Flour, Too: Indispensable Recipes for the Cafe's Most Loved Sweets & Savories

by Joanne Chang, Michael Harlan Turkell (Photographer)

The ideal companion to Flour--Joanne Chang's beloved first cookbook--Flour, too includes the most-requested savory fare to have made her four cafes Boston's favorite stops for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here are 100 gratifying recipes for easy at-home eating and entertaining from brunch treats to soups, pizzas, pasta, and, of course, Flour's famous cakes, tarts, and other sweet goodies. More than 50 glorious color photographs by Michael Harlan Turkell take the viewer inside the warm, cozy cafes; into the night pastry kitchen; and demonstrate the beauty of this delicious food. With a variety of recipes for all skill levels, this mouthwatering collection is a substantial addition to any home cook's bookshelf.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Wine

469 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 2013

About the author

Joanne Chang is the chef-owner of Flour Bakery in Boston. She has a degree in applied mathematics and economics from Harvard University and was a pastry chef at Payard Patisserie and Mistral. She lives in Boston. Christie Matheson is the author and co-author of several books, including Salty Sweets. She lives in San Francisco. Keller + Keller are Boston-based food and lifestyle photographers."

Reviews

[JDK1962 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to review cookbooks, because the true test is in making the food. This book focuses more on savory than sweet, and there are a number of recipes for soups and main courses that I'll probably try this fall.

That aside, this (and the original Flour cookbook as well) is a gorgeously produced book, well laid out, and with beautiful photography, one of those cookbooks that make you immediately want to head to the kitchen. I have no doubt I'll find the recipes to my liking...in the original Flour cookbook, I've had a very difficult time getting past the maple-oat scone recipe, which was the first thing I made (a long time favorite at Starbucks), and I seem to make it over and over.

My only reasons for knocking a star off are the rather large number of meat-based recipes, and the fact that I typically have to tweak Ms. Chang's recipe process a bit, just to make the recipes a bit easier and friendlier (e.g., cut frozen butter into flour using a food processor, rather than hoping it will work in properly with a stand mixer).

[Adam Haner · Rating 5 out of 5]

We cook from this book whenever we have dinner parties. And we wow people. Whenever we cook and bring something, people get excited (this book is our little secret).

We got this book as a present from a friend. Because of how amazing it was, we have gifted this book to a lot of loved ones. My aunt thinks this is her best cookbook.

Also - the banana pancakes - holy heck. Make those now.

[Tanaz Sutaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like cookbooks that include little tidbits of information about the cook and their stories. Joanna Chang has plenty of inspiration from her restaurant. Some of the recipes are complicated for this simple home cook. I like the comfort of the Best-Ever beef stew with pearl onions, mushrooms and red wine. Roasted Pork loin was also great, although I simplified it by skipping the Spaetzle.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, about 10 years ago (which may as well be a thousand years in the blogosphere…), I found, through random interneting, the blog of a Boston-area home baker. She was, I believe, a pastry/bakery intern at Flour (or at least this is what my hazy memories of 2008 are telling me). And I was hooked. I loved her descriptions of bakery life, how she was following her passion, and most of all, the amazing array of all the baked goods and savories at Flour.

While I stopped reading her blog (due to the high occurrence of sponsored posts as the years went on) and cannot remember who she is at all, I was left with a strong desire to eat at Flour. And on my first trip to Boston in 2012, I finally did! Multiple times, in fact. The cornmeal-lime cookies! The sticky buns! The raspberry seltzer! And most of all, the roast lamb sandwich with tomato chutney and goat cheese.

I'm in good company: Chang includes "love letters elicited by this sandwich" (146) in Flour, Too, and I could co-sign them all. Chang's passion for her work shows in her writing, and I truly love and appreciate how honest she was about why she changed careers. Much like Fuchsia Dunlop, Chang did what she thought she "should" do and became a management consultant after college but eventually couldn't resist her true passion.

I also love how she encourages people to "eat out and read constantly" (56) since doing both will expand your horizons and awaken your curiosity. After visiting a local restaurant for a wonderful Restaurant Week meal, we became so inspired by our food that we've been making skillet after skillet of blistered shishito peppers (pro-tip: these are much, much cheaper at Costco, but not all Costco locations carry them), and have been trying out red snapper veracruz recipes.

