Sunday, August 8, 2010

My Library: King Arthur Flour Whole-Grain Baking

King Arthur Flour: Whole Grain Baking
Amazon, $24
I was given this book for my birthday back in March after adding it to my Amazon wishlist. I've been slowly and steadily eliminating refined flour from my usual diet but had been having a difficult time with desserts and homemade breads. So when I saw this book at Barnes & Noble and after flipping through just a few pages and seeing a recipe I would want to make on each and every page, I knew I had to have it. $35 is a steep price for a whim purchase so I decided to go home and check Amazon. Not surprisingly, its about $10 less there with super saver shipping. Plus, I love shopping from Amazon because you can read honest reviews of what people have to say about the book. Amazingly, this cookbook has over 90 five-star reviews.

First impressions: When I first flipped through this book at the store I was amazed by how many delicious sounding treats were on each page. Whole Wheat Chocolate Croissants? Is that possible?! The geniuses at King Arthur Flour Test Kitchens have developed a massive 544-page whole-grain baking bible. I was impressed.
Pros: There are SO many recipes I look forward to making from this book. The book is well-organized and each recipe is detailed and easy to follow. Useful tips and facts of techniques, cuisines, and ingredients are provided as well as nutritional information and multiple variations for many recipes.
Cons: Tucked away in the middle of the book there are only about 15 pages of photos. I love food photography and think that it is a definite inspiration when looking through a cookbook. Luckily, the sheer volume of amazing recipes and useful information makes up for the lack of photos. Another issue I have with this book is that while all of the recipes use at least a portion of whole-grain goodness, many still utilize lots of butter and sugar. But, hey. A treat is a treat and at least you're winning some health points by making it whole-grain.
Recipes I've Made: 
Recipes I Plan to Make:
  • Whole Wheat Baguettes, pie dough, pizza dough, tortillas, etc.
  • Cinnamon Buns
  • Chocolate Zucchini Cake
  • Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Nectarine Galette
  • Lemon-Oat Squares
  • Fudge Pudding Cake
  • Maple-Brown Sugar Pudding Cake
Overall Rating: 9/10 
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Posted by Tessa
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4 comments:

  1. This is why I love food blogs...I want photos!! I like to order from King Arthur...good stuff.
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  2. I hope you will enjoy using your new book. The recipes are really great-we did a lot of testing and eating and testing. Yummy results. And good luck to you in your culinary pursuits. JMD@KAF
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  3. This is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks! I recommend the cinnamon stuffed scones and the whole wheat sandwich bread - two of my favorites!
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  4. Jane- Totally! Photos make me want to invest the time and effort that goes into making a recipe for the first time.

    "Bakers"- Thank you so much! It is very much apparent how much work went into creating this book.

    Jen- Yum, thanks for the recommendations! I'll definitely try them :)
    ReplyDelete

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