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How to Bake
At last, the star of BBC2's The Great British Bake Off reveals all the secrets of his craft in How to Bake. The son of a baker, Paul Hollywood is passionate about busting the myths that surround baking, sharing his finely honed skills, and showing that with the right guidance, anybody can achieve success time after time.
With this in mind, he has filled this book with easy-to-follow, clearly explained, utterly delicious recipes. Having taken you through the basic techniques, Paul explains how to make an abundance of breads, pastries, cakes and biscuits including wholemeal loaf, soda bread, ciabatta, focaccia, chapatis, Cheddar and apple bread, fruit loaf, fresh croissants, scones, classic Victoria sponge, lemon drizzle cake, baklava, buttery shortbread and triple layer chocolate cake. Time to get baking ...
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 19, 2013
560 people are currently reading
2933 people want to read
About the author
Paul Hollywood
38 books238 followersPaul Hollywood is an English baker and celebrity chef. He has worked as a baker since taking up the career at his father's bakery as a teenager and has gone on to become head baker at a number of hotels around Britain. After returning from working in Cyprus, he began appearing in guest spots on a number of British television shows on both BBC and ITV channels. Since 2010 he has appeared as a judge on BBC2's baking show The Great British Bake Off. He runs his own artisanal baking business, which supplies stores such as Harrods.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
April 6, 2017
Except for the dude on the cover - who I am no fan of - this is a beautiful book. With its excellent array of recipes, its build quality and simple, clean design, I found it quite inspiring. It has a wonderfully solid and functional feel to it and is a book designed to be tossed on your kitchen bench and doused in the mess of the baker.
The instructions are clutter free. Easy to follow. He keeps things straight forward and succinct, much like the man himself.
The book contains good information on all the baking forms he covers ie the chapter on Sourdough has a few pages explaining how to make the best Sourdough you can, explains the starter culture and gives you a good pictorial method on making that starter culture.
Really, I don't think the kitchen cook would need any other bread/pastry making book if they owned this one. This single book is ample enough for the novice and the more experienced home baker. It includes all the breads and pastry recipes you'd need to bake all year round. And those recipes that aren't included can generally be made or adapted from the basic recipes in the book.
The book also includes a section devoted to 'the rest'. Such as cakes. It is a smaller section than those dedicated to dough bakery, but then this is a Paul Hollywood book and you buy it for the bread and pastry baking, not the cakes. There are better cooks and bakers for cakes than Hollywood. After all...who the heck puts eggs in a scone? I don't know what that makes it, but in my opinion, eggs in a scone does not make it a scone.
I found this book well worth the money and after reading it, I couldn't get into the kitchen quick enough to cook from it. A good sign.
The instructions are clutter free. Easy to follow. He keeps things straight forward and succinct, much like the man himself.
The book contains good information on all the baking forms he covers ie the chapter on Sourdough has a few pages explaining how to make the best Sourdough you can, explains the starter culture and gives you a good pictorial method on making that starter culture.
Really, I don't think the kitchen cook would need any other bread/pastry making book if they owned this one. This single book is ample enough for the novice and the more experienced home baker. It includes all the breads and pastry recipes you'd need to bake all year round. And those recipes that aren't included can generally be made or adapted from the basic recipes in the book.
The book also includes a section devoted to 'the rest'. Such as cakes. It is a smaller section than those dedicated to dough bakery, but then this is a Paul Hollywood book and you buy it for the bread and pastry baking, not the cakes. There are better cooks and bakers for cakes than Hollywood. After all...who the heck puts eggs in a scone? I don't know what that makes it, but in my opinion, eggs in a scone does not make it a scone.
I found this book well worth the money and after reading it, I couldn't get into the kitchen quick enough to cook from it. A good sign.
April 4, 2016
In Britain, where I’m based, Paul Hollywood has become one of the most, if not the most, well-known names in baking. He’s one of two judges on the wildly popular TV show The Great British Bake Off, on which he dishes out harsh but fair and very knowledgeable comments on the bakers’ efforts. Prior to becoming a judge, Hollywood had already made a name for himself as a well-respected and successful baker, supplying British institutions such as Harrods and Waitrose. In 2008, he had the rather dubious claim to fame of having produced the most expensive loaf of bread in Britain — a roquefort and almond sourdough loaf, a snap at £15/loaf and which he referred to as the ‘Rolls Royce’ of breads.
