From the James Beard Award nominee who redefined American baking, a comprehensive baking bible for the twenty-first century, with 120 scientifically grounded recipes for sweet and savory baked goods anyone can master.
MELISSA WELLER received a James Beard Award nomination for Outstanding Baker in 2016. A French Culinary Institute graduate, she trained at Babbo and Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City. She was chef-partner at High Street on Hudson; head baker at Per Se, Bouchon Bakery, and Roberta's; an owner and founder of Sadelle's; and the head baker at Walnut Street Cafe in Philadelphia. She lives in Brooklyn.
A Good Bake is a very good combination: Baking science all
of us can understand and a splendid collection of recipes. Weller,
who is rightly famous for her breads, yeast pastries (the best
kouign amman ever) and cookies, generously shares all her signature
recipes with instructions that are clear, detailed and smart.
There's something to learn and something to savor on each page. A
baker's must!" --Dorie Greenspan, author of Dorie's Cookies
and Everyday Dorie
Melissa Weller worked as a chemical engineer for a decade. Now she
is one of the country's most respected pastry chefs -- and the
ideal combination of scientist, professional baker and home cook to
produce A Good Bake, a magnetic book written with Carolynn
Carreno. She has worked out how to make the top of a sugar cookie
extra-crackly (bake the dough when it's warm), how to make toppings
stay on focaccia (spread whipped cream over the surface) and how to
make whole-wheat sandwich bread with a soft, light crumb (it
involves butter). The book has thoughtful recipes for basics like
chocolate chunk cookies. But the point here is her detailed
guidance on sourdough breads, lattice crusts and projects like
stollen, danish and babka. --Julia Moskin, The New York
Times (The 14 Best Cookbooks of Fall 2020)
The pastry chef Melissa Weller worked her way up through the
ranks of restaurants in New York City, from composing desserts at
early-days Babbo to working with bread at Sullivan Street Bakery
and Per Se, and getting us hooked on babka at Sadelle's. Her debut,
A Good Bake, reflects the patience and perfectionism required of
such a career -- as well as of her previous life as a chemical
engineer. This highly creative dough engineer is worth following
through each exacting step. Her pie crust is flawless -- better
still when layered with custardy apples and a sour cream topping
that is frozen for three hours before being Cuisinarted to bits.
Weller ranges from New York classics like rugelach and challah to
all-American cookies and pies to laminated French pastries, with
lots of personal modernizations -- say, using that challah dough to
make date tahini knots. Success with a few of these recipes might
just give you the courage to tackle her croissants. If you're
willing to lean in and nerd out, A Good Bake will definitely make
you (or your loved ones) a good baker. Think of this as a gift that
could yield delicious benefits. --Christine Muhlke, The New York
Times Book Review (The Best Books to Give This Year) Weller, a
chemical engineer-cum-baker who worked at Babbo and Per Se before
opening Sadelle's in New York City, takes a scientific approach in
this tight collection of intriguing recipes. A clever format
separates tips and instructions with various font colors in running
subheads along the left margin, making recipes exceptionally
accessible . . . Numerous master class and tutorial sections
transform this from a cookbook with excellent recipes into a series
of baking lessons . . . Each chapter includes recipes both
traditional and experimental . . . This will thrill home bakers who
want to bake like the pros. --Publishers Weekly, Starred
Review In certain culinary circles (really good ones, where the
cake is always terrific), Melissa Weller's name is uttered only in
tones of the greatest reverence. Weller is a savant of doughs and
batters--she created the baking and pastry programs at multiple
restaurants known almost entirely for their baking and pastry (High
Street on Hudson, Sadelle's)--who got her start as a chemical
engineer. In this book, her first, she translates her meticulous,
perfectionistic mode to home cooks, with detailed plans of attack
for stollen, babka, pies, and more. Yes, these recipes go into
intricate detail, but when it comes to baking that's cause for
excitement, not alarm: it means all you need to do is follow the
instructions to the letter and you'll be rewarded with some of the
most exquisite baked goods of your life. --Helen Rosner, The New
Yorker (The Best Cookbooks of 2020)
It's clear that A Good Bake by Melissa Weller is
one of those cookbooks that will be used, not simply admired.
Indeed, my own copy bore butter stains within a week. Read through
any publication's baking coverage and you'll likely spot Weller's
name--and maybe her swirled cover-star babka, which she's been
making for years. Its mass appeal was the first element that jumped
out at me about A Good Bake I'd be just as inclined to gift
a copy to my Julia Child-loving aunt as I would my 23-year-old
sister who finds most of her recipes on Instagram. . . . Weller's
recipes are more of an investment from an everyday one-bowl bake
(though there are recipes for cookies, bars, quick breads, and
"casual cakes" in the collection as well). She covers laminated
pastry, enriched dough, savory bread, and deep-frying--all of which
can be quite intimidating. But she takes the time to explain
technique in a clear, detailed way, so that even a first-time baker
could flip open the book and make a batch of kouign-amanns
successfully. --Rebecca Firkser, Food52 When Sadelle's, a
re-imagining of a Jewish deli from New York's Major Food Group,
opened in 2015, the buzz hummed loudest over Melissa Weller's
pastries: the exceptionally delicate dough of her rugelach, the
crackling layers of her salted caramel sticky buns, her plush take
on chocolate babka. Behind the comforting sweets is a mind of
science. Weller was a chemical engineer before switching careers,
and she brings the discipline to breads and viennoiserie -- and
also to layer cakes and brownies. Which is to say: Don't be daunted
by the length and detail of the recipes. Weller, who authored the
book with Carolynn Carreno, writes in a precise but familiar voice.
