Pastry Love: A Baker's Journal of Favorite Recipes

Like the title says, it very evident that Ms. Chang loves creating and making pastries, and wants nothing more than to share that love and knowledge with her customers and readers. The background story for each recipe explains how the recipe was developed, giving full credit to the creator. This, to me, marks an individual who is not only humble, but wants to give where credit is due and bring others up along with her. She clearly knows she did not build her beloved and thriving business on her own, and her loyal team seems to have been with her for years. I’ve made about a dozen recipes thus far (Alina’s milk bread, ciabatta, chocolate chip cookie, double chocolate rye cookie, and strawberry chiffon cake to name a few) and I have yet to be disappointed. Her instructions are clear, easy to follow, and accurate. I’ve lacked in execution where more practice is needed ( in terms of presentation), but the taste is spot on. It’s made intimidating pastries seem more than approachable and do-able, and given me more confidence that if I can just get my hands on the right ingredients, I can make/bake anything. The pictures are gorgeous and the recipes are inventive, incorporating so many alternative flours, whole grains, as well as vegan and gluten free options. Since it’s been difficult to go out to bakeries during quarantine (not that there’s anything comparable to Flour Bakery where I live), it’s been so rewarding, fun, and delicious to bake from home. This book is for all levels of bakers. She provides ample instructions for the beginner to follow, but also gives easy to follow directions for more complex recipes for sophisticated pastries, making readers want to attempt them rather than shy away from. I am so impressed with how this book has inspired me to bake almost daily, making this time of isolation so much more enjoyable. You won’t regret buying this book. This is the best pastry/dessert book I’ve purchased in the last decade. You will learn so much and become super impressed with your newfound skills. Plus, if you can share any of your baked goods (provided you don’t eat it all), your friends and family will be super impressed.

This book is fabulous - clear instructions, helpful information. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to bake.

Pastry Love is beautifully written, and I can tell that Joanne really put her heart into this book as she described what "pastry love" means to her: giving the pastries that little extra touch on the pastry counter for customers to think 'wow! I want that!' The photographer clearly understood that as well because each photo makes me say 'wow! I want to make that!' and I did! I've made the mixed nut whole grain biscotti, almond joy tart, almond pistachio cherry honey nougat, devil dogs, whole grain breakfast cookie, and honeycomb. I am an experienced baker and found a lot of these recipes to be excitingly new, delicious, and my coworkers are raving about the everything I bring in to share with them. The directions are clearly written with easy to follow instructions. I really like the diversity of the recipes (traditional, vegan, gluten free, whole grain) because if I didn't know that they were vegan, gf, or whole grain, I would have no idea and think that I was simply eating something decadent. I love that Joanne has created healthy recipes that absolutely do not taste "healthy" - they are quite delicious actually. This book is perfect for all levels of baking (beginner to advanced) and will elevate your skills in some way or another. I can tell my own are already growing just by trying things I've not made before because I didn't have a book that could teach me so easily that (nougat, for example) is quite doable. I haven't made the spelt croissants yet, but love the photo illustrations on the process make the process less intimidating. Pastry Love would be a wonderful addition to anyone's cookbook shelf, but the baker in your life would particularly thank you.

I am in love with Joanne Chang's new cookbook Pastry Love. I would consider myself a pretty good home baker, but I never attempt bread because whenever I do it never comes out right. It is too wet or too sticky or when it's baked it becomes too dense...etc...etc. Well I decided to take a chance and make her Master Brioche Dough for apple sticky buns and it turned out PERFECTLY. Her recipes are easy to follow and very detailed with pictures for any complicated steps. The book is also filled with warm and personal stories of how Flour bakery came to make this particular treat. I also love that at the beginning she outlines prep, tools, defines what she means by certain terms, and adds tricks like cutting that perfect parchment circle. I have gone on to make her garlic monkey rolls, crepe cake, Japanese cotton cheesecake and many more recipes with outstanding success. If you are a home baker who wants to stretch your skills just a little bit with a talented guide that will help you step by step then this is the cookbook for you! Not to mention that every recipe has a beautiful photograph showing you what you are going for and they all taste DELICIOUS. I can not recommend this cookbook enough. Buy it - you will be glad you did and so will all your friends!