So what’s his book like? It’s good. Pretty good. Not bad. Not amazing. I’m rather keen on a bit of food porn, and on this front How to Bake doesn’t really cut it. Hollywood stares out of the cover, all silver spiky hair and piercing blue eyes, which apparently some find rather dashing. He was greeted by screams when he took the stage at the Cake and Bake Show.
Inside, the styling is ok but not inspiring. Fairly standard baking shots, layout is clear and nice fonts. In terms of content, again it’s ok but not amazing. It’s a solid book. It begins with a walk through of ingredients, and gives a good explanation of flour types, protein content, yeast, fats and so on. Hollywood explains the role they play in breadmaking in a simple, short way. For example, he tells you that salt is important for ‘strengthening gluten’ but doesn’t go further than that. If you want a basic introduction, this is it. For the amateur home baker, it will be sufficient.
The section on techniques is good, with clear pictures showing you how to mix, knead and so forth.
There’s a good selection of recipes, starting with basic breads like white tin loaf, a white cob, a wholemeal loaf and so on. He ranges as far as a fougasse and baguettes. It’s standard stuff and a good range of the sort of basic breads most home bakers will want to make. The recipes work well and the instructions are good.
So far, so standard. How to Bake picks up a bit when we get to the flavoured breads. Hollywood offers some interesting flavour combos — Stilton and Grape Flatbreads, Flatbreads with Epoisse and Bacon, and Gorgonzola, Pear and Walnut Bakes. If this is your thing, then there’s a nice selection of recipes to try.
Moving on from the flavoured breads, Hollywood delves into sourdough and things get interesting. There’s basic instructions for how to get started with sourdough — making a starter, proving and the like. There are basic recipes for baguettes, pain de campagne and seeded sourdough. The chapter comes into its own when Hollywood explores flavoured sourdough. Then we get into sourdoughs combined with lemon and rosemary, chocolate and apricot, bacon and garlic and my favourite – sourdough filled with Epoisses cheese. There are some truly fun, inspiring recipes here for the sourdough enthusiast.
The final chapters cover sweet yeasted doughs. The recipes are sound — the Danish pastry one works well — but the photography is a little on the bland side for my taste. Here you’ll find recipes for most of the classics — croissants, danishes, brioche, pain au chocolat — which rounds out the collection well, making How to Bake a useful, comprehensive first book on bread baking. It’s good for the newcomer, but has some interesting recipes to stretch those with more experience. It’s a book I turn to when I need a recipe for something fundamental, and I’m usually confident that the recipes are well-tested and likely to succeed. It’s not a book for poring (and salivating) over, but it’s a useful, well-produced collection that will be a good addition to any baker’s library. And the creme patissiere recipe is a knock-out!
So what’s his book like? It’s good. Pretty good. Not bad. Not amazing. I’m rather keen on a bit of food porn, and on this front How to Bake doesn’t really cut it. Hollywood stares out of the cover, all silver spiky hair and piercing blue eyes, which apparently some find rather dashing. He was greeted by screams when he took the stage at the Cake and Bake Show.
Inside, the styling is ok but not inspiring. Fairly standard baking shots, layout is clear and nice fonts. In terms of content, again it’s ok but not amazing. It’s a solid book. It begins with a walk through of ingredients, and gives a good explanation of flour types, protein content, yeast, fats and so on. Hollywood explains the role they play in breadmaking in a simple, short way. For example, he tells you that salt is important for ‘strengthening gluten’ but doesn’t go further than that. If you want a basic introduction, this is it. For the amateur home baker, it will be sufficient.
The section on techniques is good, with clear pictures showing you how to mix, knead and so forth.
There’s a good selection of recipes, starting with basic breads like white tin loaf, a white cob, a wholemeal loaf and so on. He ranges as far as a fougasse and baguettes. It’s standard stuff and a good range of the sort of basic breads most home bakers will want to make. The recipes work well and the instructions are good.
So far, so standard. How to Bake picks up a bit when we get to the flavoured breads. Hollywood offers some interesting flavour combos — Stilton and Grape Flatbreads, Flatbreads with Epoisse and Bacon, and Gorgonzola, Pear and Walnut Bakes. If this is your thing, then there’s a nice selection of recipes to try.
