Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lemon drizzle cake

  • anya_sf on July 23, 2023

    Note: the US edition calls for all-purpose flour and baking powder, not self-raising flour

  • anya_sf on July 23, 2023

    Moist, tender cake with good lemon flavor. Eaten several hours after baking, the top was more lemony than the bottom; the syrup was more evenly distributed the next day. I could see doubling the syrup to boost the lemon - to me, it wasn't "intense" as described. Also, the topping wasn't crunchy, but one could sprinkle sugar over the top as shown in the photo.

• New York chocolate brownie cheesecake

  • dogo on November 13, 2024

    Best taste a day or so later.

• Chocolate brownies

  • Megzmum on October 29, 2022

    Such a delicious brownie, definitely my “go to” recipe for brownies! I didn’t have cocoa nibs, other than that was made as written Yum!

  • anya_sf on August 11, 2023

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan; baking time was 20 min (convection). Very good brownies! Fudgy texture, crackly top. Made with semi-sweet chocolate, the base was sweeter than I'd normally prefer, but was balanced out by the cacao nibs, which also added a crunchy textural element.

• Blondies

  • anya_sf on October 12, 2023

    I made 1/2 recipe in a 5.5" x 8" pan; baking time was as stated, but the blondies went from underbaked to overbaked very quickly, so unfortunately they were drier and more cakey than they should have been. Feeling lazy, I skipped the decorations and instead used the total weight of white chocolate as chips folded in (not sure why you'd bother with such a small amount in the batter to begin with) - it seemed like a good amount and did not make the blondies too sweet. I did not increase the pistachios in the batter as there were plenty already. I did double the raspberries and would use even more as their tartness really perked up the flavor. Overall, these were good, not great - might make again if I had all the ingredients.

• Peanut butter cookies

  • anya_sf on August 06, 2025

    Easy to make slice-and-bake cookies. Soft texture, not as sweet as some pb cookies, but still sweet enough. I made them smaller (maybe 2" diameter) and sliced them slightly thinner and got 12 from 1/2 batch. Baking time was still 14 min.

• Classic scones

  • kaylib on March 10, 2026

    These scones worked out well for me and are now my go to.

• Cheese scones

  • anya_sf on August 05, 2023

    The dough was too dry to come together, so I added an extra tablespoon of milk (the bare minimum). Got a 9th bonus scone by rerolling scraps a 2nd time. The scones were good, but slightly dry - maybe should have added more milk to the dough, but also my oven temp has been off. Not as flavorful as some cheese scones I've made, but then this dough is much less rich (although there is plenty of cheese).

• White sandwich bread

  • anya_sf on August 22, 2023

    This dough was wetter than typical for a sandwich bread, resulting in a more open crumb and chewier texture, which we quite enjoyed. My husband especially liked this bread (his favorite is sourdough, which I rarely make).

  • senzler on January 26, 2025

    Great sandwich bread.

  • hashi on April 06, 2025

    Easiest bread ever. Make both loaves, freeze one.

• Stoneground wholemeal sandwich bread

  • anya_sf on October 08, 2023

    The dough was very slow to rise and there was no oven spring. I thought the shaped loaf had risen a fair amount, albeit unevently, only to discover that it was a massive air pocket underneath the crust, which I believe could be due to overproofing. Not sure if my yeast wasn't an active as it should have been - would try again. The bread, while fairly dense, was still good, especially toasted.

• Pain de campagne

  • anya_sf on September 11, 2023

    This is a huge loaf. Mine turned out oblong, maybe because of the way I slashed it. Very flavorful with crusty exterior and springy interior.

• Seeded sandwich bread

  • anya_sf on August 24, 2023

    Flavorful, super seedy loaf, good for sandwiches, but especially great toasted. The volume of seeds didn't quite match the weight (1/2 c was closer to 60 g, not 80 g); I went by volume as there were so many seeds - definitely could use less. The dough rose a little faster than expected. Next time I would use a different method to incorporate the seeds.

• Barm cakes

  • anya_sf on January 21, 2026

    Very nice soft rolls. I wanted them larger for sandwiches, so I divided the dough into 8 portions. Baking time was a few minutes longer.

