12 Digital Cookbooks So You Can Bake at Home, and Eat It Too

For those of us that are fortunate enough to be at home and physical distancing, time in the kitchen has increased exponentially over the last several weeks. For many during these uncertain and extraordinary times, baking has become a comforting way to pass the time, and a way to explore the kitchen more.

If you’re lucky to have a supply of yeast and flour at home, check out these ebooks to unleash your inner pastry chef!

Bread Toast Crumbs: Recipes for No-Knead Loaves & Meals to Savor Every Slice – Alexandra Stafford

"With praise from Dorie Greenspan, Jim Lahey, and David Lebovitz, the definitive bread-baking book for a new generation. But this book isn't just about baking bread— it's about what to do with the slices and heels and nubs from those many loaves you'll bake".

Check out the blog that started it all, Alexandra’s Kitchen.

Bobbette & Belle: Classic Recipes from the Celebrated Pastry Shop – Allyson Bobbitt, Sarah Bell

"In Bobbette & Belle, Allyson and Sarah share their most loved recipes that fill their French-inspired pastry shops, from Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies and Dark Chocolate Brownie Fudge Cake to Caramelized Almond Torte and Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie. Over 100 recipes and variations including classic cookies and bars; cupcakes and layer cakes; loaves, scones, bundts and tortes; crumbles, tarts and pies; French macarons; confections and more to create your own magical world of sweets at home".

Once you’ve baked your way through their book, pay a visit to one of their pastry shops!

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule – Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero

"This unique cookbook contains over 50 recipes for cupcakes and frostings — some innovative, some classics — with beautiful full color photographs. Included also are gluten-free recipes, decorating tips, baking guidelines, vegan shopping advice, and Isa's true cupcake anecdotes from the trenches. When Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, no dessert lover can resist".

Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking: 101 Entirely Plant-Based, Mostly Gluten-Free, Easy and Delicious Recipes – Minimalist Baker

Dana and John Shultz founded the Minimalist Baker blog in 2012, to share their passion for simple cooking. Although their long-awaited book is not dedicated exclusively to baking, it shares many decadent desserts as well as tips on maintaining a plant-based pantry.

Whole grain bread

Check out their blog for additional recipes to try at home, including my favourite for whole grain bread (pictured above).

Great British Bake Off: Big Book of Baking – Linda Collister

Are you obsessed with this amateur baker competition and its Canadian counterpart, "The Great Canadian Baking Show"? Check out this collection of recipes including some from past competitors and judge Paul Hollywood and past judge Mary Berry. Each chapter transports readers to the tent, with easy-to-follow instructions and techniques, and step-by-step photographs.

Sally’s Baking Addiction: Irresistible Cupcakes, Cookies, and Desserts for Your Sweet Tooth Fix – Sally McKenney

"Baking addict and popular food blogger, Sally McKenney loves to bake, and shares her baking secrets with fans everywhere in her first cookbook. With dozens of simple, easy-to-follow recipes, you get all of the sweet with none of the fuss!"

If you’re on the wait list, peruse McKenney's blog for recipes to try at home, including "Overnight Cinnamon Rolls" which I made recently (pictured without icing above).

Back to Baking – Anna Olson

"In this beautifully designed ebook, bestselling author Anna Olson solves the mystery of baking, with over 200 recipes, ranging from cookies to custards, squares to pies, and muffins to cakes".

This book is my go-to whether I’m looking to try a new recipe, baking for a pot luck, or just wanting to satisfy my sweet tooth at home. All the recipes feature clear instructions for every step, as well as helpful tips and tricks on prep, technique, and freezing and storage.

Butter tarts

I love butter tarts (both eating and making), and this recipe has become a classic for me.

The Bread Bible – Rose Levy Beranbaum, Michael Batterberry

"The Bread Bible gives bread bakers 150 of the meticulous, foolproof recipes that are Rose Levy Beranbaum's trademark. Her knowledge of the chemistry of baking, the accessibility of her recipes, and the incomparable taste of her creations make this book invaluable for home cooks and professional bakers alike".

Martha Stewart’s Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share – Martha Stewart

"Cookies are the treat that never disappoint, whether you're baking for a party or a picnic, a formal dinner or a family supper, or if you simply want something on hand for snacking. Martha Stewart's Cookies feature recipes for perennial pleasers like traditional chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin, as well as other sweet surprises, including Rum Raisin Shortbread, Peppermint Meringue Sandwiches with Chocolate Filling, and Lime Meltaways".

