Annie Bell’s Baking Bible is a beautiful, heavy book spilling over with glossy pictures of carefully catalogued baking treats.
I’m liking
In baking and cooking it seems there are either the show books, that lie around the house and look lovely- vs the tattered, corners turned, trusted recipes covered in butter and smudges of cocoa or flour. This beautifully bridges both.
The author has a friendly, easy style in a welcoming introduction and putting the emphasis on the love for it. She doesn’t overcomplicate to show off, but instead encouraging readers to try and play.
The careful chapters lure you in with a range of both staples and those pushing the barriers. There are a few savoury recipes tucked away for those less enthusiastic about the sweet. The book will swiftly have those same smears of butter and ingredients as favourites are marked out. Small side note on the book that usually drives me up the wall: the book carefully falls open so you can lay it on the kitchen counter without acrobatics.
Things that made me go hmmmm
Nothing. Tried, trusted, proven delicious.
The conclusion
This is a coffee top book at first glance but boy, do they know what they’re doing. These recipes are indeed triple tested. Drawn to the kitchen to make brownies (both inspired by the photography and in the name of research, of course) they were new favourites with a big crowd. Dessert was very, very quiet for a good minute or two. Further research, in the form of biscuits, followed the next day.
The subtitle of the book is Over 200 Triple-tested Recipes That You’ll Want to Make Again and Again. How very apt. I’m off to make another batch.
