Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home

by Duff Goldman

An inviting, down-to-earth, full-color baking book filled with 130 recipes for irresistible must-bake favorites, from cakes to cookies to brownies to muffins to breads, from the New York Times bestselling star of Food Network’s hit series Ace of Cakes and owner of Charm City Cakes and Duff’s Cake Mix.

Duff Goldman may dazzle fans with his breathtaking cake decorating, but behind the rigged-up gravity-defying cakes and fancy fondant is a true pastry chef who understands the fundamentals of making incredibly delicious baked goods at home.

In Duff Bakes, he truly gives home bakers the down-to-earth essentials they need for creating mouthwatering favorites. Inside you’ll find the perfect muffin recipe to eat straight while waiting for your morning bus, an easy pizza dough recipe for a quick weeknight dinner, and cookie recipes for every occasion. Filled with Duff’s engaging earthiness and hilarious personality, Duff Bakes includes chapters on different types of pastry dough, a variety of cookies, brownies, muffins, bread, biscuits, pies, cakes and cake decorating, gluten-free and vegan desserts, and much more.

Duff provides 130 recipes for a diverse range of goodies, including nutter butter cookies, white chocolate blondies, apple streusel muffins, cereal bars, bacon jalapeno biscuits, banana bourbon cream pie, zucchini lemon cake, and savory bread pudding. Here are a few classics as well, like a re-make of the childhood favorite, Twinkies. Duff Bakes will help both novices and seasoned bakers master the best, most delicious home baked goods, build on their baking successes, hone their skills, and understand the science behind the fundamentals of baking.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference

341 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2014

About the author

Duff Goldman is a baker and food artist who has been described as both audacious and creative. He founded and owns Baltimore's Charm City Cakes bakery, and stars in the hit Food Network show Ace of Cakes. He is the author of Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes . Duff has recently added product designer and marketer to his accomplishments, with the introduction of Duff Goldman by Gartner Studios cake baking and decorating products.

Reviews

[Deeann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the most practical and successful baking cookbook I've ever read and used I own two bookcases full of cookbooks and I say that. I use it every weekend, trying a new bread recipe, and I've baked great bread every time following his very clear directions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to bake.

[Anna Catherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom: "Make dessert for Easter"
Me: *Borrows six cookbooks from the library to search for a recipe and ends up reading instead of baking*
I had absolutely no intentions of reading Duff Bakes when I plopped it onto a stack of cookbooks I picked out at the library on the quest for the perfect Easter dessert. I'm not a huge Food Network fan, and I am incredibly picky about my cookbook tastes. In all honesty, I picked it up mostly because my little sister likes watching some of the shows Duff is on.
I didn't end up baking anything from any of the four or five cookbooks I borrowed, but I did spend a couple hours Easter weekend reading this surprisingly delightful cookbook. I learned and laughed and came away with a few new tips and tricks. I hope to bake something out of it in the next few weeks, and if so I'll update this review accordingly.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 2 out of 5]

[the full review won't fit anymore - part II is in the comments section]


seems there's a few misprints and lack of care or proofreading in a few places
if there's a corrected reprint of the book, let me know!

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Amazone

Great but not great
6/10

I'm giving this three stars because the recipies and advice are awesome, but there seem to be a lot of misprints. While most of the recipes are amazing, there are some definite clunkers. I think greedy people rushed this book to publication without editing it properly. If you're an experienced baker, you'll be able to tell what the errors are, but if you are a beginner, I wouldn't recommend buying it.

Laroo

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Recipe missing ingredients
2/10

Couldn’t wait to bake one of the cake recipes, only to discover something was missing. Recipe for Southern White Cake contained no liquid ingredient like milk.

But I figured Duff must know what he is doing. So trying to gently fold the whipped egg whites into the thick cake batter only left a lumpy mess.

Tried to bake the cake anyway, but it didn’t rise and it was a dense flat disappointing mess. Surely this was a typo in the most important recipe in the book?

Andrea Serda

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Awesome general baking direction but errors in recipes
6/10

The advice and background on baking is excellent.

The issue I had was the proportions seem off in a few of the bread recipes. That would be much easier to confirm or correct if the flour measurements were by weight.

It was also frustrating that his sourdough starter instructions encourage and tell you how to use starter in place of yeast in any recipe. But doing so in his other bread recipes in the book just doesn’t work out without major adjustments.

Chris Casola

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Recipes are inaccurate
2/10

I wanted to love this book, but Duff either didn’t test his recipes or proofread the text. Photos are lovely, but before you start to bake, check out other recipes see where there might be some huge inaccuracies. I’m going to use it for inspiration, but not for recipes. Duff!!

Claire E Sandford

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Anonymous
6/10
It's ok, I just expected something a little more.