It is fun to read about Joanne's pastry journey. She writes as though she is telling a story and you are in the bakery with her which makes it fun. Recipes are pretty basic though, great for beginners and intermediate bakers. More advanced bakers may find it a bit disappointing. If you are a fan of alternative grains or gluten free, there are a number of such recipes in the book. I am not sure if I am lucky or if the publisher fixed the problem with the book spine splitting as many other reviewers have stated but mine arrived in great shape and after going through the book many times, the spine is still in great shape.

This book is a great resource for any home baker. First off, the book is stunning, with lots of pictures, and gorgeous photography. It has a nice balance of simple everyday treats - like muffins and scones, to more challenging recipes - like the Sticky Bun Kouigns Amann. But Ms. Chang presents the content in such an easy to follow way, that every recipe feels within reach. Also, and one of the best things about this book, is that I really feel like I want to make every recipe. Sometimes authors try to be too creative, and mix ingredients or flavors to try to "wow" or go really way outside the box, or require hard to find ingredients. This book does have some more creative recipes, but in a way that really works - just unique enough to be interesting - like Vietnamese Espresso Profiteroles and Apple Cider Sticky Buns - but not outrageous. Again, every recipe feels within reach, especially the techniques I haven't tried before. I've made a few recipes already, including the Whole Wheat Maple Blueberry Scones - wow! These were delicious! I am so happy with this book, and I know this will be a resource I will turn to often when I'm in the mood to bake something wonderful.

This is a beautiful book, with such an interesting mix of recipes. There is a range in difficulty, sweet and savory, and it is full of things I am truly excited to make. In fact, I intend for this book to be the first book I bake every recipe in. I think it is that well written, and a contains a good mix of pastry skills to learn: from lamination to enriched brioche doughs to savory biscuits. I think to call it a “vegan gluten free” book is not quite fair. There are loads of recipes containing all of the butter and flour you can hope for - and along with that, I truly appreciate the mix (and the vegan-gluten free makes up <10% of greater than 100 recipes, if you are concerned). I’ve found myself struggling so many times to find a recipe that I will trust for a GF or vegan friend - and I now have a few recipes that I know I can count on. Besides, as a gluten lover, the first recipe I made from this book was gluten free, and it was phenomenal. Just because a book is inclusive to other food choices doesn’t make it any less valuable as a baking resource. Thank you, Joanne, for a beautiful book!

I already have one of Ms Chang's book and really enjoy it. I finally had the opportunity to try the almond croissant at the Flour Bakery in Boston-WOW. I immediately ordered the Pastry Love and it is the first cook book I plan to start at the front and bake every recipe. The almond croissant recipe is perfect and the peach crostata recipe made with apples is a winner. The almond frangipane recipe is the best I have ever made. I wish I had ordered the book sooner !

Joanne's book is absolutely beautiful and was clearly made with love. As a home baker looking to master foundational pastry techniques and then getting all sorts of creative with them, this books serves as the kind of textbook I ACTUALLY want to read (like... I literally read this as my bedtime book...) Each recipe includes a gorgeous full page photo, ingredient measurements in both grams and volume, and the instructions are very clear. The kinds of recipes are super diverse- from familiar items like breads, cakes, pies and cookies, to more challenging items like profiteroles, pavlovas, and kouigns amann. I also appreciate the inclusion of a couple dietary-accommodating recipes- considering the book is over 450 pages, I don't mind having a few recipes that I can make for my gf/vegan friends. A sweet or funny anecdote is included for each recipe in which Joanne talks about the inspiration behind a recipe or graciously credits her bakers that helped develop them. I've seen many of the treats in this book also in photos of the Flour bakeshop's display case- so I'm confident that each recipe has undergone the rigorous testing before ending up in these pages. My only pang of sadness is that unfortunately the book was delivered with a slightly torn binding. That being said, this book will be covered in sticky notes and kitchen crumbs in no time, so I'll get over it.

Inspiring recipe book.

Not worth the money . Nothing new here . Disappointed

Nothing to dislike. Recipes work. Some are more challenging than others. Read the front of the book with advice on ingredients, equipment and hints first of all and go for it.My daughter made more of the recipes than me. Some are vegan and/or gluten free. All of Joanne Changs recipe books are great. The bakeries are worth visiting too.

This is easy the best baking book I own, and I’m a compulsive cookbook collector. Highly, highly recommended. Thank you, Joanne!