Notes about Recipes in this book

• Sourdough starter

  • Foodo on April 19, 2024

    My house is cold, so I did three days for each on steps one and two. Worked great! Made the Farm Bread - one loaf as directed - taste was great, but the loaf spread out on the baking stone, and the crust wasn’t crusty - the metal bowl and steaming process was clumsy too. The other loaf I used Bread Flour and a Dutch oven for baking, this turned out PERFECT.

• Sicilian sesame semolina bread

  • Lepa on February 23, 2019

    I struggled a bit with this bread. I followed the directions for timing the fermentation/resting/ final rise but it seems over proofed(?) The loaves are large and flat. There was no oven spring. I struggled with transferring them to the baking stone. The first stuck to the peel and lost its round shape as I struggled to shake it off. I used a large metal bowl for steaming and the bread was so large it stuck to the side and I had to pry it off, which caused it to look even worse. The bread tasted good. It had a lovely crackly crust that was satisfying to eat. I think the bread could have used a bit more salt. I will probably try this again because I love semolina bread and because the crust was so delicious. I'm confident the issues were with my execution and not the recipe.

  • anya_sf on April 25, 2019

    I just made one loaf, but had the same issues as Lepa, although I did get some oven spring, thank goodness. I'm not sure if it was the recipe or me. I did not have durum flour, so I substituted bread flour. The dough initially became a nice, round ball, but flattened out after 4 hours of proofing and never really rose up (just out) again. I couldn't shape the final loaf into a round - it stayed pretty flat. To simplify transferring the loaf to the oven, I let it rise on parchment paper on a baking peel and baked it on the parchment on the baking steel. Turns out my bowl wasn't quite wide enough for the steam chamber thing to work. After removing the bowl, the loaf did rise more. The resulting loaf was rather dense and I think slightly underbaked. The crumb was tight and chewy with a very chewy crust. The flavor did seem to lack salt. The bread made great toast though.

• Pie dough

  • hirsheys on July 06, 2019

    Used this for the rhubarb pie, which I didn't love, but I *really* enjoyed this crust. I needed to cook it much longer than called for in that recipe, but the crust came out flaky and was very easy to work with. I also loved the sugar sprinkled on top. (No issues with burning - maybe the pies are being baked in too low an oven in this cookbook?)

• Big O cookies

  • hirsheys on November 16, 2017

    These were very good - I used tart cherries and would again.

  • Lepa on February 18, 2019

    We enjoyed these. They had a nice cinnamon/nutmeg taste.

  • mamacrumbcake on April 04, 2019

    Very happy with these cookies. Crunchy at the edges, soft in the middle. I made the cookies smaller, baked for 13 minutes, and used regular raisins, otherwise, followed the recipe. Using a #30 scoop, I got 34 cookies instead of 21. The recipe did not say to chill the dough so I baked it right away and was happily surprised that they did not spread too much. 390 g seemed like a lot of raisins, but in the end, I thought the cookies were perfect. Easy to make too—you don’t even need a mixer.

  • TrishaCP on May 10, 2020

    These are great oatmeal cookies. I used about 2/3 of the raisins (actually currants due to #covidbaking), and that was PLENTY for me. (Not a huge raisin fan.) I followed mamacrumbcake’s guidelines for making smaller cookies and I was happy with the results.

  • anya_sf on September 03, 2020

    I got 12 cookies from 1/2 the recipe so I guess they were a little smaller; baked in 15 minutes. I only had 3/4 the amount of (Thompson) raisins, but that was plenty. I'd hoped to taste the maple in the cookies, but the nutmeg was overpowering; next time I'll omit that. The syrup did make the cookies soft and pliable. As mamacrumbcake noted, they didn't spread as much as expected - I didn't press them down evenly so some were thicker than others, but the texture was the same either way. We enjoyed them.

  • jay.moe on March 23, 2023

    Added chocolate chunks and substituted dried cranberries for raisins. This is now my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe.