I knew I was going to like this cookbook; I didn't know that I was going to love it. I had so many recipes bookmarked for soups, salads, sandwiches, and breakfast pastries by page 115 that I broke down and bought it. I rarely--if ever--buy books, but I couldn't resist. So many of these recipes sound flavorful and full of veggies: perfect for lunches and dinners year-round.

Today, we had some leftover lamb in the fridge, so I quickly whipped up a batch of the tomato chutney, grabbed some herbed goat cheese from the store, and made the lamb sandwich to bring to work. Absolute perfection. Even a sad desk lunch was greatly improved!

The one downside: not enough pictures. There isn't a photo of each recipe, which is a little frustrating. But other than that, the narrative is engaging, and the recipes are creative but not overly fussy. I look forward to making most of these and hope you will, too!

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next best thing to living next door to Flour Bakery is having Joanne Chang's recipes in your kitchen. I'm looking forward to baking my way through this terrific book, starting with the savory - and finishing with one of her sweet endings.
David Lebovitz

Everything we loved about Joanne Chang's first book is here: the great tips, the detailed instructions, and the recipes that make you want to stop everything and head for the kitchen. But this time it's the (mostly) savory side of Chang and Flour Bakery. From brunch treats, soups, and salads to pizzas, pastas, and more treasured sweets, this is food we'll be making, sharing, and relishing day after day.
Dorie Greenspan

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous

I seldom read a cookbook from cover to cover, but this book chats about her establishment as well as how recipes were developed in such a charming way, that I read it all.
Instructions are clear and complete. The recipes, both sweet and savoury, are appealing. I have a feeling that I am going to want a hard copy of this book as well as the Kindle version. Bravo! Well done!

[Lillian Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a lucky Bostonian who just has to go into town to enjoy the trule genious of Joanne Chang. But if you are not as lucky, this book will transport you to flour - a magical place of love and outstanding eats. This book will teach you a great deal about Joanne's technique and her love for her art. All I can say is yummy!

[Ling Family · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all the flour cookbooks

I love all the flour cookbooks. The majority of the recipes that I try are winners I love how each recipe is tested by her team over and over until perfection.

[Nancy A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Cookbook

I really enjoyed reading through the recipes and Joanne really explains how to create the dish! Although I have not cooked any of these recipes, I truly believe that they will be the very same dishes served in her restaurants.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful cookbook

Read through all the recipes and loved the pictures of the finished recipes. Have plenty of bookmarks in place to start making some recipes. Told my sister about this author so she can pick up this book.

[HStepler · Rating 5 out of 5]

another favorite cookbook

[Dorothy Ortu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great compilation of recipes

I love cookbooks. This is a wonderful one, easy recipes with many that I plan to try. She never disappoints

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the Cookbook Book Club. The things I tasted were good.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting recipes. The main courses were all meat based surprisingly.

3.5/5stars

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This type of cookbook not only gives you great recipes but adds a bakery/cafe to your bucket list. Well done! Thanks.

[bonnie mazzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book

I read it cover to cover. Can't wait to try the soups and some of the pastries. Everything looks awesome!!

[Ann M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

We enjoyed visiting Flour when we were in Boston recently. This cookbook is as much fun to read as try some of these delicious recipes!

[Bonnie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the info

Short and easy instructions on what a good kitchen has on it’s shelves. I read it quickly and found out my kitchen had it all.

[Marshall V. King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely collection of recipes from a bakery and restaurant.

[Aasinathena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as loved as her Flour book one and also new one Pastry love. Nut good collection of recipes !

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Photographer Michael Harlan Turkell has a LOT to answer for here - his wonderful, evocative, gripping imagery helps illustrate this book perfectly and it made your humble reviewer feeling famished as a result.

News of this Boston, USA-located bakery and café had not reached over the Atlantic Ocean, yet after looking through this book one just wants to hop on a plane and go and test the goodies out. Fortunately you can now recreate a little bit of Boston in your own kitchen.

