Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

Chang's Flour has a well-deserved high rating on Amazon reviews. This concurrence, therefore, was delayed, until it became obvious that this book is one of my main go-to cookbooks for a wide variety of baked goods, many of which are personal favorites.Here is a list of some of my favorites: cookies - oreos, oatmeal raisin (the best, but make sure to use at least 34 grams of dough per cookie), chocolate chip, rosemary shortbread, and cornmeal lime, brioche - basic brioche ( better than the many that I have made over the years), sugar+spice brioche buns, pain aux raisins, brioche au chocolat, sticky sticky buns, pop tarts (can use pasta roller for rolling out pastry dough), pies - apple, lemon marshmallow meringue, and pumpkin (my household winner in past two-year bake off for Thanksgiving day), bread (although for sourdough I would recommend Glezer's Artisan Baking), strawberry shortcake (wow), and finally lemon curd (superb with either eureka or meyer lemon). Although some recipes may seem to be old standards, she perfected them.The directions are clear and concise. The photographs are good. The chapters on techniques, equipment, ingredients and Joanne's Top 12 Baking Tips are well-written. The ingredient equivalencies from volume to weight are consistent from recipe to recipe. The stories before the recipes are always a nice short read. The baking times, as with all cookbooks, are to be used as a guideline. Please note that some reviewers had problems with baking time but timing depends not just on temperature as measured by a thermometer, but on individual characteristics of the oven, such as natural convection, radiation as affected by wall color, oven size, thermal mass, etc. For me, baking time was usually shorter than stated.Some reviewers state that the printing can be difficult to read. Agreed. The ingredient list is in a small grey font. The recipe instructions are in a thin san-serif typeface with too much leading. It would have been nice to see straightforward old-school black ink, white paper, and serif typefaces.I have made most of the recipes in the book. Not a single failure. There are a few recipes that I prefer from other cookbooks, such as Beranbaum's Lemon Poppy Seed Cake in Heavenly Cakes. There are some recipes that I have not tried because I have a great recipe from another cookbook, such as croissants from Prueitt's Tartine. There are other recipes that are on par with other cookbooks, such as Scherber's cornmeal-lime cookies and savory cheese and scallion scones in The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread or Pate Brisee from Prueitt's Tartine or Lenotre's Desserts and Pastries. And, there are some recipes that I combined with a recipe from another cookbook and made into "my" own recipe. (This is what I did to get a very tasty, perfect popover. "My" recipe co-mingles Chang's brown sugar popovers with Cunningham's popover in The Breakfast Book. Am happy to share "my" popover recipe.)J. Chang's scientific mind shines in every aspect of how the cookbook and recipes are laid out. And, to top it off, her taste buds must be superb. She readily shares her recipes so more people will be able to enjoy her treats. How lucky for us.Highly recommend.

The book begins with a baking overview of sorts. It gives an explanation of techniques that will be used throughout the book. Then, it goes over baking equipment. Next, the book has a short discussion of ingredients. The section on ingredients offers quite a bit of information on things like the right temperature for the ingredients and reasons why unsalted butter is better than salter butter in the recipes. After that, the book has Joanne's Top 12 Baking Tips with explanations for each tip. The author also has quite a few explanations on the science behind the tip or technique throughout the book.The book covers breakfast treats, cookies, cakes, pies & tarts, other sweets, and breads. Each chapter has popular treats (i.e. red velvet cake, sticky buns, and chocolate chunk cookies, which are wonderful) and also has more unique recipes, too (i.e. hazelnut-almond dacquoise, lemon marshmallow meringue pie, and rosemary shortbread). There are also recipes to make homemade versions of popular, American treats, such as oreos, pop tarts, and fig newtons.One downside to this book is that there are few pictures. For example, only about four of the twenty-five recipes in the cookie section have a picture, which is a shame because the pictures in the book are beautiful. One note - the carrot cake recipe calls for baking the cupcakes for 50 minutes, but mine were done after 25 minutes. I'm not sure whether that was a typo or whether I just have a hot oven.*Update 11/7/10* The chocolate chunk cookies were some of the best chocolate chip cookies that I've ever made. I also really liked the Chunky Lola cookies. The surprise hit so far, though, was the cornmeal lime cookies. They were surprisingly addictive and the perfect end to a Latin-flavored meal.*Update 12/13/10* I took this cookbook home for the holidays. We made a huge batch of the sticky sticky buns, and they were incredibly rich and so yummy. They taste like a cross between a honey bun and a traditional sticky bun. A couple notes - One, you may want to put a cookie sheet under the rolls as they cook. We had quite a mess to clean up when the goo from one of the rolls bubbled over. Second, baking the rolls in a glass pan seemed to help them cook more evenly than baking them in a metal pan.*Update 1/27/11* After reading reviews of other cookbooks on here, I felt that I should note that this book has the ingredients listed by weight and by volume (i.e. grams and cups). I know that a lack of weight measurements can be a make or break issue for some people with a cookbook, so I wanted to make it clear that this book does have measurements listed both ways.