  • jvozoff on July 05, 2023

    These were low effort and high payoff. Took them to a party and they were gone quickly. Used golden raisins - about 2/3 amount called for. More raisins would have been better, so next time I’ll try the full amount. Also, next time I make them I’ll cut back on the cinnamon and nutmeg - personal preference. I flattened them into discs before going into the oven and took them out when they were still pale and a bit doughy on top. Once they cooled, they were perfect. My new oatmeal cookie go to.

  • LauraMB on October 06, 2025

    I've made the several times. I'm not a fan of flat, greasy oatmeal cookies. So I really like these. I increased the cinnamon from one to two teaspoons, decreased the raisins to 1 cup (2 3/4 is way too much for me), and increased the walnuts to one cup. I make them smaller than the recipe states, about 25 grams each, which gives me about 53 cookies. Friends all love these, too.

• Black magic brownies

  • Jviney on May 14, 2019

    These are a very good, cake brownie. Bake time was right on. I only had whole wheat pastry flour on hand, so used AP and it worked well. Now I’m anxious to try the Buenos Aires variation...

• Magic brownies

  • Dannausc on February 10, 2022

    Pretty decent but not really any better than any other brownies.

• Sour cream coffee cake

  • Lepa on February 07, 2019

    This cake earned a rare five stars from my family. It's the kind of cake I would normally page past but I tried it because of a cookbook club. It's the perfect specimen of this genre of cake. Absolutely stunning.

  • Zosia on February 07, 2019

    Excellent cake....among the better ones of this type that I've made. I reduced the sugar by 70g. The crumb was fine and moist so I don't think it affected texture much.

  • dprostrollo on February 11, 2019

    Subbed full fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream and worked a treat. The cinnamon rings that show up around the cake are gorgeous and the dense, rich texture and flavor are great with a cup of coffee.

  • anya_sf on February 21, 2020

    Moist, dense, sweet, and rich, this is the quintessential sour cream coffee cake. I used chopped walnuts instead of halves and think that made the cake easier to slice neatly. The sour cream flavor really shone.

  • amandabeck on June 03, 2023

    Delicious, moist and tender. I would take more care next time placing my swirl a bit more evenly and neatly. Definitely would make again.

• Lemon poppy seed coffee cake

  • anya_sf on August 18, 2018

    I only had half the sour cream, so I used part whole milk Greek yogurt, which worked fine. I substituted 1 tsp lemon extract and zest of 2 lemons for the lemon oil, and there seemed to be enough lemon flavor, although I am curious to try the oil. The cake was everything I'd hoped for - a classic. I loved that it was absolutely full of poppy seeds.

• Ginger scones

  • hirsheys on November 16, 2017

    These are exactly perfect - an immediate taste memory. They are easy to make and taste just like the ones from the Bakehouse. My only complaint - mine were a bit more crumbly than the ones I remember.

• Detroit-style pizza

  • anya_sf on August 19, 2018

    The dough was pretty wet, so it didn't really hold a round shape after the stated kneading time, but I was able to scrape it together. It took some coaxing to stretch into the pan; it might benefit from a longer rest, although if you just keep trying, the dough will eventually stretch into the pan. I used a traditional dark Detroit pizza pan, which yields the best crust and browned edges. Eight slices of pepperoni did not seem like enough - I made 3 rows of 5 slices. There is possibly more cheese than necessary, although it's oh so good. The pizza was delicious, but I do think the pepperoni kind of gets lost when it's underneath. I prefer the Serious Eats recipe where half the pepperoni is on top. Overall, this recipe is fairly similar to Serious Eats, but I had better luck with this crust, possibly because I used a stand mixer instead of a food processor. I only used 1 Tbsp sugar in the sauce.

  • jimandtammyfaye on July 17, 2021

    This recipe has quickly become a Friday night tradition in our house. I can start the dough at 3:30 and serve the pizza at 6:30. I don't have access to brick cheese without paying high shipping fees, so I've experimented with substitutes. Fresh mozzarella, quesadilla, and muenster have all worked well. I've even used pre-shredded mozzarella in a pinch, and the final product was no less delicious. I usually double or triple the pizza sauce and freeze remaining sauce in 1qt ziplock bags. You can double the dough ingredients and make 2 batches of dough at a time. When stretching the sticky, wet dough into the pan, dip your fingers into oil before you press the dough. This process is described in the recipe, but I failed to remember oily fingers the first time I made the pizza. Oil makes the process much easier. I used a 9X13 USA Bakeware Pan, producing a chewy crust with crisp edges. The pizza did not release from the pan as well or bake as thoroughly in a Wilton baking pan.

