Pat Sinclair

Something about owning a nice cookbook makes feel as fancy as the pages inside this book, and trust me: these pages are fancy, or at least aesthetically pleasing. Each picture by itself is enough stimulus to activate the salivary glands into over-drool. Together, Pat Sinclair and Joel Butkowski make me want to bake. Pat and Joel make me want to bake everything pictured -- from Julekake, blueberry rhubarb muffins, to hazelnut cake with chocolate ganache.

Together, Pat and Joel make me want to show more eat -- I want to reach into Scandinavian Classic Baking and pull out every food item pictured. I want to bake apples with honey and almonds... Especially with the almonds, and I hate almonds. Sadly, the book doesn't function as a Mary Poppins' handbag, so I simply wish to bake it all instead.

Most people I know grab recipes off the Internet, which is convenient (and free!) compared to purchasing cookbooks. I, however, enjoy owning the books themselves, comparing recipe variations, and being able to flip through one, point, and say, "Aha! Swedish Kringle..." This is probably because I bake horribly and can only dream of these tasty foods, but I'm still learning. Pictures and recipes aside, I quite like reading Sinclair's tidbits of side information about food, ingredients, and Scandinavia. Example:



My favorite, of course, is the Julekake page:

Julekake translates to into "yule" (Christmas) and "kake" (cake). A tradition in many Norwegian families, this festive holiday bread made from rich yeast dough is bursting with candied fruits and almonds. Danes also bake similar breads sparkling with candied fruit for holiday events. Swedes add saffron, and expensive and brilliantly colored spice in keeping with the celebrations of season.

Obviously, I don't add almonds lest I spend a ridiculous amount of time picking them out. show less

This book will prove most helpful for persons new to baking. Experienced cooks will likely possess recipes for most items which are as good or better than those in this volume. I picked up this book several years ago when offered free or cheap for Kindle and am just getting around to looking through it. I found one or two recipes of interest, but I already create many of the baked goods with recipes I won't abandon. Many new cooks prefer heavily illustrated volumes, and this one does not show more include step by step photos or even photos of all selections. show less

Baking Basics and Beyond: Learn These Simple Techniques and Bake Like a Pro
Lot of helpful information and basic know how when it comes to baking.
The recipes: there are only a handful of pictures, no nutritional information or serving sizes.
They do come with tips for a successful product and other secrets.
Although this is the second edition I found some pages were photocopied.