A Fellow Baker's First Book!

Nov 17, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose

At long last, Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery in Boston, Ma. has written her long awaited book Flour featuring recipes from her bakery and café.

I met Joanne many years ago when I was in Boston touring for one of my books. I fell in love with her bakery and was enchanted by her as well! In fact, on my next book tour, I chose Flour Bakery as the location in which to do a radio broadcast. The station had requested a bakery so that they could have bakery-like sounds in the background!

Joanne and I come from a suprisingly similar dessert background. She grew up in a traditional Chinese household and, as she writes: "rarely had the chance to indulge my sweet tooth." I grew up in a traditional Jewish household but with a nontraditional mother who had been the only woman in her entire dental school. I also rarely had the chance to indulge my sweet tooth. Joanne and I also share a passion, not just for baking, but also for analytical thinking and precision. (Unlike Joanne, however, I do not have the advantage of a degree in applied mathematics and it does not come naturally to me so I have to struggle and work hard to get all those numbers I include in my books to be accurate!)

I was struck immediately by the physcial appearance of the book. It is an upscale four color production, with stiched binding (so it will not come apart!) but instead of a paper dust jacket, it has a far more durable laminated hard cover, aka case, with beautiful colored photos printed directly on it. I suspect this will be the future of cookbook publishing as it will stand up better to frequent use, for which this book is surely destined.

Joanne's writing style is very appealing. It is both succinct, informative, and entertaining. She has her own confident voice which reflects her knowledge, expertise, and enjoyment of her baking profession.

And how has she dealt with the tricky volume/weight issue? As a professional baker there was no way she was going to eliminate weight, but when writing for the general public, not all of whom have as yet gotten on the much beloved by me scale bandwagon, she had to include volume. So volume comes first and in parenthesis comes the weight but only in grams. Now that scales so easily switch between ounces and grams there really is no need for both and we professional bakers all prefer grams. I'm really tempted to do the same in my next book except that when purchasing certain items such as butter, it's somehow easier to go by ounces and my readers have, by now, become accustomed to the charts that so readily accomodate all three systems.

The book has many enticing full page color photos such as the exquisite Black Sesame Lace Cookies which I know I will try in the near future.

Also dear to my heart are the well-thought out and beautifully organized sections on technique, equipment, ingredients, and tips.

Now on to the recipes! There are many I plan to try, including one acknowledged to be adapted from my Sourcream Coffee Cake (I'm dying to see how adding crème fraîche instead of sourcream enhances the cake) but the first one that called my name was the French Lemon Poppy Pound Cake.

The Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake in the Cake Bible was my signature cake so I was most curious to see what François Payard's take on it would be like. Joanne worked in his bakery and credits him with this recipe and all important technique but admits to having tweaked the ingredients. She generously has allowed me to print the recipe here:

French Lemon-Poppy Pound Cake

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Pound cakes are traditionally made with a pound of butter, a pound of flour, a pound of sugar, and a pound of eggs, hence the name. When properly made, the result is a dense, velvety cake with a tight crumb. But the key is knowing how to make it properly. I can't tell you the number of times I've attempted a classic pound cake recipe only to pull a tough, unimpressive loaf out of the oven. When I worked at Payard, I learned a new approach to making pound cakes that borrows a page from the genoise playbook. First, you whip eggs and sugar together until they are as light as a feather. Then, you gently fold in the flour and leavening agents. And finally, you whisk together melted butter and heavy cream and combine them, quickly and gently, with the batter. You end up with a cake with the warm, rich, buttery flavor and incredible texture you want. This is my favorite way to enjoy pound cake: laced with copious amounts of fresh lemon zest and nutty poppy seeds.

2 cups (240 grams) cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (1 3/8 sticks/156 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to slightly warm
1/4 cup (60 grams) heavy cream, at room temperature
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
3 tablespoons poppy seeds/28 grams
4 eggs/200 grams
11/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup (70 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1/2 to 1 lemon)

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, or line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds. The mixture should have the consistency of a thick liquid. If the butter hardens into little lumps, heat the mixture gently until the butter melts again. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or a handheld mixer), beat together the eggs and granulated sugar on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy and lemon colored. (If you use a handheld mixer, this same step will take 8 to 10 minutes.)