  • sanfrannative on January 15, 2022

    Really tasty. Putting the sauce on top of the cheese really makes it different from New York and Chicago style pizza...when you bite in your teeth break through a nice layer of chewy cheese.

  • senzler on May 01, 2022

    This is a favorite of my brother in law. He grew up in Dearborn outside of Detroit and requests this often. I have used Italian sausage instead of pepperoni. I do use more pepperoni them called for as it gets lost.

  • hmckimmey on February 06, 2026

    Perfect week night pizza! I cut the sugar down in the sauce to one heaping tablespoon and it’s perfect for us. If some happens to survive the initial meal, it reheats very nicely.

• Ginger jump-up cookies

  • hirsheys on November 16, 2017

    These came out very tasty and improved everyday. Very similar to the ones I remember from the Bakehouse. My one mistake was in not sifting the muscovado sugar into the mixture - the lumps never broke up.

  • michalow on December 05, 2020

    Link is broken, but you can find these here: https://www.eater.com/2017/12/14/16421114/zingermans-bakehouse-cookbook-ginger-molasses-jump-up-cookies

• Tunisian orange and olive oil cake

  • Lepa on February 13, 2019

    I thought this cake would be dense but it has a marvelous texture- light and fluffy- and has a lovely mild orange flavor. I added a 1/4 teaspoon of fiori di sicilia to boost the floral/citrus taste. I think the sesame seeds are a nice touch. I like cakes that aren't too sweet and this is perfect. I expect it will go into frequent rotation at our house!

  • anya_sf on January 26, 2020

    I'm not quite sure what went wrong. There was a pervasive bitterness, like the pith from an orange, in most every bite. The flavor mellowed out a bit on the second day, but not enough for us to want to eat any more of the cake. The texture was lovely - light and moist - but I couldn't get past the flavor. Maybe some oranges don't work well for this? I'm not sure, as I've made whole orange cakes before that turned out well, and I used fresh olive oil (and have baked successfully with this brand before).

  • Sleeth on May 10, 2020

    Because of the pandemic, I could not be with my mom on Mother’s Day. So we baked this cake together over FaceTime. I didn’t have any sesame seeds and only had a 10” springform pan, but otherwise followed the instructions. This cake turned out delicious. Easy to make and not too sweet. It was perfect with coffee, and a great way to spend time with my mom when we can’t be together.

• Farm bread

  • lily_o1t41p on January 02, 2026

    Inside definitely looks better than the outside on my attempt, but something still went amiss here- probably just user error, but I do think the shaping and scoring instructions in this recipe left something to be desired, and might seek more clarity on that elsewhere when I make this again.

• New deli crumb cake

  • anya_sf on February 04, 2019

    As recommended, I made the topping the day before and let it dry overnight. It was quite moist and did not dry completely, but did not sink during baking. The topping smelled and tasted fantastic. The cake took 67 minutes to bake in my oven. It sank a bit upon cooling, and I was worried I'd taken it out too soon, but it was perfect. The cake is fairly sweet, but the salt in the topping helps balance that. Everyone at work raved.

  • Lepa on February 24, 2019

    I failed to make the topping overnight so I dried it in the preheating oven, which worked out well. I loved the balance of spice and salt in the topping. This was very easy to put together and tasted lovely.

  • ashallen on August 06, 2022

    Really delicious. My husband usually runs from anything with coconut but he loved this cake and said the coconut added a nice "chew" to the crumb topping. The cake beneath the crumbs has a flavor and velvety texture that reminds me of a coffee cake I used to buy years ago from a great local bakery (since closed) - it was really nice to have it again! I substituted unsweetened coconut for sweetened and think its lower moisture level helped dry the crumbs out - they had a good texture right away (though I still dried them ~3 hours on the counter). The cake did fall quite a bit, going from ~2 inches thick along the outer rim to 1 inch in the center. I poked the cake after 45-50 minutes in the oven and it'd set much less than I'd expected so that definitely contributed (like anya_sf's, it needed ~70 minutes total). Also, it seemed like a lot of batter for my 2-inch deep pan. I'll try a slightly larger pan next time (8-inch square). Or maybe it's time for some new baking soda...