This is another one of my personal favourite resources for baking. I have definitely enjoyed baking my way through this book, and have learned new recipes and adopted many classics along the way. The Double Chocolate Brownies (pictured above) are easy to make, and a recommended recipe to add to your repertoire.

Check out more recipes in Martha Stewart's Cookie Perfection.

Easy Vegan Baking – Daniela Lais, Jérôme Eckmeier

"Packed with savory and sweet ideas for vegan desserts, breads, and even mains such as dairy-free pizza and eggless quiche, every recipe uses straightforward techniques and easy-to-source ingredients, and has a beautiful photograph to tempt your taste-buds".

Bunner’s Bake Shop Cookbook – Ashley Wittig, Kevin MacAllister

"With numerous awards under their apron ties, Bunner's is ready to share their delicious recipes with the whole country. Now anyone, anywhere can bake their signature cinnamon buns, frost up a delicious French toast cupcake, slice into a pumpkin cheesecake or serve up an I-Can't-Believe-It's-Gluten-Free Pizza Crust".

When it is safe to do so, I will be visiting one of their three Toronto locations!

Food52 Baking – Editors of Food52

"A stunning collection of hassle-free recipes for baking cakes, cookies, tarts, puddings, muffins, bread, and more, from the editors behind the leading food website Food52. Whether it's the chocolate cake at every childhood birthday, blondies waiting for you after school, or hot dinner rolls smeared with butter at Thanksgiving dinner, homemade baked goods hold a place in many of our best memories. And that's why baking shouldn't be reserved for special occasions".

You can also check out the popular Food52 blog.

For additional ideas of what to cook at home, check out this post from my colleague Jen. If you don’t have a Toronto Public Library card, you can now access OverDrive ebooks by signing up for an Instant Digital Card.

Thanks for a great post, Charlene. I bake a LOT and regularly download e-cookbooks from the TPL. My favourites include:
1. Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan: This is probably my #1 most used cookbook.Dorie Greenspan is one of the great cookbook writers in the business. She is the co-author of Julia Child’s later career cookbooks. Her recipes are easy to follow and rock solid in terms of reliability. I’ve probably made close to 70% of the recipes in this book over the years.
https://toronto.overdrive.com/media/1043592
2. Seriously Bitter Sweet by Alice Medrich: Medrich is another absolutely top notch cookbook writer. She is a genuine expert in chocolate and is broadly credited with introducing French style chocolate truffles to North America in the 1970’s. Like Greenspan, Medrich strips the complexity out of recipes and makes them close to foolproof. In this book she gives you recipes with different variations that compensate for the kind of chocolate you are actually using. The Classic Cocoa brownies in here are just the best thing in the world. They are so good that I’ve never managed to make any of Dorie Greenspan’s brownies because it would mean missing out on a batch of Alice’s.
https://toronto.overdrive.com/media/1443179
3. Madeleines, by Barbara Feldman Morse
https://toronto.overdrive.com/search?query=Madeleines
I acknowledge that madeleines are a specialty item, and yes you do need a special pan, but I love them. Madeleines are the tiny little sea-shell shaped treat that are a cross between a cake and a cookie. They are such a nice little bite in the afternoon with a cup of coffee or tea. And I don’t want to hear complaints about the special pan, because I got 2 silicon madeleine pans at the Dollar Store for $2 each. I’ve made Dorie’s madeleines and they are great, but this book has a whole collection of madeleine recipes and I’ve made a whole bunch of them. I keep downloading it over and over again, over a period of several years. This author uses a rather non-traditional but super easy “muffin method” for madeleines, by which I mean: one bowl for the dry ingredients, one bowl for the wet ingredients, dump them together, stir, and pour into the moulded pan. You do NOT need a mixer and no separating eggs. Her method is so darn easy that I just keep making all these different varieties of madeleines each more delicious than the last. In fact right now on my counter I’ve got some of the ones that are a vanilla cookie with little bits of chocolate buried inside.
4. The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
https://toronto.overdrive.com/search/creatorId?query=331709&sortBy=newlyadded
We’re heading into summer. This is the best traditional ice cream book I know, and I’ve tried a lot of them. Lebovitz is the former pastry chef from Chez Panisse. He has written a number of dessert cookbooks and I have all of them, but his ice cream book is unmatched. Highly recommended.
5. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, by Jeni Britton Bauer
https://toronto.overdrive.com/media/1345862
This is the best non-traditional ice cream book I know. The author went to college for ice cream making, and developed some very unique techniques based on her new understanding of food chemistry. If Lebovitz is all about the two traditional pathways – French style egg custards and Philadelphia style (no eggs), Briton Bauer is just . . . Unique. There is cream cheese. And corn syrup. Just do what she says and it will come out fantastic. Her salted caramel is just to die for. It is, like, NSFW it is that good. Her goat cheese with the roasted cherries, like OMG.