Moving on from the flavoured breads, Hollywood delves into sourdough and things get interesting. There’s basic instructions for how to get started with sourdough — making a starter, proving and the like. There are basic recipes for baguettes, pain de campagne and seeded sourdough. The chapter comes into its own when Hollywood explores flavoured sourdough. Then we get into sourdoughs combined with lemon and rosemary, chocolate and apricot, bacon and garlic and my favourite – sourdough filled with Epoisses cheese. There are some truly fun, inspiring recipes here for the sourdough enthusiast.
The final chapters cover sweet yeasted doughs. The recipes are sound — the Danish pastry one works well — but the photography is a little on the bland side for my taste. Here you’ll find recipes for most of the classics — croissants, danishes, brioche, pain au chocolat — which rounds out the collection well, making How to Bake a useful, comprehensive first book on bread baking. It’s good for the newcomer, but has some interesting recipes to stretch those with more experience. It’s a book I turn to when I need a recipe for something fundamental, and I’m usually confident that the recipes are well-tested and likely to succeed. It’s not a book for poring (and salivating) over, but it’s a useful, well-produced collection that will be a good addition to any baker’s library. And the creme patissiere recipe is a knock-out!
December 28, 2022
What can I say? I have wonderful kids who listened when I said I wanted these cookbooks for Christmas.
I really appreciate the detailed instructions--and am already learning things, like what substitutes for corn flour and so on. I've traveled to England several times now, but am always learning new vocabulary--British vs. American. Fascinating.
If you are American and don't want to do math, you might not get this book--otherwise, I love to learn!
I really appreciate the detailed instructions--and am already learning things, like what substitutes for corn flour and so on. I've traveled to England several times now, but am always learning new vocabulary--British vs. American. Fascinating.
If you are American and don't want to do math, you might not get this book--otherwise, I love to learn!
February 17, 2019
Before reading this book I didn't know how to bake much of anything unless it came from a box, and now I bake bread all the time! And it's so delicious, and actually a lot easier than I expected. Thank you, Paul!!
May 10, 2017
Given Paul Hollywood's "character" on The Great British Bakeoff, I was worried that this how-to book would actually be filled with his condescending hints at what I should already know about baking without him actually telling me what I should know.
Thankfully, this book is informative and generous in its advice and tips, even if the author's infamous brevity is present. Many different recipes, variations, and techniques are discussed and there are many photos so you should know what the final product should look like. In the beginning Hollywood writes the basic how-tos for different types of breads and there are photos of the steps. This is helpful, but I wish that each recipe had step-by-step photos in addition to photos of the final product. Since this is a how-to book, I don't think that would be out of place. I had to search for YouTube videos of some of Hollywood's techniques because there wasn't a photo of it in the basic how-to or in the recipe, and even though the words he wrote describing it make sense, I just wanted to SEE how it was done.
There are many recipes in here that I am excited to try. My husband and I enjoyed the Breakfast Buns already! The recipes are in metric so for the U.S. audience you need a scale that can do grams if you want to use this book.
Thankfully, this book is informative and generous in its advice and tips, even if the author's infamous brevity is present. Many different recipes, variations, and techniques are discussed and there are many photos so you should know what the final product should look like. In the beginning Hollywood writes the basic how-tos for different types of breads and there are photos of the steps. This is helpful, but I wish that each recipe had step-by-step photos in addition to photos of the final product. Since this is a how-to book, I don't think that would be out of place. I had to search for YouTube videos of some of Hollywood's techniques because there wasn't a photo of it in the basic how-to or in the recipe, and even though the words he wrote describing it make sense, I just wanted to SEE how it was done.
There are many recipes in here that I am excited to try. My husband and I enjoyed the Breakfast Buns already! The recipes are in metric so for the U.S. audience you need a scale that can do grams if you want to use this book.
August 15, 2021
I don't usually review my cook books but this one is so good I just had to. I am not a great baker but after watching the author on the programme 'City Bakes', I decided to give it a try.
I have now baked a few loaves from the recipes in this book and they have all turned out tasty and well baked. I made a loaf of Cholla for the first time and I was truly surprised by how good it tasted. From now on I won't be buying bread from any of my local stores because the bread I have made so far tastes so much nicer.
