cover image Classic German Baking: The Very Best Recipes from Traditional Favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen

Classic German Baking: The Very Best Recipes from Traditional Favorites, from Pfeffernüsse to Streuselkuchen

Luisa Weiss. Ten Speed, $35 (288p) ISBN 978-1-60774-825-0

Berlin-born food writer Weiss (My Berlin Kitchen) collects masterpieces of time-tested recipes to create this traditional classic that, like her lebkuchen (old-fashioned German gingerbread), is bound to stand the test of time and taste. Dividing the recipes into seven sections, Weiss highlights the best of German baking and reveals the culture behind each recipe. Cakes and cookies are spotlighted, with five sections dedicated to both of them. The rich, soft, and gluten-free mandelhörnchen (chocolate-dipped almond crescents) to bienstich (honey almond cake), will never make you doubt the exquisite quality of yeasted cakes. The pantry ingredients section is a must-read, providing such helpful information as the difference between high-fat European-style butter and American butter and the difference between fresh, instant, and active dry yeast. Weiss also provides a section on German baking basics, giving recipes for necessities such as marzipanroh­masse (almond paste) and vanillezuker (vanilla sugar). For those without easy access to European grocery stores, Weiss also provides online resources to locate specialty items, ensuring the classical quality of German baking in everyone’s homes. Collected from various places and people—whether it’s a cookbook or from her German assistant—this cookbook presents a beautiful piece of German tradition. [em]Agent: Brettne Bloom, the Book Group. (Oct.) [/em]