Starting with a great, interesting introduction the high-impact tempo continues with a look behind the scenes and one gets the chance to learn a little about what makes the bakery tick. Then it is time to get cooking, if you've not already started nibbling at this book out of sheer hunger! Split between breakfast, lunch, dinner, "party time", drinks and basics you get a host of recipes that might not sound overly special by name along - as surely a "Eggplant Parmesan" is the same the world over - they all need to be tried. Eventually. As there is a lot of recipes to consume. Maybe the photographs will also convince you that something "plain" like a Vegan Vanilla-Mixed Berry Muffin can be truly magical. Just like Disneyland, from the outside you might just think it is a theme park, but once you are inside and the spell is cast…

Credit must be given to the talented designer of this book too. Style over substance is not a complaint you will hear. Every element does genuinely feel that it complements each other. Gripping text and clearly written, informative recipes, backed up by great photographs (too darn great, one notes with a rumbling tummy) and a nice, workable yet browsable design to boot. The recipes are even presented in dual measures too and one tends to overlook the lack of a clear preparation and cooking time in the overall magic.

Despite this being a book that is eminently suitable for dipping in and out, you really should try and take the time to read through the supporting text at least once. Where else might you otherwise read about truffle pigs in a recipe about Garlic and Rosemary Home Fries? Things are rounded off by a detailed, high quality index that lets you navigate by recipe and key ingredient alike.

There is not anything else to say. The book says it all. There are many similar cookbooks out there but when you see this book you will want to make space on your shelf for this. Now, if you excuse me, your reviewer needs to check if it is financially practical to Fedex over some cakes...

[Jenny Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Joanne Chang's original Flour cookbook is right up there with my top five baking books of all time--and I own (and have baked from) a LOT of baking cookbooks. What I love about her recipes is that they're incredibly well-tested, well thought out, and explained in a way that anticipates what the baker might be thinking ("Hey, this batter looks really disgusting." "That's OK! The end result will be delicious!"). To me, that's the hallmark of a great restaurant cookbook: When you make the recipes at home, they turn out equally as well as what you'd get if the chef herself were cooking for you.

Flour, Too doesn't disappoint in this regard: The three recipes I've cooked so far (one breakfast item, one salad, and one soup) have all been stellar--the soup was a brilliant replication of one of my Flour Bakery favorites. Additionally, the writing in this book is better than the original Flour cookbook, with more anecdotes and recipe histories to make this cookbook as much of a great read as it is a great cooking resource.

The only reason for my 4.5 star rating, rather than 5 stars, is that I found the dessert recipe section to be rife with exceedingly complex recipes, only one of which mildly appealed to me. I know that Flour, Too is predominantly about savories, and I also appreciate the fact that there are a number of breakfast recipes that fall into the more mainstream sweet category. But I do wish the dessert section of this book didn't suddenly feel like a departure from the more accessible recipes in the book--geared toward professional pastry chefs, who would have no problem with the idea of wrapping a tower of cream puffs with spun sugar for the Croquembouche (a concept which I found absurd and maddening).

Overall, though, a wonderful addition to Joanne Chang's ouevre, and a book I'm sure I'll be cooking from often.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have Joanne Chang's first Flour cookbook, and live three blocks away from her first bakery -- she now has four of them scattered around Boston/Cambridge. I am 'currently reading' this second one, but have already determined that this will be a go-to cookbook that gets heavy use.

The first cookbook, I am quite sure, has made me a better baker. Her directions are clear, the recipes really work, and she demystifies a lot of processes and techniques. But this one is even better: it also has FOOD!! Not just baked goods. Luscious salads, soups, sandwiches and main courses. I have already made the white gazpacho and cannot wait to make more of the delicious-sounding soups as winter approaches, and the salads look absolutely terrific. (I am about to look for 'nigella seeds' -- something I never heard of before, because one of the salads calls for them.)

Many of the recipes from the first Flour cookbook are in heavy rotation at my house. My son loves her recipe for chocolate eclairs, and they are totally do-able. The apple pie recipe with brown sugar is stellar, so is the apricot and almond tart. Every cookie recipe is excellent, our favorites are the cornmeal-lime and the ginger molasses. The almond macaroons with ganache filling are made probably every 1-2 weeks because my friends LOVE them. They are super-easy and appreciated as hostess gifts. In the sequel cookbook she gives the recipe for the fancier macarons -- the kind sold by places like Payard and Ladurée -- so I'll have to try those too.