What has surprised me about bread baking is how easy it can be especially if you have a good recipe. I think Paul Hollywood's book has truly revolutionised my own baking.
I have now baked a few loaves from the recipes in this book and they have all turned out tasty and well baked. I made a loaf of Cholla for the first time and I was truly surprised by how good it tasted. From now on I won't be buying bread from any of my local stores because the bread I have made so far tastes so much nicer.
What has surprised me about bread baking is how easy it can be especially if you have a good recipe. I think Paul Hollywood's book has truly revolutionised my own baking.
February 3, 2019
Paul Hollywood has grown up baking. He knows how to bake. He knows all the little secrets of success and he knows where things can go wildly wrong.
It's not a huge, overwhelming book like the title might suggest. Instead, it's a gentle introduction for a person interested in beginning a baking practice.
It's not a huge, overwhelming book like the title might suggest. Instead, it's a gentle introduction for a person interested in beginning a baking practice.
February 4, 2021
We've been watching the Great British Bake-Off. I was taken in by Paul Hollywood's brutal charm. Dreams of Paul pushing my buns and saying, "you see this dent, it's underbaked". I thought this book would somehow bring that home. I should know better.
January 28, 2022
After working with this book for a few years, I have to sadly downgrade a star. I still think Hollywood's bread recipes and instructions are fantastic. I've made his simple loaf, Challah and Focaccia and they've all turned out really well! I feel so much more confident with my bread skills and I owe most of that to this book. It's totally worth it to make the Brit to American measurement conversions.
But, if I'm honest, we've struggled with some of the more sweet recipes. (It's worth noting here that British sweets are quite different to American sweets - much less sweet actually. I personally like that, but I think people need to be aware.) The marble loaf has burnt twice and the Cypriot cookies didn't spread - they just stayed round little lumps. I have no doubt this is all 100% user error, but I guess I just really wish I knew WHY they went astray, and I do expect a book titled 'How to Bake' to give a little bit of guidance in that regard with some deeper explanation and troubleshooting.
But, if I'm honest, we've struggled with some of the more sweet recipes. (It's worth noting here that British sweets are quite different to American sweets - much less sweet actually. I personally like that, but I think people need to be aware.) The marble loaf has burnt twice and the Cypriot cookies didn't spread - they just stayed round little lumps. I have no doubt this is all 100% user error, but I guess I just really wish I knew WHY they went astray, and I do expect a book titled 'How to Bake' to give a little bit of guidance in that regard with some deeper explanation and troubleshooting.
October 4, 2012
Ok, Everyone else marked it 5*, I gave it a 3* and that was at a generous push and feel I should explain why.
I wouldn't say I disliked this book but I found most of this book irrelevent to me. I found FAR too much of it was focussed on bread when I am more of a cake/pastry baker.
The step by step guides were greatly detailed and I would highly recommend this book if you wanted 50 savoury and sweet bread recipes in your cooking repetoire (up to page 124 of a 300 pg book) but for me this just wasn't what I was looking for.
There's probably 4 or 5 recipes I would actually do and only about a fifth of the book is what I was interested in but have some tried and tested recipes for some of the few cakes he does do.
Overall, great for serious bakers and people with 18 hours to prove breads and rolls, but not so good for busy mums who can't keep checking on things every hour.
I wouldn't say I disliked this book but I found most of this book irrelevent to me. I found FAR too much of it was focussed on bread when I am more of a cake/pastry baker.
The step by step guides were greatly detailed and I would highly recommend this book if you wanted 50 savoury and sweet bread recipes in your cooking repetoire (up to page 124 of a 300 pg book) but for me this just wasn't what I was looking for.
There's probably 4 or 5 recipes I would actually do and only about a fifth of the book is what I was interested in but have some tried and tested recipes for some of the few cakes he does do.
Overall, great for serious bakers and people with 18 hours to prove breads and rolls, but not so good for busy mums who can't keep checking on things every hour.
November 19, 2021
I LOOOOVVEEEE PAUL HOLLYWOOD!!!!! i would literally give this 10 million stars if possible. i would pay millions for a hollywood handshake. I can’t bake and i have no desire to bake but if paul showed me how, i would sell my children to fly to england and get lessons. my husband resembles paul in the ways that he has a large nose and a firm grip when he skates your hand. if i were being swarn in as president of the united states, i would ask to place my hand on this book rather than the bible. i have sent countless letters to paul and gotten no response. i hope that in the future i will move to england, gain a british accent, and go on the great british baking show and shake that mans muscley hands.
