flour, too {book review}

If you ever wondered how a successful bakery/café is successful, then you must read Joanne Chang’s second cookbook flour, too.

Flour is a bakery that currently has four different locations in the Boston area. I’m not lucky enough to have ever lived or visited Boston before and therefore I have never visited the café before. I will have to get to there next time I am stateside, if not for the bakery, for my cousin who is lucky enough to live there and has had nothing but praise for flour.

In flour we read all about the sweeter side of the bakery, in flour, too we get to divulge into the savory side: sandwiches, soups, dinners, party food, and of course dessert!

Joanne holds nothing back and gives very detailed instructions on how to reproduce flours goodies at home. Which can seem a little daunting, but as I just said the instructions are very clear and in-depth. You should have no problem if you take the time and read through the recipe and prep ahead of time.

It’s one of her tips in the introduction; you know how TV chefs/cooks always have everything prepped and ready? Joanne says that is a key to success! She also is really good at telling us when something can be done ahead of time and how long it will keep.

As Joanne is professional trained, at many different restaurants around the US, she likes to weigh her ingredients when baking. So, us UK cooks and bakers can cook and bake by weighing everything like we normally do! No need to rush out and get a set of cups for this book!

You may recognize Joanne from an episode of James Martin’s United Cakes of America program on. In an episode when he’s visiting Boston, he stops in at flour and makes brownies with Joanne. They make them the flour way and with an old early recipe for brownies to compare.

Normally at some time in my book reviews I like to list what I’d like to make from the book. Sort of like a wish list. As I started writing the list out I realized I’d like to make pretty much everything in the breakfast section sweet and savory, everything in the soup section, and everything in the dessert section. I also want to make a good number of things in the sandwiches, salads, mains, snacks, and drink sections too! It was just too much to list!

I’m constantly looking for inspiration when I’m meal planning and I have found plenty with flour, too! I can’t wait to share with you what I make first. It’s going to be a soup for sure, still undecided to which one, and flour’s signature focaccia! Then if I can get myself sorted I might have a go at the Classic Apple Turnovers or maybe the Best Boston Cream Pie? So much to make and so little time!

notes: flour café official site; flour Amazon UK & US; my cousin I mentioned above had her copy of flour (book 1) signed and wrote about it here on a book blog we both contributed to! James Martin’sUnited Cakes of America