The Nordic Baking Book

I've been threatening to buy this book since it came out, and have just bought it 2nd hand through Amazon. As a northern British lad, my heart (and stomach) leans very much towards a more solid, less-refined type of baking. I already have a soft spot for Finnish rye breads and flavoured limpa. This book gives us everything else and more. Sweden has as many bread varieties as France, many of them just as regional and culturally significant, but they are not celebrated to the same degree.Unlike some reviewers, I'm not too bothered by the dearth of illustrations (although those pictures which are in the book are really not at all useful, a bit like looking at a loaf through the wrong end of a telescope). It's the ideas, concepts, use of flavours and cultural background which inspires me.The book assumes that you have a certain knowledge and I would not recommend it to a beginner, but I find that the lack of pictures gives me a freedom or leeway to express my version of the recipe. If you like step-by-step visual things, there's plenty of good blog sites out there but as far as I am concerned none of them are user-friendly in the kitchen.If I have one problem with the book, it's a nice one. I am like a child in a sweetie shop. Where to start? Where on earth to start??

The recipes are good and its interesting to bake something different thanks to this book. The instructions are easy to follow, however its a shame there is a lack of pictures - I know you shouldn't rely on photos but when cooking something you don't necessarily know or have ever seen before (as is the case with some of these recipes) then some visual guidance would go a long way. It's a shame but doesn't entirely ruin the book as there are some pictures at the end of each section, although a side-by-side would have helped much more in my opinion.

I'm not really a baker but my favourite style of baking would be Scandinavian - the bread, the buns and the cakes. This is rustic, earthy baking - no frills or silly icing. I loved the Nordic Cookbook and Magnus' style of writing - he really can transport you and he has a great sense of humour when he writes.As a cinnamon bun fiend, I now look forward to actually making them myself rather than just buying them. This is a great winter challenge. Plus there are several variations of buns not available in this country that I cant wait to attempt!

Goodness there is a wealth of Nordic baking in this book. You would be a very hard person to please if you were not to find at least 10 -20 recipes in the book to bake - or yearn to bake.I recommend the Swedish Navy Anchor Loaf .... a 3 day process but only about 10 mins of work each day in preparing - the rest of the time the dough is doing the work. A wonderful loaf!The book has a raft of very interesting recipes and tasty ones, the Nordic Rocky Road being an example of how the author is happy to steer offtrack to encompass all aspect of the Nordic baking scene even if the recipe isnt actually a Nordic original one.If you are into baking -, breads, buns, cakes, sweet things - this is a great book.I really enjoy reading the recipes and learning a little about the Nordic culture too.

I fell in love with this book as I began reading the first few chapters.. It has revived my interest in bread making and I've gained a great deal more understanding of Nordic baking that I didn't know before. It has a permanent place on my kitchen shelf ready to pick up at a moments thought for creating baking. I recommend you read all the chapters first, before you start to dive into making the recipes. It gives you a much broader understanding of flours and nordic baking.