Comments

2 thoughts on “12 Digital Cookbooks So You Can Bake at Home, and Eat It Too”

Muriel

May 11, 2020 at 2:22 pm

Thanks for a great selection of savoury and sweet baking cookbooks, Charlene! Sally’s Baking Addiction is so much fun on Facebook – I am looking forward to reading her cookbook.

Ellen Pekilis

May 18, 2020 at 6:41 pm

Thanks for a great post, Charlene. I bake a LOT and regularly download e-cookbooks from the TPL. My favourites include:
1. Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan: This is probably my #1 most used cookbook.Dorie Greenspan is one of the great cookbook writers in the business. She is the co-author of Julia Child’s later career cookbooks. Her recipes are easy to follow and rock solid in terms of reliability. I’ve probably made close to 70% of the recipes in this book over the years.
https://toronto.overdrive.com/media/1043592
2. Seriously Bitter Sweet by Alice Medrich: Medrich is another absolutely top notch cookbook writer. She is a genuine expert in chocolate and is broadly credited with introducing French style chocolate truffles to North America in the 1970’s. Like Greenspan, Medrich strips the complexity out of recipes and makes them close to foolproof. In this book she gives you recipes with different variations that compensate for the kind of chocolate you are actually using. The Classic Cocoa brownies in here are just the best thing in the world. They are so good that I’ve never managed to make any of Dorie Greenspan’s brownies because it would mean missing out on a batch of Alice’s.
https://toronto.overdrive.com/media/1443179
3. Madeleines, by Barbara Feldman Morse
https://toronto.overdrive.com/search?query=Madeleines
I acknowledge that madeleines are a specialty item, and yes you do need a special pan, but I love them. Madeleines are the tiny little sea-shell shaped treat that are a cross between a cake and a cookie. They are such a nice little bite in the afternoon with a cup of coffee or tea. And I don’t want to hear complaints about the special pan, because I got 2 silicon madeleine pans at the Dollar Store for $2 each. I’ve made Dorie’s madeleines and they are great, but this book has a whole collection of madeleine recipes and I’ve made a whole bunch of them. I keep downloading it over and over again, over a period of several years. This author uses a rather non-traditional but super easy “muffin method” for madeleines, by which I mean: one bowl for the dry ingredients, one bowl for the wet ingredients, dump them together, stir, and pour into the moulded pan. You do NOT need a mixer and no separating eggs. Her method is so darn easy that I just keep making all these different varieties of madeleines each more delicious than the last. In fact right now on my counter I’ve got some of the ones that are a vanilla cookie with little bits of chocolate buried inside.
4. The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
https://toronto.overdrive.com/search/creatorId?query=331709&sortBy=newlyadded
We’re heading into summer. This is the best traditional ice cream book I know, and I’ve tried a lot of them. Lebovitz is the former pastry chef from Chez Panisse. He has written a number of dessert cookbooks and I have all of them, but his ice cream book is unmatched. Highly recommended.
5. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, by Jeni Britton Bauer
https://toronto.overdrive.com/media/1345862
This is the best non-traditional ice cream book I know. The author went to college for ice cream making, and developed some very unique techniques based on her new understanding of food chemistry. If Lebovitz is all about the two traditional pathways – French style egg custards and Philadelphia style (no eggs), Briton Bauer is just . . . Unique. There is cream cheese. And corn syrup. Just do what she says and it will come out fantastic. Her salted caramel is just to die for. It is, like, NSFW it is that good. Her goat cheese with the roasted cherries, like OMG.

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