Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding: Sweet and Savoury Recipes from Britain’s Best Baker

Still haven’t tried any recipes but the book seems really nice

I am very fortunate to have come upon this cookery book. The recipes ring true, and I look forward to making a number of them. I particularly liked the ideas for the “afters”, and the sauces, custards, and syrups than can be served alongside. Thank you for a very handy compilation.

There have been many baking books published over the last five years - some blazing a trail, but most jumping on a bandwagon. The problem with the superficially easy British baking tradition is that anyone can make an edible cake badly. To achieve perfection requires a good understanding of your oven, the chemistry of baking, the varying qualities of ingredients, and the discipline to adhere to a recipe. It is these things that the really good baking books address - they teach you how to think like a professional. And that is one reason why this book is special - almost without trying the author passes on an incredible amount of his expertise. Moreover, although many of the recipes are for the 'classics' of British baking, they usually have some added value that makes them a unique interpretation. And by 'interpretation' I mean a well-thought-out sophistication, not pink icing on a ginger nut! As you will see if you buy the book, this approach offers an excellent way to extend your repertoire and to learn how to successfully vary recipes. So, what else do you get for your money? About 150 recipes organised into the following chapters: Breakfast, Baking and Bread, Savoury Baking, Cakes and Teatime Treats, Biscuits, Doughnuts, Warm to Hot Puddings, Cold Puddings, Ice Cream, The Store Cupboard. The Store Cupboard chapter is not the usual list of obvious supermarket fare, but includes several recipes for making your own pickles, jams, and so on. Generally, the recipes in this book are well organised and comprehensive. As well as fully detailed instructions, there is a separate list containing: quantities, suitability for freezing, prep. and cooking times, and the list of ingredients. Measures are metric and standard spoons. Other positives are the total lack of recipes for American-style cupcakes and muffins. Do the recipes work? I've only tried one - gingernuts - lovely. Tomorrow I'll make the apple pie. It uses a thin layer of sponge to soak up the juices that make the bottom layer of pastry soggy. The presentation of the book is very good, with a highly-readable typeface and lots of top notch colour photographs. A slight quibble with the photographs is that too often they take up a full page. This is aesthetically pleasing but serves no other purpose. I haven't counted, but I would guess roughly half the recipes are illustrated. A more serious issue, for which I deducted a star from what is otherwise a copper-bottomed 5-star volume, is that there is quite a bit of empty space in this book. Surely, where the exisiting content takes up less than half a page, it should be possible to insert some more recipes or tips? This is a very good book, written by someone who loves his work and is happy to share his expertise. Great for the experienced baker and, since it is so well written, probably for the tenacious novice too.

Great book!!

Some really yummy recipes to try - looking forward to the custards!!!! I've dreams - yes please! A whole variety of new tastes.

In retirement baking has assumed a more central role in our lives. Many baking books have come, provided one or two favourite recipes and largely been put aside. When I bought this for my wife’s birthday a few months ago, she greeted it with only mild enthusiasm given the groaning bookshelves that fill the house. Then she baked one of Gellatly's creations - I don't remember which - and it was an immediate hit. So she tried another, and another and another. Very soon our days were filled with fresh treats from this book. Some were completely new to us, others were versions of recipes we had tried before and regarded with indifference, some were previous favourites that took on new life in Gellatly’s hands. This is simply the best and most successful cookbook we have ever owned, bar none.

Nothing stands out in this book. Very purely executed and I personally like have a picture of every recipe to give the overall imagine of what a recipe should look like and then if I like the look of it, il more likely bake it? "Eat with your eyes" and all that. This book had pictures for certain recipes which was frustrating. Not baked anything yet from this Book as nothing really inspiring. But I suppose there were some aspects that were interesting like the little general tips of baking techniques and how to make a sour dough starter etc. I wouldn't recommend though

Lovely book, with well written recipes that work. "Old-fashioned" treats like the ginger cake and earl grey tea cake, but also recipes for Gellatly's famouos doughnuts (still haven't dared try that one) and sourdough. I am going to have fun baking my way through the rest of this one, a must-have for those who are fan of Gellatly's Bread Ahead and of St John Restaurant and their style of British food.

Great addition to my collection.

My friend made the best doughnuts I have ever tasted following the recipe in this cookbook, so I decided to get one for myself. The recipes are written using British terms for some of the ingredients, so you have to google for the US equivalents. No big deal.

Das Buch ist ganz nett, wer aber wirklich etwas mehr zum Thema will, sollte die passenden deutschen oder österreichischen Bücher lesen.

lo compre mas que todo por los Doughnut rellenos pero las demas recetas estan muy interesantes

It's going to be a learning curve, but I can't wait to tackle the unique recipes in this beautifully illustrated book