Cornmeal Cookies
Sherry from Sherry’s Pickings has shared with us a yummy looking biscuit recipe from The Italian Baker as part of this month’s The Cookbook Guru. Proving that this book is much more than just about bread and worth dipping into even for those of us that find bread intimidating or not our thing. Once again though us exploring this book is opening up its foibles and perhaps questioning its authority as a classic in the process.
Make sure you check out her post here.
Happy Reading and Happy Baking,
Leah
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Hi Leah,
The title, ‘The Italian Baker’ covers all sorts of things that are baked- breads, cakes, biscuits,leftover bread products, So those looking for a ‘bread’ book will be disappointed as bread only takes up half of the book’s contents.
I love this book which is why I recommended it. I find the recipes very precise and all the things I have made from it to date have been wonderful. I think the real joy of the book, however, are the prefaces to each chapter and recipe, which talk about the Italian origins and give historical background. I find the book a very good read- it isn’t just about the recipes but the virtual tour of Italy. For this reason alone, the book is worth buying as these features are unavailable from an internet recipe.
I will admit at first I thought it was going to all be about bread, but love the baking part of the book more. The coffee and walnut cake I made was an absolute winner and will be repeated in my kitchen. I’ve found the book has been a really interesting read and far more entertaining for me than say Elizabeth David’s book on bread which I found way too full on and technical to read from cover to cover.
I’m finding it interesting that people are experiencing challenges with the recipes and I think part of it is our ingredients being different, as is our climate. Perhaps too the updated version, which I’m using, has been changed from the original as someone mentioned in one of the older posts that a recipe was not in the original book.
The Italian Baker has been a great choice for us I think, its stimulated conversation and generated great participation so I really appreciate its recommendation. Thank you
Yes, I also have the revised edition. I think Debi found the pastry section annoying and I have to admit, I haven’t tried the Pasta Frolla but am keen to give it a go.
The discussion about flour types is of interest. There is a bit of an obsession with Italian type flour, ‘doppio 00’ here in Australia, which I think is misguided. She pints out that it is super white and super refined , with a much lower gluten content, making it suitable for pasta making but not so good for bread. As I mentioned too, the little notes on Italian villages and historical background make it a good bed time read- something you might not appreciate if you are looking for recipes and big glossy pictures.