Baking with Passion - Softcover

Lepard, Dan; Whittington, Richard; Baker & Spice

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1902757645 ISBN 13: 9781902757643

Publisher: Quadrille Publishing Ltd, 2000

Synopsis

Beautiful breads and tantalising pastries, hand-made and using traditional methods and organic ingredients, have made London's Baker & Spice bakery's reputation. This book shows you how to achieve the same results with an equally memorable experience, with yeast breads and basic biscuits and more.

About this title

Review:

It's unusual for a book on baking to do full justice to the whole, glorious range of the baker's art--from the robust and primitive physicality of bread-making, through exquisite cakes and biscuits, to the most rarefied patisserie. Baking With Passion is that book. Inspirational in the highest degree, it will send seasoned bakers back to the kitchen and embolden the most timid cook to start kneading. Dan Lepard is probably the hottest baker (figuratively speaking) in London, while Richard Whittington is busily establishing a reputation as one of the best cookery writers in the business. The fountainhead of their book is the London bakery Baker and Spice, where Lepard is consultant baker. The productions of this business, which delight a growing and enthusiastic retail clientele and are also supplied to many of the top restaurants in the capital, have been skilfully reinterpreted for the domestic kitchen and the unprofessional baker. Everything here can and should be reproduced in the home.

This is not to say that the recipes are unchallenging. Baking, as embodied here, is perhaps the most demanding branch of cooking in what it asks of the cook's patience, commitment and willingness to meet the highest standards of integrity in technique and choice of ingredients. Once these are met, however, the rewards are stunning. Particular highlights among the breads include the San Francisco Sourdough, one of the greatest breads in the world; a Garlic Bread made with whole garlic cloves braised with balsamic vinegar and a perfect Focaccia. Among the varieties of cake, the exquisite Lemon, Apricot and Carrot recipes stand out. Pear Tarte Renversée (a form of Tatin), Pithiviers and a simple but sensationally good Croissant recipe are the highlights of the section dealing with patisserie. --Robin Davidson

About the Author:

Dan Lepard is acclaimed as one of the finest bakers in the world. He has worked at some of London's hottest restaurants including Alastair Little, St John and Locanda Locatelli and was consultant baker at Baker & Spice. His irresistible weekly column in the Guardian Weekend magazine has brought him a huge and loyal following. Richard Whittington is a highly respected food writer who has written many successful books about food and cooking, including Alastair Little: Keep it Simple and Home Food. After first opening in September 1995, Baker & Spice has developed a great reputation for exceptional breads, cakes and pastries. It now has 3 branches all in London.

About this edition

• Publisher: Quadrille Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1902757645
• ISBN 13: 9781902757643
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160