As a professional baker, I've waded through my share of dessert cookbooks but rarely have I found one containing such accessible, delicious and fool-proof recipes as does Anna Olson's Back to Baking.
Olson's natural talent and curiosity combined with her culinary education, work in top-rated restaurants, hosting of Food Network shows and authoring of several cookbooks make her the perfect person to write a baking bible. Indeed, she covers many topics including pies and tarts, cakes, custards, holiday desserts and goods for those with dietary concerns (dairy-free, egg-free, low-fat and gluten-free). Some of my already-favourites include kitchen sink muffins, peanut butter Naniamo bars and chocolate cake with caramel frosting. But every end product has the perfect texture, appropriate sweetness and deep hints of citrus, spice and other aromatics.
Despite the book's beautiful photos, Olson said in an interview with The Vancouver Sun, "don't just make a recipe because the photo is attractive. Read the recipe and make sure the process is also attractive to you." To ensure your baking experience goes as smoothly as possible, Olson's book begins with an informative chapter called "Before You Bake," providing tips on measuring accurately, mixing, making baking-pan choices and selecting baking ingredients. In her recipes, she also provides as many visual clues as possible to let you know you're on the right track, such as indicating if the batter should look thin, or if it should be a little lumpy.
For someone just learning to bake, she recommends beginning with a treat thoroughly covered in her book: cookies. "They always turn out and if they are not quite right, it's not a big deal," Olson said. Wise advice from a talented Canadian baker.