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg-sugar mixture just until combined. Fold about one-fourth of the egg-flour mixture into the butter-cream mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining egg-flour mixture just until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and springs back when you press it in the middle. (Note from Rose: In my oven I needed to tent it loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes of baking.) Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.

To make the lemon glaze: While the cake is cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and enough lemon juice to make an easily spreadable, smooth glaze.

When the cake has cooled for at least 30 minutes, pop it out of the pan and place it on the rack. Spread or spoon the glaze over the top of the still-warm cake, letting the glaze dribble down the sides.

The cake can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for to 3 days.

Same Recipe, Different Flavor
Vanilla Bean Pound Cake: To make a fragrant vanilla pound cake, omit the lemon zest and juice and poppy seeds from the cake batter and leave off the lemon glaze. Split 1/2 vanilla bean lengthwise, and scrape the seeds from the pod into the butter-cream mixture. Whisk well to distribute the seeds evenly. Proceed as directed, then lightly dust the cake with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

hector
11/03/2011 03:48 PM

Joanne, once again, i love you! i've just browsed every page and could not pass the introduction about you. you wrote it so vividly, how you learned how to bake. you inspire me, and i want to be you!

CharlesT in reply to comment from joanne chang
06/14/2011 05:24 PM

Also, Joanne, is there a reason why you chose not to use the two stage mixing method for the yellow cake, when you did so for the chocolate? I'm sure you had specific goals in mind when you developed the recipe. (The reasoning behind recipe decisions choices are very interesting....I'd really rather read the cakes you made that didn't measure up to your ideal and why.)

CharlesT in reply to comment from joanne chang
06/14/2011 03:08 PM

which I got from Rose was for the cake prior- the choc cake

Thank you Joanne. I was just reading the chocolate cake recipe last night, thinking it was ironic that all the discussion of the mixing method was on the yellow cake and not this one. The choc cake, BTW, is my favorite....I made a couple layers last night and cut them up into bite sized chunks and froze them. 20 seconds in the microwave and they're soft, warm, and velvety.

joanne chang in reply to comment from CharlesT
06/13/2011 10:32 PM

Hi CHarles! This was an editing error= the explanation for the method which I got from Rose was for the cake prior- the choc cake. So sorry for the confusion!!

CharlesT
05/29/2011 08:18 PM

One thing I found funny in this book is her yellow cake recipe. Her introduction makes a big deal about Roses' two stage mixing method, but when she actually gives directions for mixing the batter, she's just describing the standard creaming method.

kim
11/30/2010 08:14 PM

Hector, Thank you very much for your help!

hector in reply to comment from kim
11/30/2010 07:39 PM

hope this helps. a 9x2 is 8.8 cups, a 8x2 is 6.9 cups. 6.9 divided by 8.8 is 7.8, thus divide everything on the recipe by 7.8!

diameter height volume volume
2r h PI()*(r^2)*h US
in in cu in cups

3 2 14.1 0.9
4 2 25.1 1.7
5 2 39.3 2.7
6 2 56.5 3.9
7 2 77.0 5.3
8 2 100.5 6.9
9 2 127.2 8.8
10 2 157.1 10.8
11 2 190.1 13.1
12 2 226.2 15.7
13 2 265.5 18.3
14 2 307.9 21.3

kim
11/30/2010 07:24 PM

Rose, Can I have an example on how to reduce your white velvet cake with milk chocolate ganache in RHC book? You have one 9 by 2-inch round. I need one 8 by 2-inch round cake.

Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Anonymous
11/29/2010 07:47 PM

thank you for this incredibly beautiful note. it's so gratifying to know that someone out there sees all the endless effort and joy that goes into this work. last night woody and i were on the phone til 2 am discussing how every method of measuring flour yields different results and how truly weighing is the only way to go. so glad it is valued so far from home.

happy holidays to you as well.