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Still great, but there are
6/10

Duff I love you but I think there are some typos in the book, in particular the blueberry muffin recip,. The muffin batter was oddly dry but went along with it anyways. The muffins were so dry they were inedible. So sad!!!

ELLE B.

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Love the man, not so much his cookbook
6/10

I love Duff!!! I think he is a blast to watch. But the recipes I have tried from this book have been mediocre at best. At least one left out a main ingredient in a cake (the leavening agent). I guess it's not easy to pare down recipes for the home kitchen and something got lost in the translation.

Not Half Baked

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Not the best baking book on the market but still quite good
6/10

Not the best or most useful baking book on the market. I made the fudge recipe twice. The texture was a bit different but I got used to it and kind of liked it, the rest of the family were more ambivalent.

Bookbabe

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good information but...
6/10

good information but could have done without some of the "funny" comments surrounding the information. That space could have been used for more recipies

ncgirl

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Very bad book, very disappointing. I wouldn't want to be this kind of 'professional' baker!
2/10

I have tried 2 recipes so far. The first was the cherry pie. The filling tasted fine but the dough was awful. Instead of flaky it was dense and chewy. I think it was the addition of vinegar that did it. I have been baking pies for 35+ years using my grandma's recipe and each time the crust is flaky and light. She didn't use vinegar though.

The second recipe, cinnamon rolls, is being baked right now and I don't hold out much hope for them. First off, I refrigerated the dough overnight. It didn't rise at all, which is what I expected. This technique is sometimes referred to as "retarding" the dough. This slows the rising process way down. Secondly, I had to make adjustments (translation - use an extreme amount of flour) before I could roll it out. The dough stuck badly and tore. I finally just chopped the cylinder apart into rolls and put it in the oven. There was no second rising time, so I didn't let them sit. They are about the size of a hockey puck.

I wish I could get a refund for this book. It is awful. I wouldn't even gift it to anyone because that, in my opinion, would be cruel.

Kimberly J McCurdy

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[As for the vinegar issue, here is recip.ly's explanation]

Should you be adding vinegar to your pie crust?

So using vinegar as a pie crust ingredient? That sounds weird! What does it do? And why do so many people rave about it? In the world of baking, we hear and read so many things about pie crust, from how to make a perfectly tender crust to how to prevent overworking the dough.

As the holy grail ingredient for many issues people might experience when making pie crust, vinegar is thought to offer several benefits to creating the perfect dough.

But how true is this? Let’s find out.

Why do pie crust recipes call for vinegar?

If you’ve ever looked up a pie crust recipe, you’ve probably come across vinegar as a key ingredient. Have you ever wondered why?

Here’s the most common answer: Vinegar keeps gluten from forming, which makes for a tough crust, or so people say. However, even if adding vinegar to your pie crust reduced gluten formation, the difference probably isn’t that noticeable.

So where did this theory come from? And what other benefits does vinegar offer in a pie crust recipe?

Vinegar is thought to make pie crust more tender

There’s a common belief that acidic environments can prevent the formation of gluten. And if there’s too much gluten, it can create a tough and leathery pie crust.

Therefore, adding an acidic ingredient, such as vinegar or lemon juice, is thought to keep the crust more tender.

In reality, the opposite is more likely to be true. Adding a small amount of acid to pie crust can make it tougher, not more tender.

To achieve a true tenderizing effect, you’d have to add a lot more acid, which can completely ruin your crust. For example, too much vinegar can make the crust too wet and more difficult to work with. It can also give the crust an unpleasant, sour taste.

Vinegar might make it harder to overwork your dough

So, if vinegar isn’t useful for making a more tender crust, what else can it do? Why is it such a staple in pie crust recipes? Well, it turns out that vinegar can act as a safeguard for overworking your dough.

As you’re probably already aware, overworking your dough can result in a tougher crust. But vinegar can help you achieve a super tender and flaky crust. That’s because the acidity helps minimize the risk of overworking the dough.

Vinegar prevents your dough from oxidizing

Another benefit of using vinegar is that it keeps your dough from oxidizing. The oxidation process can cause the dough to turn gray and make it kind of slack and sloppy.

As a result, the dough will likely be difficult to work with and unable to hold its shape when baking. The acid in the vinegar helps to prevent this oxidation process.

So, the question isn’t whether vinegar is a helpful ingredient to add to your pie crust recipe. The question is whether you really need it.

The answer? No. You don’t have to add vinegar to your pie crust, especially since the main reason why people swear by it—to create a more tender crust—is likely to be a myth.

In fact, there are other factors that are more important in achieving the perfect crust, such as having the right ratio of ingredients and using proper technique.