When she suggests letting the dough for oatmeal cookies rest in the
refrigerator for four days to achieve an ideal crisp-chewy texture,
trust the process: They are exceptional. --Bill Addison, The Los
Angeles Times (Best New Food Books to Add to Your Collection)
James Beard Award nominee Melissa Weller is responsible for some of
the most exquisite babka, bagels, sticky buns and other American
treats in New York. She's also a chemical engineer by trade, which
makes her first cookbook a triumphant combination of creative sweet
and savory recipes and easy-to-follow, scientific explanations for
what works and what doesn't. Instructions are clear and abundantly
detailed, with separate sections that get into the nitty-gritty of
trickier techniques like laminated pastry as well as photo spreads
that demonstrate tasks like assembling a latticed slab pie, step by
step. The results -- from pillowy khachapuri oozing with cheese to
simple, crackle-topped chocolate cookies -- speak for themselves.
--The San Francisco Chronicle (The Best Cookbooks of 2020)
There is some serious competition in the baking book category this
year. [A Good Bake] is among my favorites . . . I am a sucker when
it comes to Carrot Cake, so I decided to start by testing Weller's
version. Her's differs from most recipes in two ways: crushed
pineapple is pureed with fresh lemon juice to add moisture and a
bright, acidic fruitiness to the cake batter, and toasted pecans
are ground up and added as well. The result is a nutty, moist,
beautifully simple cake. The directions were precise and easy to
follow . . . Perhaps with Weller's assistance, this will be the
winter I master laminated pastries like Croissants, Pain aux
Raisins, and a stunning looking Blueberry Blackberry Cheese Danish
Braid. Also included is a pandemic favorite: a primer on Sourdough
Starter -- everything from beginning your own starter, to feeding
and maintaining it, and, of course, recipes for how to use it.
--Kathy Gunst, NPR's Here & Now (Cookbooks of the
Year)
Her recipes are challenging but provide huge payoffs, so I
recommend the book for any dedicated baker in your life. --Amanda
Kludt, Eater (A Food Editor's Guide to Holiday Gifting) "Rest
assured that any recipe you try from A GOOD BAKE will be a smashing
success, as Melissa Weller has provided the most detailed and clear
steps to recreate her masterpieces. Her secret weapon: she was
trained as a scientist -- a chemical engineer -- whose principal is
perfection. Brilliant!" --Nancy Silverton, author of Chi Spacca
"For science-obsessed bakers, this comprehensive baking book
written by chemical engineer-turned-James Beard-nominated baker
Melissa Weller is the ultimate gift." --Lynn Andriani,
MarthaStewart.com ("Holiday Gifts Home Bakers Will Love")
"The first time I had one of Melissa Weller's bagels at High Street
on Hudson, I was absolutely floored. I'm not the most confident
baker, which is why I'm especially thrilled to make my way through
Weller's carefully constructed only-what-you-need-to-know recipes
for pies, cakes, cookies, and more. It's a hefty volume--nearly 500
pages--which is good, because I'll have a lot of time on my hands
this fall and winter." --Food & Wine Magazine
Before she became an expert baker, Weller was a chemical engineer,
and as such, she tackles recipes with a scientific approach,
getting the fermentation, proofing, and pH balance of her dough
down to, well, a science . . . If you're a quarantine baker who's
mastered sourdough and is ready for the next challenge, consider
Weller's takes on NYC classics like chocolate babka, spelt scones
with raspberry jam, and even traditional hot dog buns. --Eater
An ex-chemical engineer, Weller uses the scientific method to
develop her recipes from salted caramel sticky buns to chocolate
babka. The neutral-toned tome is as beautiful as the bakes are
delicious. --Anna Hirschorn, Saveur (Our 20 Favorite
Cookbooks to Gift This Year)
The former chemical engineer gets into the science of baking with
extremely detailed recipes and technique tutorials. And fans of her
chocolate babka and salted caramel sticky buns will be delighted to
find the recipes for those treats within. --Stained Page News
Rarely do you come across a baking book that's as rigorous as it is
encouraging with exhaustive, clearly written instructions. Each
recipe is broken out into steps on the left, often with little
helpful hints to set you up for success . . . In a three-page
recipe for soft pretzels, Weller starts with a "get prepared"
section before moving into more than five-hundred words on shaping
those pretzels. Is that overkill? Not if you want to make stellar
baked goods, regardless of your starting skill level. (I'm a
mediocre baker, and even I am sure I would nail any recipe in this
book.). --Lauren Joseph, Epicurious [Weller] gives you not just
recipes, but the tools to think critically and help your own
creativity as a baker. --Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report
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