• Hummingbird cake

  • anya_sf on February 25, 2019

    Quick and easy to make. I omitted the coconut extract since I didn't have any. The cake finished baking a few minutes early. Everyone loved the cake. The frosting is quite sweet; next time I would make it more tangy (more cream cheese and lemon, less sugar).

• Basic challah

  • Lepa on February 09, 2019

    This is a great challah recipe. It is golden, tender and flavorful. Mine needed an extra five minutes in the oven before it was done. This was a nice sized loaf- perfect for my family of four.

• Pecan raisin bread

  • sanfrannative on January 15, 2022

    Shoves more nuts and dried fruit into a dough than you ever thought possible. Not a beginner sourdough loaf--can come out really dense. All that said... OH. MY. GOD. It's like a really good artisanal fruitcake and a sourdough had a baby. THIS. BREAD. IS. JUST. INCREDIBLE.

  • Foodo on June 21, 2024

    I’ve made this a few times. It is wonderful, with one tweak - toast your pecans!

• Hungarian walnut roll (Dios beigli)

  • bching on October 17, 2019

    This is project baking but does result in two delicious walnut rolls. I used dried cherries in place of the raisins and will continue to do that. The recipe made way too much egg wash so I will make half that amount next time.

  • kitchen_chick on May 10, 2020

    Don't be intimidated by this recipe. It's easier than it looks. This recipe has several chilling and resting stages plus the baking so you do need an afternoon or evening when you can be uninterrupted for each stage, but each chunk of tasks is fairly easy and not particularly time-consuming by themself. I reduced the granulated sugar from 160g to 140g. We didn't have any walnuts, so I also used pecans and dried cranberries. I converted the instant yeast amount to active dry yeast and proofed it in the water to make sure it was good. I didn't have bread crumbs so I substituted panko with a bit of water sprinkled in to ever-so-slightly hydrate them. I went by weight for all ingredients except the panko, when I used volume because it's so much lighter than actual breadcrumbs that going by volume would have resulted in a crazy amount of panko. It came out great! And my cat loved it, too. (She took a bite out of the pastry while it was still cooling and tried to go back for more.)

  • ChezTB on January 11, 2026

    Very tasty but mine didn’t rise any further than the roll I started with. I used half the lemon zest.

• Country scones

  • anya_sf on February 02, 2019

    I made 1/2 recipe, reserving the leftover 1/2 egg for the egg wash. I used all white whole wheat flour, but did not need to add extra liquid. My 2 oz scoop yielded 8 scones, which were probably closer to 1.5" thick. I prepped the scones the night before and froze them, then baked from frozen for 18 minutes. There was a lot of extra cinnamon-sugar. The scones were sweet and crumbly, like eating an oatmeal cookie for breakfast.

• Chocolate coconut macaroons

  • Lepa on March 01, 2019

    These are very easy to mix together and delicious. I didn't have sweetened coconut so I used unsweetened shredded coconut. I thought the sweetness was perfect and think it would be too sweet if I had used sweetened coconut. The recipe called for flaked coconut but the macaroons in the picture looked like they were made with shredded coconut so that's what I used. These macaroons had a nice, crisp texture that we all enjoyed.

• Hot cocoa cake

  • anya_sf on February 08, 2019

    I used buttermilk instead of sour cream since that's what I had on hand. I also used instant espresso powder instead of coffee, so I only used 1 Tbsp. My dark chocolate chips were rather large, so I chopped them somewhat, which ended up being a good decision, as the whole ones sank to the bottom and stuck to the pan. So the cake didn't look that pretty, but it did taste great - just like hot cocoa. My family really liked this cake.