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Sweet all-purpose pastry dough
egg yolks - flour
pastry flour - butter

Kinda-sweet tart dough
flour - butter - extra ingredients in your cupboard

All-purpose savory tart dough
flour - butter

Pie dough
flour - butter - vinegar

Quick puff pastry
flour - butter

Cobbler batter
milk - sugar - cinnamon
flour - butter - fruit of your choice

Streusel
butter - vanilla extract - cinnamon
nutmeg - cloves - flour

Apple crisp
apples - golden raisins - crushed pineapple
pecans - honey - flour
sugar - cinnamon

Maple-pecan squares
butter - sugar - flour
dark corn syrup - maple syrup
heavy cream - pecans

The brownie [far far more boring than Ann Hodgman’s version]
butter - sugar - eggs
flour - baking chocolate

Brown butter-butterscotch krispy bars
butter - mini marshmallows - butterscotch chips
cinnamon - crispy rice cereal

Blueberry cheesecake bars
vanilla wafer cookies - butter - frozen blueberries
cream cheese - eggs - lemons

Lemon bars
flour - butter - eggs
sugar - lemons - powdered sugar

Easy six-layer bars
butter - graham cracker crumbs - dark chocolate chips
butterscotch chips - sweetened shredded coconut
pecans - condensed milk

Date bars
butter - flour - Medjool dates
honey - old-fashioned oats

Old-school sugar cookies
butter - sugar - cinnamon
eggs - flour - cake flour
powdered sugar - egg white
sprinkles of your choice - edible decorations of your choice

Snickerdoodles
butter - flour
sugar - cinnamon

Elvis cookies
sugar - butter - peanut butter
molasses - vanilla extract - bananas
flour - chocolate chips
pretzels - bacon

Chocolate chip cookies (thin and crispy)
flour - butter - dark chocolate chips
extra ingredients in your cupboard - light brown sugar

Chocolate chip cookies (fat and chewy)
flour - butter
dark chocolate chips - extra ingredients in your cupboard

Atha's peanut butter cookies
butter - sugar - molasses
crunchy peanut butter - vanilla extract - flour

Cranberry-walnut oatmeal cookies
butter - dark brown sugar - flour
cinnamon - old-fashioned oats
dried cranberries - walnuts

Pralines
sugar - roasted pecans
butter - bourbon

Andes mint cookies
flour - natural unsweetened cocoa powder
butter - sugar - light brown sugar
peppermint extract - chocolate chips - green mint chips

Buckeyes
butter - crunchy peanut butter
light corn syrup - powdered sugar - dark coating chocolate

Graham crackers
butter - cinnamon - nutmeg
graham flour - flour - heavy cream

Scottish shortbread
butter - sugar - flour

Gingerbread cookies (or gingerbread house walls!) [no surprises]
flour - ginger - cinnamon
nutmeg - cloves - butter
molasses - powdered sugar - egg white

Brown-butter blondies
butter - light brown sugar - flour

Strawberry-lemon blondies
frozen strawberries - sugar - lemons
eggs - flour - butter

Maple-pecan blondies
pecans - flour
butter - maple syrup

Butterscotch-bourbon blondies
flour - butter
butterscotch chips - bourbon

White chocolate-macadamia blondies
white chocolate chips - butter - vanilla extract
flour - unsalted macadamia nuts

Blueberry muffins
old-fashioned oats - flour
sugar - buttermilk - blueberries

Lemon poppy-seed muffins
flour - sour cream
lemons - poppy seeds

Old-fashioned raisin bran muffins
wheat bran - cinnamon
honey - buttermilk - golden raisins

Apple streusel muffins
old-fashioned oats - cinnamon - flour
buttermilk - apples - extra ingredients in your cupboard

Hot pickled pepper-corn muffins
flour - yellow cornmeal - honey
pickled peppers - butter - buttermilk

Sarah's cornbread
yellow cornmeal - flour
sour cream - canned creamed corn

Duff's cornbread
yellow cornmeal - flour
buttermilk - extra ingredients in your cupboard

Banana bread
flour - cinnamon
sugar - bananas

Pumpkin bread
flour - cinnamon - nutmeg
cloves - sugar
molasses - pumpkin puree

Zucchini-pineapple bread
sugar - vegetable oil - zucchini
lemons - crushed pineapple
flour - cinnamon - nutmeg

Gingerbread
flour - cake flour - cinnamon
cloves - ginger - half and half cream
molasses - maple syrup

Cinnamon coffeecake
butter - sugar - light brown sugar
vanilla extract - orange flower water
flour - crème fraîche - eggs
cinnamon - nutmeg - cloves

Jalapeño, cheddar and bacon biscuits
cornmeal - cooked bacon - cheddar
cayenne - jalapeño chiles - honey
butter - buttermilk - flour

Buttermilk biscuits [what a man! he uses lard! A Real Traditionalist!]
flour - lard
buttermilk - extra ingredients in your cupboard

Mini sesame-cheddar biscuits
flour - Bisquick - cayenne
sesame seeds - garlic powder
cheddar - buttermilk - butter