April 17, 2019
Great book
A lot of good recipes and good advice for baking lots of sweet and savory items. Currently working on the whole wheat bread loaf. I have learned quite a bit from the book, being an intermediate level baker, and I am looking forward to taking my baking to a whole new level!
A lot of good recipes and good advice for baking lots of sweet and savory items. Currently working on the whole wheat bread loaf. I have learned quite a bit from the book, being an intermediate level baker, and I am looking forward to taking my baking to a whole new level!
August 22, 2020
This book has been truly enlightening. I was a guy who, if given a bag of flour during a food crisis, I would probably starve. I had never baked anything before. My wife gave me this book and I started with the basic white bread. I produced an excellent cob loaf that tasted amazing! I have moved through a few of the breads so far, including one filled bread with great success. The directions and instructions are ideal and the pictures really help. The information on different flour and protein levels was great information and I found some great flour in the USA to use. I’m now one of the few people I know that can make bread from raw ingredients and have found making bread is a lot of fun. Homemade bread also tastes much better than store bought and I don’t get that painfully full feeling with my own bread. Preservatives? I’m not sure, but store bought bread makes me feel like I ate lead.
January 5, 2022
I am fairly confident that I can avoid a soggy-bottomed bake with the knowledge gained in this book, but I’d be lying if I said the recipes weren’t intimidating. Paul clearly knows his stuff, but the equipment and ingredients he requires for baking success come at a cost, and I’ll have to spread out adding these items to my baking pantry for the sake of my wallet.
August 2, 2020
Everything I make from here is delicious. The breads are very hearty and easy. I can't wait to make the pastries, pies, tarts, and other flavoured breads! Paul Hollywood is king.
August 9, 2022
Finally a bread baking book that is not only easy to understand, has easy instructions, but also has great pictures that help in addition to being beautiful. I’ve tried a couple and have had good results. Don’t be afraid of the measurements, make sure your liquid measurement cup has metric measures and you have a scale for dry ingredients - don’t get intimidated.
August 20, 2021
After waiting for almost a year on the library waiting list, I now know why. And now I’m gonna have to buy my own copy.
November 12, 2019
Gorgeous book that I quickly read cover to cover. Hollywood has a way of comprehensively describing a recipe’s process without overwhelming. The step by step photos of pastry-making and folding techniques are almost worth it alone. Excellent variety of recipes, with a hefty bread chapter, of course.
October 1, 2020
Great book! I learned a lot about baking, how it works, and the reason of using certain ingredients and tools. Just like it promises, Paul Hollywood managed to teach a great lesson and takes away the fear of “baking bread”.
If you want to try new things in your kitchen, this is a great book to learn how.
If you want to try new things in your kitchen, this is a great book to learn how.
October 31, 2012
An excellent introduction to the craft and artistry of baking. The best parts are the introductions to each section along with the core recipes that start those sections - bread, pastries, tarts/pies, cakes, etc. As someone who works in the restaurant world the followup recipes are less interesting as they tend to be variations on the theme, designed to help the home baker explore just that. I'd have liked to see a bit more variety - but then, the book is intended to be an introduction, not an in-depth exploration, so I really can't complain. I was even inspired to make several of the recipes and they all came out really well - his instructions are on the money.
November 19, 2012
My fiancé got me this for my birthday, and it was my favourite present! So far I've made bread, garlic bread, chipatis, brownies and the delicious marble cake! And lots more I want to try! In particular the Christmas chocolate log. Ideal beginners guide to baking, as it shows techniques and step by step pictures for certain methods which helps to see what something should look like part way through the process.
June 30, 2025
Incredibly helpful and no nonsense
May 20, 2020
I'm pretty much done here, so it's time for a review. Our fam got addicted to #gbbo a whole ago and this book is touted as one of the better ones when learning to bake. I've baked before, but never anything complicated and never bread. So I asked for this for Xmas and decided I was going to work my way through it, making every recipe.
Basic Breads: I made every single recipe in this section and liked most of them. You need to use a "strong white bread flour" for most and those were hard to find before the pandemic. King Arthur Bread Flour was my go-to and I'm getting it delivered now. I liked this section a lot. I feel I've got a decent handle on bread and will keep this book just for that section alone.