  • dprostrollo on February 11, 2019

    As the other note suggested, whole choc chips sank to the bottom and stuck to my bundt pan in a couple spots. Delicious cake, but will use Stella Parks' suggestion of pouring some batter into the tin before adding the choc chips next time. Delicious cake, though!

  • Lepa on February 14, 2019

    This was a hit. It is rich and delicious but careful! Despite the generous spray of Baker's Joy this cake stuck a bit. It was also very fragile when I moved it to the serving plate.

  • jimandtammyfaye on July 17, 2021

    Interesting crispy edges and chewy interior and delicious, rich flavor. I did not find coffee to be overpowering. Thankfully, I had no problems with the cake sticking to the pan, but I was extra careful in pan prep because of others' comments. I topped with a quick glaze of 2/3 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBS milk, and 1/4 tsp almond extract.

  • senzler on May 01, 2022

    I am generally not a big chocolate cake fan but this one was a hit. So moist. I did not have a problem getting it out of my old bundt pan but I misplaced it. I have been having a devil of a time since then until I tried prepping the pan with goop which I discovered after doing extensive research on prepping bundt pans. (It is 1 part flour, 1 part veg oil, and 1 part shortening).

• Just rhubarb rhubarb pie

  • hirsheys on July 06, 2019

    I was really intrigued by this filling recipe, but in the end, it was not worth the trouble. I liked that the pieces stayed whole and tender (and didn't become mush, like my rhubarb pies usually do). On the other hand, I had to cook the pie far longer than the recipe called for to get the bottom crust to bake through and the middle boiling. I also had issues with the slurry solidifying when I added it to the hot rhubarb liquid, so I had to put it through a sieve to get rid of the big white solid chunks of cornstarch. I think this process made me lose some of the sugar and the pie ended up not sweet enough. Serving with ice cream helped, but I have better recipes. Loved the crust.

• German spelt bread (Dinkelbrot)

  • anya_sf on February 04, 2019

    I substituted malted wheat flakes for spelt flakes, but otherwise followed the recipe, but this did not turn out for me. After mixing and resting, the dough was super wet, like muffin batter, and could not be shaped. Rather than add more flour, I scraped it into the loaf pan (coated with sunflower seeds). It did rise, so I went ahead and baked it, but it was totally burnt around the edges after 35 minutes. I'm not sure that one substitution made such a difference, although I guess it could have.

  • Mcwall on March 01, 2025

    I have had wet ‘dough’ with every Dinkelbrot recipe I’ve tried. Thought it was just me

• Bakehouse bagels

  • anya_sf on February 24, 2019

    I did not make the onion variety, just the plain dough mostly topped with poppy seeds. The dough is very stiff - you'll get a workout kneading it by hand. I let the dough rise longer (1st rise 45 min at cool room temperature, then 2 hrs refrigerated; 2nd rise 1.5 hrs). They don't rise much. The only problem I had was shaping them; the ends did not want to stick together. So they didn't look pretty, but they tasted great.

  • Ehcoggin on January 30, 2021

    I have made these twice very successfully. I used a stand mixer for kneading and gave up on their shaping method and went with poking a hole in them. highly recommend!

• Obama buns (pecan sticky buns)

  • sarahawker on December 27, 2020

    I made these for Christmas this year. To say they are indulgent is an understatement but oh they are worth it! So buttery and the massive nuttiness so memorable. Only change I made was to use maple syrup in place of the honey. Honey is just too $$ - even with maple syrup also being dear.

• Transylvanian cinnamon swirl bread (Somodi kalács)

  • Rachaelsb on June 25, 2023

    Amazing!!!! Great texture, sweetness and overall deliciousness!!

• Turkey urfa chili

  • anya_sf on February 16, 2019

    The hardest part of this chili is locating the urfa flakes and green chile powder. Otherwise, it's easy and relatively quick to make. Like most chilis, I think the flavor would improve if made ahead, but my family devoured it on the first night, so I'm not sure I'll ever know for certain.

