Classic German Baking makes authentic treats easy to create
Classic German Baking
The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen
by Luisa Weiss
Ten Speed Press
Cooking, Food & Wine
Pub Date 18 Oct 2016
Review
My husband's family is German and have definite opinions on how baked goods should taste. When the opportunity arose to review Classic German Baking, I jumped at the chance to try the recipes with hopes of surprising my in-laws.
The first recipe I tried was the almond crescent with edges dipped in chocolate (). This delicious gluten free treat was quickly devoured. Everyone loved it, especially me because it was remarkably easy to make. The next recipe I tried was the anisbrot from the cake category. It too was simple - eggs, sugar, and a touch of salt beaten til full and glossy with flour and anise seeds gently folded in. The cake was slightly dry and lightly sweet, a perfect accompaniment for tea. I even cut the leftover cake as suggested and made zwieback. My husband is clamoring for pretzels next.
Not all of the recipes are so easy, but thankfully the directions provided by Luissa Weiss are easy to follow. One of our German friends has even requested that I bake several of the cakes for her since I showed her the book. I loved how Luisa Weiss gives explanations of techniques and ingredients that make certain German items unique. There is even a recipe for quark - the mysterious cheese my mother-in-law has mentioned, always with the comment that there is nothing like it here!
Classic German Baking takes the mystery out of German baking, making it possible to replicate popular German treats at home. With easy to follow directions and beautiful pictures this book is a great choice for anyone who wants to learn how to bake the German way or recreate childhood treats.
5/5
I received a copy of Classic German Baking from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
A collection of 100 quintessential German recipes for sweets and breads from the creator of The Wednesday Chef blog and author of the memoir, My Berlin Kitchen, including stories from the author's experience of living and baking in Berlinn.
German baking is legendary and informs baking traditions the world over: Christmas cookies, coffee cakes, delicate tortes, soft seeded rolls, and hearty dumplings all have their origins in Germany (and Austria). In Classic German Baking, blogger and author Luisa Weiss--who was born in Berlin to an Italian mother and American father, and married into a family of bakers with roots in Saxony--has collected and mastered the recipes most essential to every good baker's repertoire. In addition to the pillars of the German baking tradition, like Christmas stollen, lebkuchen, and apple strudel, Weiss includes overlooked gems, like eisenbahner--an almond macaroon paste piped onto jam-topped shortbread--and rosinenbrötchen--the raisin-studded whole wheat buns that please a child's palate and a parent's conscience--to create the resource that bakers across the world have long wanted.