Flavoured Breads: I made everything until the Cheddar & Apple Bread, except the Coriander, Olive & Onion Bread. Most of these were okay right out of the oven, but didn't keep well. They didn't taste good cold and didn't reheat we. We're a small family and we threw away a LOT.
Sourdough: I was still waiting on things on order until yesterday, so I never started any. I'll probably try that soon.
Croissants, Danish & Brioche: I didn't make anything here. I started reading the chapter intro and it, once again, asks for things I've never heard of and can't find, especially in a pandemic. Also, I was super intimidated.
Biscuits, Cakes & Puddings: I made the Shortbread, Scones, Lemon Cake, Victoria Sponge, & Summer Fruit Genoise. We loved the Scones & liked the Lemon. The Shortbread was not tasty. The Victoria was rubbery, despite as little mixing as I could get away with. And the Genoise burned and didn't fill the pan because in America our pans are bigger. Most of the other things in this chapter don't look very appetizing to me. There's a lot of nuts and a lot of something called "fruit peel" which the internet says I can make at home, but it takes day.
Overall, this cookbook was frustrating once you get beyond bread. I had to substitute a lot and now own a bunch of kitchen things I'll never use again. I would recommend it for the bread, but not so much the rest.
Basic Breads: I made every single recipe in this section and liked most of them. You need to use a "strong white bread flour" for most and those were hard to find before the pandemic. King Arthur Bread Flour was my go-to and I'm getting it delivered now. I liked this section a lot. I feel I've got a decent handle on bread and will keep this book just for that section alone.
Flavoured Breads: I made everything until the Cheddar & Apple Bread, except the Coriander, Olive & Onion Bread. Most of these were okay right out of the oven, but didn't keep well. They didn't taste good cold and didn't reheat we. We're a small family and we threw away a LOT.
Sourdough: I was still waiting on things on order until yesterday, so I never started any. I'll probably try that soon.
Croissants, Danish & Brioche: I didn't make anything here. I started reading the chapter intro and it, once again, asks for things I've never heard of and can't find, especially in a pandemic. Also, I was super intimidated.
Biscuits, Cakes & Puddings: I made the Shortbread, Scones, Lemon Cake, Victoria Sponge, & Summer Fruit Genoise. We loved the Scones & liked the Lemon. The Shortbread was not tasty. The Victoria was rubbery, despite as little mixing as I could get away with. And the Genoise burned and didn't fill the pan because in America our pans are bigger. Most of the other things in this chapter don't look very appetizing to me. There's a lot of nuts and a lot of something called "fruit peel" which the internet says I can make at home, but it takes day.
Overall, this cookbook was frustrating once you get beyond bread. I had to substitute a lot and now own a bunch of kitchen things I'll never use again. I would recommend it for the bread, but not so much the rest.
July 16, 2022
This is not my first Paul Hollywood’s baking cookbook. I am a fan of Paul on the TV series The Great British Bake Off so I was excited to have the opportunity to review his latest book: BAKE - My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics.
Well, I was not disappointed! In order to write this review, I had to take out his other books to compare how he presented these classics. The new book is very well thought out, includes lots of appetizing recipe pictures and technical steps to help you along the way.
Paul may come across as intimidating when he judges bakes from contestants on the show. But, I like to think that it’s because of his extensive baking knowledge and experience (and maybe a bit of arrogance that I came to enjoy as a viewer).
For those home bakers who already have other baking cookbooks, I trust there will be something new for you to learn and try in this latest book
Paul proves that there are infinite ways to vary a bake based on ingredients, presentation and imagination. Happy Baking!
Thank you NetGalley, Bloomsberry USA and Bloomsberry Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
# Netgalley #Bloomsberryusa # BloomsberryPublishing #Bake #Cookbook #PaulHollywood
Well, I was not disappointed! In order to write this review, I had to take out his other books to compare how he presented these classics. The new book is very well thought out, includes lots of appetizing recipe pictures and technical steps to help you along the way.
Paul may come across as intimidating when he judges bakes from contestants on the show. But, I like to think that it’s because of his extensive baking knowledge and experience (and maybe a bit of arrogance that I came to enjoy as a viewer).