Anonymous
11/29/2010 01:09 AM

Thank you, Rose, for your sweet reply! Alas, I am only a humble closet baker with a penchant for oven-baked goodies that remind me of different times and different places.

I am an Australian now living in Asia who has found her way back home through baking some of the things I couldn't find in this part of the world.

Baking and cooking is my way of bringing the things I grew up with back into my life. I have enjoyed your cookbooks immensely for the stories you bring to each recipe and for your innate ability to teach us all a little science along the way.

I'm still a long way from baking perfection but the day I realised that baking was a science was an epiphany for me. It was a tipping point and I baked my first successful cake. I then spent the whole day examining the crumb like a woman possessed.

To this day, I think baking is such a beautiful science. It's really like alchemy, isn't it? Turning the ordinary (flour, sugar, fats) into something beautiful and delicious is the closest thing I can imagine to real magic.

Thank you Rose, I'm grateful that there are people like you who have devoted your lives to sharing your magic with the rest of us. I'm sure I'll enjoy Joanne Chang's book too. She has such an interesting story of her journey to Flour.

Finally, thank you for including weight measures in your books. This is such a gift for your Australian and UK readers. You can't possibly imagine how much it means to us to see this in an American book.

I wish a wonderful holiday season to you and your family and friends.

Laura Raposa
11/28/2010 11:00 AM

The Sourcream Coffee Cake in Joanne's book is sublime. Instead of a dense cake, the crumb is fine and the creme fraiche isn't overpowering like sour cream can be. It's become a favorite in this house.

Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Judy
11/27/2010 10:17 PM

judy, what a wonderful eloquent writer you are. what you wrote is framable! i'm wondering where in the world you are--australia? somehow you sound like you are very far away geographically but not at all in spirit. what a beautiful person you are. i bet you're an equally beautiful baker.

Judy
11/25/2010 07:22 AM

I couldn't resist. After reading our glowing review, Rose, I promptly ordered Joanne Chang's book.

I've been tossing this title up in my wishlist and your recommendation just helped me push it into the cart.

Not having ever been to America let alone Boston, the sticky buns and elcairs caught my eye, but ultimately nothing beats a five-star intro from you!

I love that so many people start out from a decidedly non-baking background and move so successfully into baking as if it were their calling. I think being successful in such a way can only be attributed to one word, PASSION. I am so inspired by people who are moved by this amazing passion to pursue a life outside of their comfort zone.

I love it. I love that every recipe in your books read, for example, as if they are your own children. I really feel that you dote on them even if they have left home in the form of being published :) I see how you are always working tirelessly with your friends Hector, Woody, Suvir and team to test and improve on them for your readers.

It is amazing that, through your blog, each recipe's journey from your book feels a little more alive. For those of us living so far away from your book signings, the blog has really been such a blessing.

Please keep blogging and sharing your recommendations and thoughts on your wonderful world of food, friends and, of course, baked goods.

Anonymous
11/25/2010 07:19 AM

I couldn't resist after reading our glowing review, Rose, and promptly ordered Joanne Chang's book.
I've been tossing this title up in my wishlist and your recommendation just helped me push it into the cart.

While the sticky buns and elcairs caught my eye, nothing beats a five-star intro from you!

It's amazing that through your blog, the recipe's journey from your book feels a little more alive. Please keep blogging and sharing your recommendations and thoughts on your wonderful world of food and baked goods.

Lorelei
11/22/2010 01:48 PM

Thank you for the review. I had tried some of Joanne's recipes from Fine Cooking before and have been looking forward to her cookbook. I'm glad to hear of the binding as well. I have your Cake Bible but alas, it is coming apart at the seams from much use. Although the first pages started coming loose within a year of having it. I'm not a fan of that publishing company. They cut too many corners. Binding is very important in a cookbook as treasured as the Cake Bible!

Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from suvir saran
11/21/2010 09:36 PM

suvir, you always bring tears to my eyes because everything you write and say is so from the heart and so eloquent.

suvir saran
11/21/2010 05:37 PM

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/16/131357002/2010-s-best-cookbooks-real-life-labors-of-love?#commentBlock

How wonderfully kind and gracious you are Rose to write such a glowing review of a fellow bakers book. How I wish for more people to be so kind and generous in dealing with others from their trade.