• Sourdough

  • hashi on March 14, 2025

    I am a very new bread baker and decided to try this recipe as my foray into sourdough loaves. I skipped the starter part since I already have one from my mom (thanks, mom!). I’ve made it twice now - both with good results. It tastes like bread! I really like that the kneading is done by mixer; it’s less intimidating to me. There is a lot of planning involved, but that won’t stop me from making this again and again.

• Hot cross buns

  • anya_sf on April 22, 2025

    What I'd consider a normal-sized apple was about twice as much as would mix into the dough along with the raisins and peel, but I incorporated as much as I could. Shaping was tricky due to all the mix-ins, so some buns looked a little wonky. There was way more paste (for the cross) and syrup than needed. The buns were quite large and mine took 5 extra minutes to bake. The mix-ins made the texture kind of heavy, but the flavor was very good. The cross was chewy but easy to remove. Buns were still fresh the morning after baking and also very good toasted with butter later on.

• English muffins

  • anya_sf on August 08, 2023

    I failed to roll the dough evenly, so I got 2 tall muffins + 2 flatter ones, then rerolled to get a 5th bonus flatter one. It was hard to tell when the muffins were done; I cooked them an extra 5 min on very low heat. The edges were still squishy, but fortunately they were cooked inside. Even toasted, the muffins were still slightly squishy, and not as craggy as I'd expect, but I think American-style "English" muffins are drier and craggier than the English version. Very tasty, and quite large - perfect for breakfast sandwiches.

• Naan

  • annie_6swuo4 on May 20, 2026

    Really easy and very nice naans. Served with jackfruit curry and cauliflower rice. Will make these again for sure!

• Pittas

  • hashi on May 25, 2025

    This was my first try at making pita bread. The dough was super sticky and I’m not sure if that’s normal. The flavor was good, though, even if they didn’t puff.

• Cheese and onion pasties

  • Megzmum on October 29, 2022

    Delicious! I used all butter in the crust as I didn’t have lard. Also made six slightly smaller parcels instead of the four Other than that, made recipe as written Will make again :)

• Key lime pie

  • anya_sf on August 13, 2023

    Lacking an 8" tart pan, I used a 9" one. There was plenty of crumb mixture for the larger pan, but the filling layer was thinner than I would have liked, and there was more crust relative to filling than I prefer. Having finally found key limes, I used those, but can't say I noticed a difference vs. Persian limes without a side by side tasting. The filling was good, pretty classic. Overall the pie was not too sweet since the crust and whipped cream are unsweetened. I wouldn't have minded a bit of sugar in those with a little more lime juice in the filling.

• Croissants

  • anya_sf on September 23, 2023

    Overall, this recipe worked well. The dough (prior to lamination) was pretty stiff; I later noticed the online recipe calls for an extra 20 g water. I baked these in 2 batches: the first was shaped, chilled overnight, then proofed ~4 hours in the morning before baking; the second was frozen, then thawed and proofed at room temperature overnight and baked in the morning. The second batch was actually more successful, but my oven was acting up on the first batch. The croissants were buttery and flaky with airy centers. They were a little crusty for some reason, and also on the small side (the online recipe yields 12 rather than 20). This book, and in particular this recipe, seems like a missed opportunity for Paul to impart more of his knowledge to help bakers achieve a successful bake (for example, how to bake frozen croissants). I could have used more detailed instructions, tips, and photos, and found myself consulting Tartine for those things.

• Pains aux raisins

  • anya_sf on June 13, 2025

    Really delicious! I made them over 3 days (make dough and chill overnight, shape pastries and chill overnight, bake pastries). The dough was super dry and stiff; I had to add an extra tablespoon of water for it to come together and wonder if I should have added more. The stiff dough worked pretty well for lamination though. I wasn't able to do the final turn but still ended up with plenty of layers. The pastry cream was very thick (good for spreading), making it difficult to strain; next time I don't think I'd bother. I cut the filled dough into 16 pieces - easier than 15, though I didn't get them very even. The pastries did not rise in the fridge so I left them at room temp for a couple hours before baking. Some of them uncoiled so next time I'll tuck the ends under.

• Sticky toffee pudding

  • Rradishes on January 06, 2023

    This one gets the handshake. made it for NYE and served with ice cream. Everyone loved and raved about it. Leftovers keep great, and it was easy to make.

  • anya_sf on October 23, 2023

    Ingredient list is missing dark brown sugar

  • anya_sf on October 23, 2023

    Excellent yet simple recipe for sticky toffee pudding. I used a 10"x10" pan.