Baking by Flavor

Rating:
Summary: Innovative Style
Review: A wonderfully organized collection of great recipes. The instructions are clear and effective to achieve the perfect dessert.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Baking
Review: As a dessert lover, I give five stars to Baking by Flavor. Both the Jumbo Coconut Cupcakes and Grandma Lilly's Butter Poundcake are memorably delicious. The intelligent recipes aid the baker every step of the way. The depth of research and wealth of flavorful recipes in this cookbook are what make it outstanding contribution to the world of baking. I look on it as an essential addition to my library, to read and to bake from.

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Summary: The only baking book you will ever need!
Review: Baking by Flavor has replaced all of my most important baking reference and recipe books. The author begins with the very sound premise that we remember a batch of fudgy brownies because of the flavors that create it: the wonderful combination and flavor intensity of cocoa and bittersweet chocolate.

She helps us create a whole new context for baking. We learn to think about each ingredient and how to build on its presence in a recipe. The author explores 18 flavors in all, from the traditional and simple flavors of butter, lemon, and vanilla to the contemporary and refined flavors of ginger, rum, and sweet cheese. She also has a lot of fun in between with the dynamic and intense flavors of peanut and peanut butter, chocolate, and buttercrunch.

Our favorites will likely be different, but there are nearly 260 recipes from which to choose, and each one that I have tried has been a true crowd pleaser. Nervous about baking for a group of critical taste testers, I made the Truffled Chocolate-Walnut Brownies -- without the walnuts for the children in the crowd. Not only did the author provide an alternative recipe for just such a scenario, but each step of the recipe was so clearly defined that I felt as though Lisa was in my kitchen, standing by my side! Happy about spending a Sunday afternoon with my children, I made the Butter Cookie Cut-Outs with the children. The cookies had the perfect balance of creamy and crunchy. And now I have to keep the dough in the freezer, as these are our cookies of choice.

With the author's help, I now have a fully stocked baking pantry. When I have the frequent urge to bake, I now turn to the only book I need: Baking by Flavor.

Rating:
Summary: A Way to Wonderful Baking
Review: BAKING BY FLAVOR shows the way to bake deliciously, happily and successfully. The appealing style of the book draws one into delightful reading and ever better baking.

It is truly a 5 star must.

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Summary: Neurotic Compendium...
Review: Don't waste your money on this tome. There are no "eurekas" here when it comes to figuring out how to intensify flavors (add lemon zest to lemon extract, a split vanilla bean to vanilla extract,etc). Most of the recipes use bleached flour (which is processed with Benzoyl Peroxide or Chlorine) when unbleached pastry flour will do (something about everything having to look so perfect is irksome). If you want a book that results in money and time in the kitchen well spent, purchase "In the Sweet Kitchen," by Regan Daley. None of Daley's recipes are duds and she provides great information on flavor combinations and all of the ingredients that go into great baking. Another great baking book is "The Baker's Dozen," edited by Rick Rodgers.

Rating:
Summary: Baking by Flavor
Review: Fantastic, fabulous, long-awaited book. Can't wait for the next one. I really love the recipes. Joan B.

Rating:
Summary: Baking by Flavor
Review: Fantastic, fabulous, long-awaited book. Can't wait for the next one. I really love the recipes. Joan B.

Rating:
Summary: Can be complicated - but it's different and worth it
Review: I bought Baking by Flavor about three weeks ago and have tried 2 recipes from it. I did not exactly follow the directions though because upon reading it I realize that you have to prepare ingredients in advance. First of all, you find a flavor that you like (that is how the book's chapters are divided ie. lemon, carmel, almond, vanilla etc), then you find an item in the chosen chapter that you want to make (cakes, cookies, muffins, pies, tarts), then you must have concentrated flavored ingredients to put into that recipe. For instance, a lemon pound cake is made with "lemon enhanced sugar". The sugar is simple to make but takes days to make. (Drying lemon peels - then letting them sit in granulated sugar until the sugar is lemon flavored). That is just one example of an ingredient that needs to be prepared in advanced. I used plain white unflavored sugar and it turned out fine. The purpose of the book is to make that lemon flavored poundcake EXTRA lemony. All flavors are supposed to be very enhanced and concentrated. Sounds good but I need to find the time to prepare all of these ingredients so that I can prepare the recipe at a later date. Many people would not have the time or patience for this book but I love to bake so I'm willing to try it out. It is kind of a pricey cookbook but it offers many, many recipes and an opening section that offers alot of helpful hints. It's beautifully laid out and has easy to read directions. If you have extra time to bake and you plan in advance, then I recommend this cookbook.

Rating:
Summary: Baking By Flavor
Review: I found this book in my local library and after borrowing it 5 times I finally bought it. This book is great for anyone who likes to experiement with standard recipies by changing some ingredients. In addition, the recipies are anything but the standard that you find in most baking books. After making one of the incredible brownie recipies my husband declared that these are the only kind of brownies he wants, and he will never eat brownies from a box again.

Rating:
Summary: Baking By Flavor
Review: I found this book in my local library and after borrowing it 5 times I finally bought it. This book is great for anyone who likes to experiement with standard recipies by changing some ingredients. In addition, the recipies are anything but the standard that you find in most baking books. After making one of the incredible brownie recipies my husband declared that these are the only kind of brownies he wants, and he will never eat brownies from a box again.