I purchased this book due to some of the reviews although as most of my family will tell you, I certainly do not need another cookbook. The book had sat on my shelf for months until this week. I have tried 5 recipes so far and each one has been a stand out. The two I must comment on are the maple oat scones and the raspberry rhubarb muffins.You will find scones and muffins in almost every cookbook and I have tried too many to count and had decided to give up on scones and muffins, refusing to money and my time. Well I had some fresh rhubarb and fresh raspberries that I needed to use up so decided to give the muffin recipe in FLOUR a try...wow...this is the first muffin I have made that I actually enjoyed without a but at the end of the sentence. I will go as far to say, this is the first muffin I have tried even from bakeries, in years that I actually like. Once the muffin recipe was a success, I decided to try the maple scone.I had some dark amber maple syrup and figured it was worth a try...once again...wow....the first scone I have made that actually did not crumble like dust in my mouth and yes I know it is all in the mixing but until trying the recipe in FLOUR, I have only had failures even following the recipes in my go to, no fail, baking books. These two recipes alone made this book a great purchase for me.As to an overall review, I like the introduction Ms. Chang gives for each recipe and the extra info she adds when needed. She has a friendly yet knowledgeable way of writing which I enjoy reading. ['The recipes themselves are easy to read and understand. Unlike many chefs, the directions and explanations are not so overdone as to make the challenge of trying a new recipe overwhelming. I get the feeling of..Oh, I can do this as opposed to...ugh, this is too much work and will take to much time.More pictures would have been nice but I guess you can't have everything. The size of the book is interesting. Something about the size and shape, it looks quite large and yet fits my hands very easily, I don't feel like I am juggling a tomb when I try to use it.Although some will say you can find many of these recipes in any cookbook, the fact is, who doesn't enjoy a really great scone and if your recipe is exceptional why wouldn't you include it in your book. The vanilla frosting (old fashion ermine frosting I think) on the red velvet cake is also awesome. I have no negatives and can't wait till I have the time to try my hand another recipe.

So I just got this book and had to start immediately after a thorough reading. I took the author's advice and ordered a food scale, also from Amazon, in order to measure my ingredients. So with book, scale and ingredients on hand, I tackled my first recipe: Raspberry-Rhubarb Muffins. Except, as the author suggested, I substituted blueberries for the raspberries and rhubarb as she gave several alternative ingredients. I weighed everything completely and followed her easy and exact instructions. I tested the muffins on some visitors and my three little boys and husband. Every person said that they were amazing and bakery quality. We gave away and/or ate all of them yesterday so it was requested of me that I bake another batch today.The second recipe was for the Intense Brownies. I went to World Market to buy the best chocolate that I could find. I put the brownies in the oven and saw my measuring cup of melted butter still on the counter. I quickly put the brownie mix back in the mixing bowl and incorporated the butter. Then, back into the oven she went! The resulting brownies might be the best I've ever had. My 8yo chocoholic son, who I made them for, was in brownie heaven and chocolate overload! They weren't too sweet at all. Perfectly sweet but intensely chocolate. The trick is watching the baking time. The recipe was very easy as long as you have really good quality chocolate on hand.So we are batting two for two with recipes. They look amazing. I'm hoping to work up to the brioche soon. So today I'll make more muffins and probably another recipe just to try. There are so many recipes that look tempting. The ingredients aren't fussy or difficult.I will say that I imagine that, just like with chocolate, your food tastes as good as the quality of your ingredients. I only buy organic butter and eggs and use raw milk. My flour is unbleached and usually King Arthur or from Azure Standard's farm in Oregon. Use aluminum-free baking powder and use sea salt.Weighing your ingredients and using the best ingredients plus careful attention in the oven will give you bakery quality products that you will be proud and happy to serve to your family and friends.LOVE this cookbook!!

