The British Baking Book: The History of British Baking, Savory and Sweet by Regula Ysewijn

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Dessert; British
    • Ingredients: eggs; superfine sugar; lemons; lard
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Notes about this book

  • Eat Your Books

    Originally published in the UK as Oats in the North, Wheat from the South.

  • KatieK1 on November 22, 2024

    Although the sale price is enticing, this book has not been properly formatted as an ebook. So I'm returning it and getting the hardcover instead.

  • KatieK1 on February 16, 2024

    This book has not been formatted properly to be an ebook. It simply reproduces the pages from the print edition and the text is tiny.

  • LomaxHartCreative on August 21, 2022

    Crumpets. I made a half recipe, and the batter was more of a dough, more like an English muffin. The taste was too baking powder, and the center was still raw. I'm sure there was some user error. I also used soy milk. Next time ill use real buttermilk and make a full recipe! Onward and upward!

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Lemon drizzle cake

    • PrinceCyclone on January 18, 2021

      Several things in this recipe are really questionable. It makes roughly 1000 g of batter -- far more than can fit in such a tiny pan as the one suggested. Use a large loaf pan instead. Also, 2 tbsp of baking powder is far too much and will cause the cake to deflate in the middle. Something like 2 tsp feels more appropriate.

    • znorman on February 12, 2023

      I agree with PrinceCyclone about the tin size and baking powder. I used 2tsp baking powder instead of 2tbsp and the cake rose beautifully. I also baked it in a 9 inch round pan to give more surface area for the drizzle. Everything came out perfect.

    • lkgrover on October 29, 2024

      Lovely lemon cake, with modifications. As suggested by PrinceCyclone and znorman, I used 2 tsp baking powder and baked in a 10 inch loaf pan. Instead of the lemon glaze with granulated sugar, I used a traditional lemon icing (with powdered sugar).

  • Dundee cake

    • TrishaCP on February 22, 2021

      This is a nice lighter version of some stodgier fruit cakes. (Especially since I used golden raisins.) My cake needed to stay in towards the end of the specified baking time range.

  • Bara brith

    • pie4u on February 06, 2022

      Not exactly sure what went wrong with this recipe. I know other reviewers have noted conversion problems with this book, but I always weigh my ingredients. The dough is extremely wet somewhere around ~72% hyrdation making it very difficult to knead. I could not get the dough to double during first or second rise despite using a proofing box. I did get some oven spring but overal it was a really stodgy bread. I might try other Bara brith recipes using a yeast risen dough to see where things might have gone off. Other recipes I have found (BBC and Delia online) are closer to 50% hydration.

  • Tea loaf

    • Lepa on October 02, 2020

      This loaf is so unique and delicious! Just be sure to plan ahead because you need to soak the dried fruit in tea overnight (or, in my case, all day to bake in the evening).

    • jmgunter on September 07, 2021

      I made this loaf three times last winter and plan to make it again around the holidays. It's worth the extra mile sourcing mixed spice (which I was able to find via Amazon).

    • pie4u on February 03, 2022

      I didn't have currants so used dried cranberries and raisins, and made my own mixed spice". It is quite a nice little tea loaf. My loaf didn't dome, but I did get a nice rise in the pan. I would say it was a bit too sweet for my taste, so next time I might cut back a titch on the sugars, but there will be a next time. It's is lovely served with a bit of butter and a cup a earl grey tea. 3/14 made again and still feel it is too sweet ad once again I didn't get a nice dome. I measure my ingredients by weight. I think there might be too much baking powder in this recipe, which can result in a sunken top (which I got again). Still worth futzing with the recipe next time I am going to try 2 teaspoons (9 grams) of baking powder instead of the 1 tablespoon (14 grams) called for.

    • TrishaCP on February 19, 2022

      I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this, given the omission of fat from this recipe, but we loved it. I agree it is a tad on the sweet side with all of the raisins, currants, and candied fruit. It definitely is best served with tea or coffee.

  • Flakemeal biscuits

    • ShayLRoss on March 28, 2026

      I really love these. I baked them until the edges just crisp up to light brown, rested them on the pan for a little bit, then on the cooling rack. They are light on sweetness, buttery, and chewy from the oats and coconut. They are a great snack with coffee or tea.