Sadly too many think that helping another takes away from their own following. I choose to think the opposite is true.

The books looks beautiful. The recipe photos are delicious. I will now have to cook from it. Have read two very credible people review this book favorably, and so I must put it to use.

Thanks Rose!

Suvir Saran in reply to comment from kathz
11/21/2010 05:28 PM

The Whipped Cream Cake is divine.
Will be making it again this week to have for the family during Thanksgiving.
Thanks for sharing that recipe Rose.

Noam
11/20/2010 08:34 AM

60-70 minutes of baking is too long. I have baked the cake twice, first time 60 minutes and it came out slightly dry. Second time 50 minutes and it came out just fine.

hector in reply to comment from Bill
11/19/2010 01:28 PM

bill, try see if you have or can get a multifunction printer/copier/scanner/fax for your office. i have scanned SEVERAL of my cookbooks into PDFs! saves to much room and it is fun to use.

Bill in reply to comment from Jenn
11/19/2010 01:16 PM

well...the problem is that my "other half" maintains a perfectly pristine and immaculately clean apartment (something I could never do on my own) and books under the bed is not, shall we say, an option. Perhaps if I could find an "under the bed book caddy" that met with approval, it would work, but I find that highly unlikely.LOL

Jenn in reply to comment from Bill
11/19/2010 12:24 PM

No more space below the bed, Bill?

Bill
11/19/2010 08:11 AM

Can't wait to get this book. Need to find room on the shelf...We are now at the point : when a book comes in, another has to go. (Not exactly sophie's choice...but it can be tough)

Emilie in reply to comment from The Pie Guy
11/19/2010 07:13 AM

There are 15 recipes in the Pie/Tart section of the book. So far I've made the Super Pumpkiny Pumpkin Pie and Toasted Coconut Cream Pie. They were both amazing -- my family said they were the best they'd ever had.

Daphne
11/19/2010 05:13 AM

Fantastic Rose, I'm so pleased to see your endorsement. Have had my eye on this from the Amazon recommendations for the last few days (when I really should have been shopping for my dear son's school books instead) and now it is definitely going into the cart!

The Pie Guy
11/19/2010 12:41 AM

I saw Joanne on the Food network. She was baking a pear and pumpkin pie.

Does anyone know what her new cookbook offers in the pie realm?

Thanks

Sherrie
11/17/2010 08:02 PM

Hmmmn...this is a very timely Christmas gift idea!!! I now refuse to purchase baking related cookbooks that DON'T use weight measures!! I cringe at the thought of pulling out a measuring cup if I don't have to so I am thrilled that this book has both volume and weight measures! Thanks for the review!

Julie
11/17/2010 07:34 PM

Thanks so much for highlighting this book- enjoyed visiting this bakery when we were last in Boston, and now there's a book to go with it!

hector
11/17/2010 02:04 PM

marvelous review! i feel goosebumps. almost like finding a soul mate or lost loved one. Joanne is an inspiration.

Emilie
11/17/2010 12:58 PM

So glad to see your post on this wonderful book, Rose! Along with your cookbooks, it's an absolute must-have for any level baker. I've made a half-dozen of the recipes so far and they were all exceptional!

kathz
11/17/2010 11:58 AM

Joanne Chang's sticky buns are legendary (she beat Bobby Flay in a "throwdown"). She was one of four Boston area pastry chefs who gave a demo class I attended last month at Boston University, and I've already made the Lemon Ginger Scones from her cookbook (next I'll try the Home-made Pop Tarts). But I've made Rose's Whipped Cream Cake three times (!!!)since attending her workshop in Salem, NY, earlier in the month. October, was a very sweet month.

The Suvir Experience Part 2

The Suvir Experience Part 1

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Welcome to Real Baking with Rose, the personal blog of author Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Spend A Moment with Rose, in this video portrait by Ben Fink.

Heavenly Cake Bake Along

Hector's Take on Rose's Cakes

A Fellow Baker's First Book!