I've had this cookbook for over a year and a half now, and I can honestly say that I don't know where I would be without it! It is absolutely fantastic. I have made 'almost' everything in the book, except for a few cakes and the bread recipes at the end. When people ask me where I get the recipes I give them, or ask about the treats they have eaten from me, I always steer them to this cookbook. It is one of the Top 5 cookbooks that I consistently turn to for great recipes.In my opinion, the best section of the book is the pie section. The Coconut Cream Pie and Pumpkin Pie are the best recipes of their type that I have ever tried. My new favorite cookies are the Chunky Lolas, cookies made with shredded coconut, pecans, oats, and dark chocolate chips. I was never a fan of coconut before I bought this book- a testament to the wonderful recipes that I now eat it in baked goods on a regular basis. The Raspberry Shortbread Bars were also a hit with everyone that tried them. The pan was empty in less than an hour.As one person addressed in their negative review, the book features a few recipe instructions that can be overly verbose in a distracting/off-putting way. I love how the author's voice shines through in her notes before recipes, but the instructions themselves have several sentences that could have been cut. However, that does nothing to detract from the fact that the book is accessible enough for the intermediate baker (I'm not so sure I would recommend this for a beginning baker, as some of the recipes are complicated- her croissants in particular, as well as the sticky buns). I will say that two recipes I did not care for were the sticky buns and the Yellow Birthday Cake, which came out dry and lacking in that 'yellow' flavor we all love. My kids thought the chocolate icing for the cake was "adult food" since it wasn't very sweet, but I had no complaints about it from adult friends, and I thought it had a great flavor. I also made the Milky Way Tart and did not have a candy thermometer on hand for making the caramel. I followed her instructions on timing to a "T" and the caramel came out with the perfect consistency, even without a thermometer.Definitely recommend for bakers who know their way around a kitchen, and possibly the beginning baker who is up for a challenge. You will not be disappointed!Edited 2/2/2012 to add: I just got around to baking the Maple Oat Scones, and the cooking time listed is waaaaay off. The recipe calls for 40 minutes baking time, which I knew immediately was wrong, because other scones I have baked were done around the same time as biscuits- or approximately 15-18 minutes. I baked for 18 minutes and the scones came out perfect. The recipe is delicious, but the cooking time is wrong.Edited 3/7/2012 to add: Tried the Lemon Ginger Scones and found that the cooking time listed is also off. It cooked in relatively the same time that the Maple Oat Scones were done: 18 minutes.

One of the most engaging cookbooks written in years, Ms Chang's book actually made me want to bake her recipes. She wrote the book with neophytes in mind, with attention to detail that is a pleasure.Using the brioche dough recipe as a base, we made 2 recipes, the "brioche au chocolat" (rectangles filled with vanilla pastry cream and dark chocolate) and the sticky buns (love that simple yet fabulous "goo"). Everyone loved them.Also made the "classic currant scones" which had a wonderful texture (also filled them with chocolate chips/shavings). I personally found a taste of too much baking soda or powder in the scone, but when comparing her proportions to other recipes (such as those from Sarabeth's Bakery or The Clinton Street Bakery or Cook's Illustrated) she actually uses quite a bit less than usual, so the next time I made them I reduced the quantity of both the baking soda and baking powder by 1/8 teaspoon and was much happier with the result. She uses creme fraiche (home-made) as well as buttermilk in the scone recipe so the resulting scone still has body but the right amount of lightness. One of the best scone recipes I've made so far.Also tried her "buttermilk biscuits with parsley and sage" for Thanksgiving dinner (I shortcut the recipe by using the food processor to pulse the butter into the flour to make 2 quick batches) and everyone loved them ( but with my experience with the scones, I reduced the baking soda and baking powder by 1/8 tsp each, and reduced the salt to under 1 tsp and was very happy...using 1 1/4 tsp of salt instead of the called for 1 1/2 tsp of salt was too salty for my taste).Very highly recommended this book, and its become my new go-to baking book for fun tasty recipes.

I originally received this book from a friend at my bridal shower and in the past few years have purchased an additional three copies for others as gifts. It is an EXCELLENT book! I have made about half of the more than 100 recipes (you definitely get your money's worth!) and am delighted to say that nearly all of them turn out delicious with compliments. Joanne Chang has a very easygoing and fun writing style, and many of her recipes are things that we have had, but don't know how to make (for example, a simplified puff pastry). A few recipes are complicated or time consuming (dacoise, eclairs, brioche) and most require a stand mixer or at the very least a hand mixer. She does use a few harder to find ingredients: creme fraiche in many recipes and hazelnuts in a few, but it is worth seeking these ingredients out to make these delectable treats. For example, my FAVORITE is the milk chocolate hazelnut cookies - easy and AMAZING!. One other comment: she uses butter like it's going out of style - I've found in most recipes I can cut the butter back by a few tablespoons. In all, this book is FULL of fantastic recipes that are worth trying. Chances are you'll make them again and again at the request of family members and/or coworkers (New Tiramisu, granola bars, chocolate hazelnut cookies, cornmeal lime cookies, chocolate and cream filled brioche, etc). With a little common sense (knowing when to cut back on the butter, for example), you'll create treats that are just as good as those that line bakery and restaurant cases. :)