  • Digestives

    • ShayLRoss on February 16, 2026

      I have made so many variations of digestives, they are all very delicious. I enjoyed including ground pecans and oat flour for this mix, which makes for a hearty cookie. I got in the habit of spreading a thin layer of chocolate on my digestives, but it is very good plain too!

  • Chelsea buns

    • ShayLRoss on April 05, 2026

      These were fantastic! I loved how they turned out the dough was soft and the filling was not overly sweet. Excited to have these in the freezer when I get the snack urge.

  • Yorkshire tea cakes

    • ShayLRoss on February 02, 2026

      Really enjoy making these and swapping out the add-ins between currants, raisins, dried cranberries, etc.

  • Bath buns, 20th century

    • ShayLRoss on February 16, 2026

      Very similar to the Yorkshire teacakes that I have been enjoying, although I think I would either mix in the currants or skip them during the baking as they crisp up a bit unpleasantly in the oven.

  • Staffordshire oatcakes

    • ccav on December 08, 2024

      These had really good flavor. My first time making a yeasted "griddled bread". Will definitely make again.

  • Tattie scones

    • Bessp on January 19, 2026

      These were delicious and easy. I used Yukon gold because they were all I had, and gluten free flour. They turned out perfectly, if slightly denser than usual because of the denser potato. I quite liked the texture. Will absolutely make these many times.

  • Crumpets

    • anya_sf on July 22, 2023

      My rings were larger (3 3/4") and I wanted taller crumpets, so I only got 9. Cooked on a griddle over low heat, turning when the top was nearly covered in holes - which I thought was the right time, but perhaps not, as the crumpets slumped upon cooling and some were doughy even after toasting. The ones with more color on top were better, so perhaps they should have cooked longer. Still, I won't bother with this recipe again.

  • English muffins

    • anya_sf on March 31, 2021

      These are not American-style English muffins, but rather soft, fluffy buns that happen to be griddled before baking. After the first 5-minute kneading, my dough wasn't wet at all, so I added a tiny bit more liquid. The dough rose *a lot* and the muffins were super tall and needed an extra 8 minutes in the oven (I used a thermometer to check the interior temperature). Quite enjoyable toasted with butter and jam.

  • Cheese scones

    • anya_sf on May 14, 2021

      The scones were a little bit sweet, a little savory - this recipe has the same amount of sugar as the sultana scone recipe; next time I'll decrease it a little, but they were still enjoyable as written. I had to add 2 extra tablespoons of milk for the dough to come together. Prepping them the night before and chilling overnight worked well.

    • ShayLRoss on February 16, 2026

      Pretty standard scone, it makes for a good base to do more with it.

  • Yorkshire Christmas pie

    • jeroen_xop5nb on December 30, 2025

      Made this with Confit de Canard instead of whole birds

  • Pork pies

    • krista_jo on April 18, 2021

      Meat mixture needs more salt

  • Bakewell tart

    • lkgrover on June 17, 2023

      Loved this traditional English dessert; served with whipped cream. I substituted almond extract for apricot kernels, because the book says that they add a bitter almond flavor (and apricot kernels are not available here).

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Reviews about this book

  • Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

    The imagery (taken by the author) is stunning and coupled with the history and recipes, it is a must-have for any baker and especially those obsessed with all things British.

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 1681885670
  • ISBN 13 9781681885674
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Sep 08 2020
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 264
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Weldon Owen

Publishers Text

A meticulously researched, beautifully written, and richly photographed cookbook celebrating the recipes, ingenuity, history, and heritage of British baking.



With over 100 iconic recipes, The British Baking Book tells the wonderfully evocative story of baking in Britain—and how this internationally cherished tradition has evolved from its rich heritage to today’s immense popularity of The Great British Bake Off.

With lavish imagery and evocative narrative, the expert-baker author details the landscape, history, ingenuity, and legends—and show-stopping recipes—that have made British baking a worldwide phenomenon. From cakes, biscuits, and buns to custards, tarts, and pies, authentic recipes for Britain’s spectacular sweet and savory baked goods are included here—like pink-frosted Tottenham cake, jam-layered Victoria sandwich cake, quintessential tea loaf, sweet lamb pie, Yorkshire curd tart, and more. Illustrating the story of how British baking evolved throughout the country, many of the recipes have a sense-of-place heritage like Dorset apple cake, Whitby lemon buns, Cornish cake, Grasmere gingerbread, and Scottish oatcakes. Evocative and fascinating, this cookbook offers a guided tour of Britain’s best baking.


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