For those home bakers who already have other baking cookbooks, I trust there will be something new for you to learn and try in this latest book
Paul proves that there are infinite ways to vary a bake based on ingredients, presentation and imagination. Happy Baking!
Thank you NetGalley, Bloomsberry USA and Bloomsberry Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
# Netgalley #Bloomsberryusa # BloomsberryPublishing #Bake #Cookbook #PaulHollywood
December 27, 2018
We've been watching the Great British Baking Challenge and the Master Class spinoff on TV and I became intrigued by the recipes and how well the two personalities demonstrated techniques, so I picked up a copy of this book. Have to say, they certainly make the recipes seem achievable. I'm far from an accomplished baker... So, the recipes sound delicious, the instructions seem straightforward, and there are some great illustrations to demonstrate kneading techniques, etc. So, I'm off to try some breads and English bakery. The one downside to this book is that the recipes are all in "British," which means metric measurements and ingredient names like "strong flour." A conversion table, a kitchen scale, and a little Google-time might be required, but I'm game.
November 22, 2019
I like this book and recipes, even though the measurements use the metric system. There's no frills to it, he tells fond stories of baking with his grandmother at a young age and little tidbits along the way. After soaking up and binging on the Great British Baking Show, I was especially happy to have the recipes for Paul Hollywood's version of the Victoria Sponge, Marble Cake and Mrs. Post's lemon drizzle cake (kinda looks like a pound cake to me), Banana bread with Walnuts recipes....aaaand.... I could go on and on. I just need to get on with making these cakes now.
Definitely a good read!!
Definitely a good read!!
July 21, 2020
Too much yeast and too much salt... reduce the one and you dont need as much of the other. That aside I think it's a good book. I love that the first chapter gives you the basic bread recipes (although there are several where it's pretty much the same recipe baked in a different shape). But mainly I love that it has recipes for pita, crumpets, chapati and I love the flavoured breads, some really different ideas. I've even done the sourdough... with mixed results but taste delicious, however I dont like that there is so much waste as you have to discard half the mixture each time so will be trying a different method
March 17, 2021
I only gave this book three stars because I was looking more for a biography than a cookbook and this was more of the latter. In the first few chapters, Hollywood did write about his early life and how he became a baker, but in most of it he relates how to use ingredients and tips on baking. On the Great British Baking Show, he comes off as abut of a stern judge, but this book portrays him as someone who enjoys teaching and sharing his expertise. His more humorous side is also evident in the Great British Baking Masterclass program where Mary Barry is an excellent foil for him.
I did not try any of the recipes although I’m there are excellent.
I did not try any of the recipes although I’m there are excellent.
June 16, 2020
Was planning to bake my way through this book in 2020, but by June I'd decided against finishing for three very good reasons:
1. I didn't want to sink money into specialty flours (spelt, rye, etc.) that I would only use the one time
2. A lot of the recipes in the book just sound disgusting (cheese and grape bread? Really?)
3. It's been difficult to find bread flour, and I'm using all I have to make things we love instead of trying new recipes.
I do recommend the book (at least the first section). I learned a lot and now make a mean challah.
1. I didn't want to sink money into specialty flours (spelt, rye, etc.) that I would only use the one time
2. A lot of the recipes in the book just sound disgusting (cheese and grape bread? Really?)
3. It's been difficult to find bread flour, and I'm using all I have to make things we love instead of trying new recipes.
I do recommend the book (at least the first section). I learned a lot and now make a mean challah.
October 15, 2024
Love These Recipes and The Knowledge!
I love Baking, and for my money Paul Hollywood is probably the best baker that I have ever seen or heard in my lifetime. His skills are so obvious that you only have to watch him once to realize how good he is, how knowledgeable he is and his desire to teach everyone he comes in contact with how to bake. Baking gives me pleasure and it certainly brings smiles and happiness to my family and friends, and that makes me happy. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves to bake or who wants to learn to bake.
carolintallahassee
I love Baking, and for my money Paul Hollywood is probably the best baker that I have ever seen or heard in my lifetime. His skills are so obvious that you only have to watch him once to realize how good he is, how knowledgeable he is and his desire to teach everyone he comes in contact with how to bake. Baking gives me pleasure and it certainly brings smiles and happiness to my family and friends, and that makes me happy. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves to bake or who wants to learn to bake.
carolintallahassee
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