My five-star review of flour may be "putting the cart before the horse" since I've only made one recipe thus far, but I'm going to go ahead and go out on a limb and call it a five-star baking book! I'm going to do it because I have quite a large collection of baking cookbooks from which to compare, and can tell from reading the recipes that they all seem to have appropriately balanced ingredients and flavors. In addition, the book is beautiful (lovely photographs to dream over) and a joy to read through. As for the recipe that I did try, the Chunky Lola Cookies", they were some of the best cookies I've ever made! These chocolate chip cookies are a magnificent combination of oats, pecans, shredded coconut, and chocolate. They somehow manage to be chewy, crisp, and soft in all the right way. One would think that the ingredients in this cookie would compete with one another, but they don't; in fact, they all work together like a championship team bringing home a divine flavor trophy with each bite. My husband even made ice cream sandwiches out of them, which took them to a whole other awesome level. I plan on making these for friends and family as an affordable gift to give during the holidays. I look forward to trying the many other great looking recipes in Joanne Chang's book.Update 11/1: I made the homemade fig newtons. They were pretty good, but a lot of work and very time consuming. I actually split this recipe up and made it in 2 days. On day one, I made the fig filling. The cook time on it takes about an hour, and you need to let it cool completely, so give or take another couple of hours. On the following day I made the dough, which is pretty simple. However, the completed dough is pretty difficult to work with to get into that rectangle shape and fold it over the filling. It then takes about 40 minutes to bake, and another hour to cool completely before you should cut into it.

This truly is a bakery book. From scones, brioche to cakes with butter cream icing, croissants, home made pop tarts and oreos...cookies, etc. The recipes are delicious and impressive. Some are very simple, while others may take a few days with dough rising and such. It's more time consuming, but not too difficult to do. Instructions are clear and easy to understand. Many nice photos. I can't find any recipe in this book that I don't want to make. I have made several of the cakes and have impressed my dinner guests. The carrot cake comes out perfectly, with a flat surface that is easy to ice. The Fluffy Chocolate Icing, Yum....will be using that on other cakes. The book begins with one chapter of information that is very helpful. After that, it's ALL recipes.

Love This Book.....I have Flour Too and then received this book and it just makes me smile. So many good things to make and I am looking forward to spending many hours cooking along with Joanne. Fro breakfast, to cakes, to mains and everything you need for any part of the day. It all looks so god.

Quien haya podido visitar alguna de sus cafeterías y probar alguna de las delicias que prepara sabrá que el libro que tiene delante te permitirá reproducir algunos de los dulces que ofrece.Las recetas estan explicadas de manera clara, incluso en algunas de ellas hay consejos que ayudarán a conseguir un mejor resultado.Es un libro muy recomendable para esas personas que les gusta preparar en casa sus dulces.

Le livre était destiné pour un cadeau. Très bien les recettes succulentes a été très apprécié par la personne qui l a reçu

I am a very keen baker who dreams of opening her own bakery. I collect cookbooks and sometime just sit down and read cookbooks. I wanted this book for ages and finally gave in and bought it. I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived, I love this cookbook, at the start of every recipe Joanne tells you how the recipe became, stories about holidays she's taken and inspiration she'd found, it makes it feel like she's next to you! All I can say is I wish I lived in the USA sometimes so that I could visit one of the Flour bakeries!Everything I've made from this book has turned out perfectly and her chocolate chunk cookies are to die for, I've searched high and low for the perfect cookie recipe and I can safely say I've found it in Flour. I've now made the recipe loads of times with lots of different additions and types of chocolate, they always turn out perfectly. I've also made the croissants which, whilst time consuming (they take about 2 days to make) are well worth it, they taste much better than shop bought ones and have a gorgeously flaky texture and buttery taste.I hope Joanne Chang writes another cookbook because I'll definitely be buying it! I would highly recommend this book, the pages are lovely and glossy and whilst there isn't a photo for every recipes, the photo's are beautiful.