  • mamacrumbcake on March 05, 2019

    Wow! We loved this! I was not expecting a turkey chili to be so full of flavor. I did use the urfa and green chile powder and followed the directions to the letter. My husband said this has supplanted our old favorite chili. Bonus—it’s so quick and easy and doesn’t dirty a lot of dishes. PS, it’s moderately spicy, it definitely has a kick, but not overly so.

  • jimandtammyfaye on October 01, 2022

    Really loved the unique flavor on this one. Since salt in tomatoes varies from brand to brand, start with 1/2 salt in recipe and add more at the end to taste. Incredibly easy.

  • Lepa on December 07, 2023

    Agree with other reviews: this is a delicious and easy chili. It may even become our house chili recipe. I only had two cans of kidney beans so I used a can of black beans in place of the third can and liked the variety. I'll probably make it like that next time!

  • Carriejean76 on March 24, 2026

    Made exactly as written- very good, easy. Makes a ton! Served with sour cream, cheese and green onions.

• The iconic Hungarian roll (Pogácsa)

  • anya_sf on February 07, 2019

    I didn't have fresh dill, so I added a bit of dried (more just for color) and topped the rolls with poppy seeds per the sidebar note. I only got 6 pretty rolls, 2 OK rolls, and 2 ugly ones (10 total). Next time I might try cutting them into squares to avoid re-rolling the dough. The dough is super sticky, so it's helpful to spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray for the initial chilling step. Once the dough has been folded, dust it with flour before wrapping in plastic. The rolls were super buttery - so decadent. I bet any variation (again, see sidebar note) would taste divine.

• Hungarian chocolate cream cake (Rigó jancsi)

  • anya_sf on February 15, 2019

    Definitely more cream than cake. I made half the recipe, which served 6-9 people. Delicious! An impressive - but not too difficult - dessert to make for a dinner party. The rum is definitely noticeable (in a good way) in the filling. I didn't quite use the full amount of apricot - just enough to coat - but would use all of it next time. 70% chocolate worked in the ganache.

• Hungarian bean and barley stew (Sólet)

  • anya_sf on April 05, 2020

    For the meat, I used smoked Italian sausage. I had pearl barley, so didn't soak it. Instead of hot paprika, I used smoked mild paprika and ended up stirring some extra in at the end to boost the flavor. I had to add extra water for the last 45 minutes of cooking because the beans were sticking; they actually seemed done after 1.5 hours in the oven, although I kept them in longer (probably not necessary). I couldn't resist stirring in chopped parsley at the end to add some color. This was a homey, hearty dish reminiscent of pork and beans in the best way. It served 4 hungry people.

  • Lepa on December 14, 2022

    This was a great hands- off, comforting soup. I used bacon fat and kielbalsa. My soup was done after an hour and a half in the oven.

  • PinchOfSalt on December 03, 2025

    Real stick-to-the-ribs comfort food, as long as you enjoy a bit of spicy heat. Very little prep work, unfussy to cook. Noting that the beans I was using had a best by date 3 years in the past, I did not skip the soak. Cooked this on the stove top at the barest of simmers in a 4-quart enameled cast iron pot instead of using the oven. A 6-quart pot would have been a better choice. The beans turned out perfect: unbroken and creamy inside. Specific ingredients used included Rancho Gordo cranberry beans, Bob's Red Mill pearled barley, and Wegman's store brand Hungarian sausage; both kinds of paprika (sweet and hot) were from Burlap and Barrel. At first the dish struck me as markedly spicy (but not too spicy for me). On the second day it had mellowed out. Of course the amount of spiciness will vary with the specific brand and age of the hot paprika that is used. I'm definitely going to be returning to this recipe in the future.

• Food52

  Michigan's renowned artisanal bakery...has been a culinary powerhouse since 1992. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the Zingerman's bakers shared 65 recipes for classics from the bakery...

  Full review

• Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

  All of the famous bakery's best recipes can be now made at home in this beautifully photographed cookbook.

  Full review

• Eat the Love

  Anyone that bakes and cooks constantly will appreciate reading about how even the professionals make mistakes.

  Full review

• Joy the Baker

  I feel like we’re getting let in on a lot of secrets with this book and for that I feel very grateful...This book is a beautiful and reliable guide.

  Full review