weakling either, at 5'10" and a regular at the gym.) Massive cookbooks seem to be a trend these days, and while they are lovely to look at and might make nice coffeetable books, for those of us who actually USE them for cooking they are very impractical and annoying. Cookbook publishers, are you listening?? If this book gets reissued in a lighter-weight paperback edition at some point, I will buy that. But the hardback monster is going back.Book Review: Mostly good
Summary: 3 Stars
Things I liked about the book:
- It taught me a few things about baking in general I didn't know (for example, when whipping cream, use confectioner's sugar, not granulated)
- Beautiful pictures.
- A handful of really good recipes that I will make again.
- Variations listed next to recipes allow you to play and learn.
- Basic recipes at the back of the book were useful.
Things I didn't like about the book:
- Too many recipes that require a sophisticated palate to appreciate (fig cake? really?)
- Many recipes with no pictures, not even online. I know pictures make a book expensive to publish, but what's stopping them from setting up an online forum for the book where people can troubleshoot recipes and share pictures?
- The "Good For Everything Pie Dough" recipe was an absolute flop. I could not believe how much fat was in it. I make my own dough with a third of a cup of shortening for every cup of flour. That's aprox. 2.5 Tbsp of fat per cup. In comparison, this recipe calls for 7.5 Tbsp, almost an entire stick of fat per cup of flour! Gross. Even if it hadn't disintegrated when I put it in the oven, it probably would have given my family the runs.