Anna Olson - Back to Baking: 200 Timeless Recipes to Bake, Share, and Enjoy

Copyright 2011 by Anna Olson

Whitecap Books

Epub edition, 2012

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publisher : Michael Burch

editor : Sarah Maitland

designer of print edition : Mauve Pag

designer and editor of electronic edition : Jesse Marchand

food photographer : Ryan Szulc

food stylists : Anna Olson and Lisa Rollo

prop stylist : Madeleine Johari

library and archives canada cataloguing in publication

Olson, Anna, 1968

Back to baking : 200 timeless recipes to bake, share, and enjoy / Anna Olson.

Includes index.

Softcover isbn 978-1-77050-063-1

Epub isbn 978-1-77050-175-1

. Baking.. Desserts.. Cookbooks. I. Title.

tx765.o47 2011 641.8'15 c2011-904465-x

The publisher acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund ( CBF ) and the Province of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

contents

introduction

THOSE OF US who bake understand that baking is about a sense of satisfaction, a sense of sharing. Especially these days, when time is our most valuable commodity, taking the time to make something that doesnt just feed the family but is meant as a reward is a gift that can be as gratifying for the giver as it is for the receiver. If you are ready to feel that sense of satisfaction and sharing, then it is time to get back to baking.

This book is about those extras, those treats that have a place in a balanced diet, in modest portions. Making something from scratch gives you control. You know what you are making, what is going into the dish, and how it is being prepared. And there is luxury in the fact that, because these delights are homemade, the recipes can suit those with food intolerances and allergies.

Ive devoted chapters in this book to dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, and low-fat/low-sugar baking. Many more of these types of recipes are scattered throughout the rest of the book and designated as such.

Ive also included several recipes in the book that are foundation recipes. These recipes are used as a base for other recipes. For example, is the base for several drop cookie recipes. Foundation recipes are designated as such.

Some of the recipes in this collection are based on basic sweet treats, like Chocolate Chip Cookies, Currant Scones, and Raisin Butter Tarts. The book also includes recipes for more elaborate and formal desserts, like Chocolate Layer Cake with Caramel Frosting, Dobos Torte, and Pear, Grand Marnier, and White Chocolate Trifle. Ive also introduced new techniques, such as the one for the Lemon Meringue Pie.

Whether you are a novice cookperhaps a young person who wants to make your first batch of brownies, or a more adventurous bakersomeone who is ready to tackle a wedding cake, this book has something for you. It provides fundamental formulas and guidelines as well as sophisticated advice. For some of you, this book will refresh your memory of the principles of baking and help you ease back into the art.

Over my years of baking, Ive tried many different techniques; some worked, some didnt. Each experience was an opportunity for me to learn new things, and now I can share what Ive learned with you. Throughout the book, Ive added information based on some of the most common baking questions Ive been asked. Baking is not just about the what to make but the why it all works in the wonderful ways it does. Ive tried to provide as many answers as I could to the whys so that you will be able to take these tips into the kitchen and bake with confidence.

One final note: The recipes in this book were not compiled from my other books. All of these recipes are new. Ive had fun creating, making, and testing each treat and dessert, all the while asking myself: How can I make it tastier? How can I make it simpler? Who will get the reward today?

Bake, share, and enjoy,

Anna Olson

before you bake

BAKING RECIPES CONTAIN a number of commonly repeated ingredients, tools, and terms, and although you may be comfortable jumping right in and starting a recipe, this chapter gives you some guidelines to the phrasing used in this book.

In addition, the chapter introductions contain general advice for recipes within that chapter. These topical blurbs cover some of the most common baking questions I am asked. Specific tips, called Notes from Annas Kitchen, also accompany certain recipes for when you are making the recipe (not everyone reads the opening chapters to a cookbook before they begin!).

baking actions

Baking actions are movements made to produce specific results. Here are definitions of some of the most commonly used actions in baking:

Beat To stir with a vigorous motion (by hand with a spoon or spatula, or by machine, which will usually be specified) with the expectation that some air may get worked into the batter.

Blend To combine ingredients to a homogeneous consistency. The level or speed of blending will be specified if it is important.

Cream To work one or more ingredients, usually butter and sugar, together in a way that aerates the ingredients by spreading them along the side of the mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or spatula or by using beaters on a medium to high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Butter and sugar that have been well creamed give structure to cookies in particular. Creaming is typically called for in recipes with equal amounts of sugar and butter, or those with more sugar than butter. Recipes with greater amounts of butter are typically beaten to aerate the batter.