'A true feast for the senses' Jenny Ashcroft, author of Beneath a Burning Sky The scent of freshly baked biscuits, lemon and aniseed reminds Elettra of her mother's kitchen. But her mother is in a coma, and the family bakery is failing. Elettra is distraught; she has many unanswered questions about her mother's childhood - Edda was a secretive woman. The only clue is a family heirloom: a necklace inscribed with the name of an island. Elettra buys a one-way ticket to that island, just off the coast of Sardinia. Once there, she discovers a community of women, each lost in their own way. They live in a crumbling convent, under threat from the local mayor and his new development plan. It is within the convent's dark corridors and behind its secret doors that Elettra discovers a connection to her mother's past. She also falls in love again: with friendship, baking and adventure.

Life didn't do Kenny Tingle any favors. In The Girl in the Italian Bakery, follow his journey from childhood in a tough housing project north of Boston, the abduction and disappearance of a childhood friend, to the complete destruction of a family. His introduction to crime and the years he spent in foster homes. The poor choices he made in high school and the startling climax on prom night. Although he never has trouble meeting girls, the one girl he longs for always seems out of reach. The Girl in the Italian Bakery is the remarkably true story of always keeping hope, even when there is little left to hope for. This is a story of surviving through extreme adversity, and, ultimately, redemption.

‘Gennaro is an incredible baker – bread has always been central to everything he does. This is a great book – incredible food and full of Gennaro-style passion’ – Jamie Oliver Making bread has always been a natural passion for Gennaro Contaldo. Ingrained since childhood with memories of his mother’s weekly bread-making and visits to his uncle’s village bakery, it is a skill which has followed him throughout his career as a chef. In this book, Gennaro takes you onto a journey into the magical world of Italian bread and baking, giving you his secret tips on making the perfect dough to create wonderful Italian breads for all occasions. And not only bread – have you ever walked into an Italian panetteria (bakery) and marvelled at the amazing variety of freshly baked goods? Not only filone, filoncini, ciabatta, campagnia, panini, but also amazing focaccia, pizzette, biscuits and cakes. Included will be Gennaro’s fabled focaccia made in different regional varieties as well as mouth watering torte salate (Italian savoury pies) using seasonal ingredients such as spinach & artichoke oozing with fontina cheese for spring or escarole, black olives & anchovy for winter. There will be a section of rustic pane dolce (sweet breads) as well as delicious crostate (sweet pastry tarts), biscuits and traditional homemade cakes just like Nonna used to make. This book will be the ultimate in Italian bread and baking – it will be your Italian panetteria bible where you will be able to almost smell that dreamy, irresistible aroma of fresh baking as you flick through the pages. Word count: 55,000

As immigrants came from outside the United States and settled in pockets around Chicago, each neighborhood had its own bakery--and sometimes several. At one time, more than seven thousand bakeries dotted the city streets. Stalwarts like Dinkel's, Roeser's, Weber's, Pticek and Ferrara continue a legacy that shaped Chicago's food traditions: an atomic cake for family celebrations, bacon buns in the morning or a poppy seed bun for hot dogs and pączki and zeppole for holidays. Even the never-ending debate over seeded or unseeded rye. From pioneering bakers to today's cake makers, author Jennifer Billock puts the sweet and doughy history of Chicago on display.

A collection of 80 recipes, including cakes, cookies and Italian crostatas.

Italian Baking Secrets is Father Orsini's sixth cookbook, and once again the reader gets not only wonderful recipes from the great tasting cuisine of Italy, but the "retired" priest's entertaining comments. Father Orsini knows how to make good food great, and his directions come with the bonus of his wide knowledge. The book begins with what to most of us is an amazing story: how the use of grain developed as long ago as---or possibly even prior to---the Neolithic period. Orsini tells us about the grains that were raised---and eaten---more than eight thousand years ago. Through charming and fascinating anecdotes, he lets us see the way bread has evolved, from flat loaves baked on hot stones to the myriad breads that have evolved in Italy alone---making our mouths water to hear about them. But don't let the author's charming storytelling keep you from his recipes; if you do, you will miss some delicious and easy-to-make dishes you might otherwise never taste---and once tasted, you will want to make them again and again.

In this comprehensive cookbook, America's Test Kitchen breaks down the often intimidating art and science of bread baking, making it easy for anyone to create foolproof, bakery-quality breads at home. Many home cooks find bread baking rewarding but intimidating. In Bread Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen shows bakers of all levels how to make foolproof breads, rolls, flatbreads, and more at home. Each master recipe is presented as a hands-on and reassuring tutorial illustrated with six to 16 full-color step-by-step photos. Organized by level of difficulty to make bread baking less daunting, the book progresses from the simplest recipes for the novice baker to artisan-style loaves, breads that use starters, and more complex project recipes. The recipes cover a wide and exciting range of breads from basics and classics like Easy Sandwich Bread and Fluffy Dinner Rolls to interesting breads from around the world including Lahmacun, Panettone, and Fig and Fennel Bread.

Six years ago, Maria Bruscino Sanchez opened a bakery in her hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut, to satisfy the ever-increasing orders for her cookies and cakes, baked from handed-down recipes. Today, Sweet-Maria's is a booming business that has garnered terrific reviews, numerous baking awards, and a passionately devoted clientele. This book collects 65 of Maria's most asked-for recipes. Line illustrations.

From the bestselling author of My Bread: A clear, illustrated guide to making sourdough and the Italian-inspired café dishes from one of Manhattan’s best bakeries. Founded in 1994, Sullivan Street Bakery is renowned for its outstanding bread, which graces the tables of New York’s most celebrated restaurants. The bread at Sullivan Street Bakery, crackling brown on the outside and light and aromatic on the inside, is inspired by the dark, crusty loaves that James Beard Award–winning baker Jim Lahey discovered in Rome. Jim builds on the revolutionary no-knead recipe he developed for his first book, My Bread, to outline his no-fuss system for making sourdough at home. Applying his Italian-inspired method to his repertoire of pizzas, pastries, egg dishes, and café classics, The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook delivers the flavors of a bakery Ruth Reichl once called “a church of bread.”

A James Beard Award nominee: “This year’s best bread book . . . produces fantastic results! . . . It should be a mandatory purchase for its pizza dough alone” (Salon). Acclaimed professional baker Suzanne Dunaway reveals her truly revolutionary technique for baking unforgettable breads that require no fuss and no special equipment. The crusts are lighter, chewier, and the crumb is moist, stays fresh longer, and has more intense flavor than most breads. Her ingredients are simply flour, water, yeast, salt—and passion. She uses no preservatives or additives of any kind. The recipes are her own creations, developed over years of trial and error. You will find focaccia, ciabatta, pane rustico, and pizza as well as breads from around the world such as baguette, sourdough flapjacks, blini, muffins, corn bread, brioche, African Spiced bread, kulich, and kolaches. In addition many of the basic bread doughs are fat-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free making then perfect for people on strict dietary or allergy regimes. There are also dozens of recipes for dishes you can make with bread: soufflés, soups, salads, and even desserts such as chocolate bread pudding. Plus, fun recipes to make with children. Suzanne Dunaway was the owner and head baker of Buona Forchetta Handmade Breads in Los Angeles, hailed as one of the seven best bakeries in the world by W Magazine. Gourmet called her breads “addictive.” “If kneading makes you need a sit down and need a rest, then this book will encourage you back into the kitchen. A great bread making class for all of us lazy bread makers.” —Foodepedia “Fabulous.” —The Telegraph