Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries

by Kristina Cho

2022 JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • Baking and Desserts

2022 JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • Emerging Voice, Books

ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker Magazine, The New York Times

ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time Out, Glamour, Taste of Home

Food blogger Kristina Cho (eatchofood.com) introduces you to Chinese bakery cooking with fresh, simple interpretations of classic recipes for the modern baker.

Inside, you’ll find sweet and savory baked buns, steamed buns, Chinese breads, unique cookies, whimsical cakes, juicy dumplings, Chinese breakfast dishes, and drinks. Recipes for steamed BBQ pork buns, pineapple buns with a thick slice of butter, silky smooth milk tea, and chocolate Swiss rolls all make an appearance--because a book about Chinese bakeries wouldn’t be complete without them

In Mooncakes & Milk Bread, Kristina teaches you to whip up these delicacies like a pro, including how to:

• Knead dough without a stand mixer
• Avoid collapsed steamed buns
• Infuse creams and custards with aromatic tea flavors
• Mix the most workable dumpling dough
• Pleat dumplings like an Asian grandma

 

This is the first book to exclusively focus on Chinese bakeries and cafés, but it isn’t just for those nostalgic for Chinese bakeshop foods--it’s for all home bakers who want exciting new recipes to add to their repertoires.

• ISBN10: 0785238999
• ISBN13: 9780785238997
• Publish Date: 25 November 2021 (first published 12 October 2021)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Harper Celebrate
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a useful and beautifully curated baking book with recipes from Kristina Cho. Due out 12th Oct 2021 from Harper Collins on their Harper Horizon imprint, it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Despite being red haired, freckly, and mostly Irish, I remember very fondly being "adopted" by the family who owned one of our local Chinese bakeries. My family were customers for many (many) years and I was happy to recently find that they're still in business and under the management of the original owners' grandchildren now. This book is *full* of recipes for those Chinese bakery goodies which I remember so fondly and never thought I could ever recreate at home.

The introduction which includes a good overview over ingredients, tools, and sourcing specialty items (including how to shop at your local Asian grocery store) is followed by the actual recipes which are arranged thematically: bread - bing - bao, not-too-sweet buns, pork buns & beyond, gao (cakes & tarts), no fortune cookies, Chinese breakfast, and sips (drinks).

Recipes contain a title and description, yields, ingredients in a bullet list in a sidebar, and step by step directions. Ingredients are listed with American standard measures only. Nutritional information is not included. There are so many gorgeous and clear color photos included. Most (but not all) of the dishes are accompanied by one or more photos. This helped me to know how to arrange and prepare the dishes with which I wasn't already familiar.

Additionally, the book is full of chatty and warm reminiscences from the author about her family and growing up as a 1st generation American in a restaurant family. She has an honest and friendly voice and I really enjoyed reading about her childhood, her family, and her family's stories.

Five stars. Wonderfully comprehensive and versatile.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.