Anna Olsen’s Baking Wisdom review: More than just another cookbook
We all make mistakes when baking. Anna Olsen’s Baking Wisdom is great for those looking to fix the mistakes instead of starting over.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Hands up if your dough has ended up too wet or too dry. What about sauces that just don’t seem to thicken, or pizza bases that aren’t strong enough to hold all the toppings? We’ve all faced mistakes in baking, and we often end up starting from scratch.
That gets expensive, though. Anna Olsen teaches us how to fix the mistakes with her latest book. Baking Wisdom isn’t another cookbook. While there are a few recipes included, it’s not just about that.
Using substitutions and working with different measurements
While in the U.S., we follow the imperial measurements, other parts of the world use the metric system. We have different names for items, and there are some that just aren’t easy to find in certain parts of the world. Finding suet was one of the hardest things to do when I moved from the UK to Canada.
Well, while there are some items that can’t be substituted, some can. Anna Olsen goes through them in her cookbook. She also goes through different types of measurements and different tools that are needed to bake.
I love this part of the book. It’s going to be a part that I go back to time and time again to work through my needs when baking.
Fixing the mistakes with Anna Olsen’s Baking Wisdom
There’s a great section at the start of the cookbook that goes through all the common baking mistakes. It could be cream that’s been overwhipped, cake batter that has curdled, or bread dough that’s been over-proofed.
Anna doesn’t expect you to know the problem immediately. She has a troubleshooting section to help you get to the bottom of the mistake so you can then repair that mistake. This isn’t about starting from scratch.
If you’re new to baking, there are also tips on how to make a sweet pastry dough, how to roll parchment paper, and even how to melt chocolate. This is a great addition to a student house to start cooking from scratch to keep the costs down.
Getting to the recipes in the cookbook
Once you have gone through the mistakes and how to do things, you’ll get to the baking recipes. There are creams, sauces, pies, pastries, and so much more.
The pictures are perfect and make me want to make everything, and the cookbook is well laid out to find everything. In fact, each section even has a “recipes at a glance” to get to know the types of the different recipes, such as scones, croissants, and puff pastries when it comes to the pastry section.
If you’re only looking for one cookbook to add to your kitchen, make it Anna Olsen’s Baking Wisdom.
Stars: 5 out of 5.
Next. A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart review. dark
Anna Olsen’s Baking Wisdom is now available on Amazon.