I can definitely recommend both Flour cookbooks, and if you're in Boston, go visit any of her Flour cafés, or Myers+Chang, her low-key Asian restaurant. Even though I love to cook, I go to Flour because the atmosphere is just plain happy. And that is reflected in Chang's writing -- she has found what she loves to do.

[Mrs. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is a well-written, well-tested cookbook that is user friendly and practical for the home cook. The desserts chapter is a bit sparse and a little complicated for everyday cooking, but the desserts are still delicious. I was pleasantly surprised - why? Because I tried one of chef Chang's recipes about 8 years ago, and the results were disastrous and expensive. No such problems here. In addition, if you go to her web page, flourbakery.com, she has an errata for the cookbook that is a joy to behold - meaning, that unlike many other books out there, there are hardly any errors in the first edition. This is a fantastic book, and I like it so much that I'm going to check out her first book, Flour. If you want to know what type of recipes are in here, go to amazon and click on "look inside the book" - it will allow you to see the table of contents, index, and some recipes.

[Marleene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mouthwatering !
Reading this was an exercise in frustration though...everything looks wonderful and I read it in someone else's kitchen (babysitting!) I was hoping that they would return home quickly so I could get home and ship something up from this book.
Chang obviously loves what she does, is generous about sharing her restaurant/bakery's
stellar recipes, and is delightful to read. Her writing indicates that she is humorous, gracious and a perfectionist with her craft. The book provides clear directions, careful tips, and is lushly studded with beautiful photographs.
This one, has the additional bonus of savory pastries, soups, salads and mains in addition to desserts and sweet offerings. Definitely a winning combination and a winner of a book.
Thank you Joanne Chang.

[katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cook from the first Flour book all the time (Thanksgiving for Wretches guests can vouch for the coconut cream pie) and I loved the stories and tips that were in it. But, I wanted it for the brown sugar oat cherry muffins which turned out not to be included, but! They are in the second volume, so I'm finally happy. The rest of the recipes also rep some of my favs from Flour (the egg soufflé for the egg sandwiches!) and only a few of the tips are duplicative. I'd also argue that the tone and the stories that accompany the recipes are better written this time, which is nice. All in all, very excited to cook from this.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate it five stars on the basis of the lamb sandwich alone, mind, so I'm hardly an unbiased reviewer here. But this and her previous effort are all in heavy rotation in my kitchen. The hot and sour soup! The beef short ribs and polenta! And all the recipes for the basics in the back, putting fancier things like homemade puff pastry and frangipane within my grasp. (Especially important when a good friend for whom you bake often has an almond allergy; not a problem, sub in hazelnuts! But try finding *that* in the stores.)

Anyway, I'm going to go eat the rest of the tomato chutney (p 146) by itself now. Bye.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I haven't baked my way through the cookbook, I'm excited to try the recipes for both the focaccia bread in their sandwiches, their famous breakfast sandwich, and the Boston cream pie. The cookbook is (mostly) well laid out, but suffers a bit in terms of setup for more complicated recipes. The Boston cream pie, for example, requires pastry cream and ganache, and those recipes are provided at the end of the book, making no mention in the list of ingredients that they're need after cakes are baked and then after an overnight freezing period. A timeline would be particularly helpful in this case, as would be including the recipes within the actual larger recipe.

[Celeste Knoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw that Joanne Chang had written another cookbook I knew I had to own it. Flour is a go-to cookbook I have on my Kindle. I actually made the peanut butter cookies (a big favorite) while on vacation in Florida. This past week I made the vegetarian chili from Flour, Too. I loved the smokey flavor and the heartiness (next time I will add a 1/2 cup of bulgar wheat instead of the rice). Can't wait to try more recipes. I've cooked quite a bit from Flour and have not found anything we don't like. I'm sure this cookbook will be the same.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I visited Flour in the South End recently and I wanted to see some of their recipes without the mad-crazy-midweek-only-have-20min-for-lunch crowd. Had it been a bit less crowded and minus a 2 year old, I could have looked around at all the goodies a bit more and actually read their menu. Quite a few keepers here, but oh, my, now I really know why it's so good. I didn't know you could mix so many cream-based ingredients in a single recipe...