Apple-cinnamon scones
flour - cinnamon - butter
apples - buttermilk - heavy cream

Cranberry-orange scones
flour - butter - oranges
dried cranberries - heavy cream - turbinado sugar

Chorizo-Manchego-scallion scones [ew]
Mexican chorizo sausages - flour
butter - Manchego cheese
scallions - heavy cream

Sourdough starter
flour - blueberries

Sourdough bread
unbleached bread flour - flour - blueberries

Focaccia [most recipes contain sofa cushion material]
yeast - flour - bread flour
fine cornmeal - basil
red onions - Parmesan

Simple white French bread
yeast - flour - bread flour

Pretzels
yeast - butter - bread flour
flour - pretzel salt

Lavash
flour - sumac - sesame seeds
poppy seeds - turmeric - dried thyme

Pizza dough
yeast - bread flour - flour

Pita bread
yeast - flour

Matzah [complex!]
flour

Challah
yeast - honey - eggs
bread flour - flour

Brioche
yeast - eggs
flour - butter

Rustic whole-wheat bread
yeast - clover honey - milk
bread flour - whole-wheat flour - butter

Hearty seven-grain bread
wheat berries - bulgur - yeast
milk - honey - old-fashioned oats
flaxseeds - sunflower seeds
black sesame seeds - poppy seeds
bread flour - whole wheat flour - butter

Communist rye bread
yeast - milk - molasses
malt vinegar - dark rye flour
bread flour - caraway seeds

Rosemary-garlic potato bread
potatoes - garlic - yeast
flour - bread flour - rosemary

Pumpernickel
yeast - milk - dark molasses
natural unsweetened cocoa powder - bread flour
rye flour - cornmeal - instant espresso granules

Boysenberry pie (page 164)
boysenberries - boysenberry preserves - instant tapioca
flour - butter - vinegar

Strawberry-rhubarb pie
flour - butter - vinegar
rhubarb - strawberries - sugar
oranges - instant tapioca - cinnamon

Banana cream pie with a pretzel crust
pretzel rods - peanut butter-filled pretzels - butter
baking chocolate - milk - bananas
heavy cream - dark chocolate - egg yolks

Coconut custard pie
flour - butter - vinegar
eggs - milk - half and half cream
sweetened shredded coconut - nutmeg

Lemon chess pie
flour - butter - vinegar
egg yolks - sugar
yellow cornmeal - buttermilk - lemons

Chocolate cream pie with Oreo crust and marshmallow meringue
Oreo cookies - milk - baking chocolate
sugar - egg yolks - mini marshmallows

Sour cherry pie
flour - butter - vinegar
sour cherries - sugar - almond extract

Pumpkin pie
flour - butter - vinegar
pumpkin puree - cream cheese - molasses
cinnamon - nutmeg - ginger
cloves - half and half cream - whipped cream

Pecan pie
flour - butter - vinegar
dark corn syrup - pecans

Apple crumb pie
flour - butter - vinegar
apples - sugar - cinnamon

Lemon meringue pie
flour - butter - vinegar
sugar - lemons

Key lime pie
graham crackers - egg yolks - condensed milk
sour cream - Key limes

Graham cracker crust
graham crackers

Apple-pear galette
flour - butter - apples
pears - ginger - cinnamon

Savory beef hand pies
ground beef - potatoes - peas
shallots - curry powder - cayenne
flour - butter - vinegar

Chicken pot pie
butter - shallots - scallions
Vidalia onions - cauliflower - celery
carrots - chicken breasts - cayenne
chicken stock - frozen peas
flour - vinegar

Blueberry cake doughnuts
sugar - cake flour - flour
frozen blueberries - buttermilk - powdered sugar

Cinnamon rolls
flour - yeast - butter
cinnamon - powdered sugar

Jam-filled toaster pastry-like items
butter - flour - heavy cream
fruit preserves - powdered sugar - multicolored sprinkles

Whoopie pies
flour - butter - light brown sugar
natural unsweetened cocoa powder
milk - dark chocolate chips
vegetable shortening
powdered sugar - marshmallow cream

Perpetually fresh yellow submarine-looking pastry / doughnut / cake things
cake flour - vegetable shortening
powdered sugar
marshmallow cream - extra ingredients in your cupboard

Beignets
yeast - flour - bread flour
vegetable oil - powdered sugar

Funnel cakes
vegetable oil - flour - cinnamon
milk - powdered sugar

Churros
sugar - cinnamon - butter
flour - vegetable oil

White chocolate bread pudding
eggs - egg yolks - milk
heavy cream - sugar
white chocolate - stale challah bread

Savory bread pudding with bacon, leeks and mushrooms
stale brioche bread - bacon - leeks
cremini mushrooms - shiitake mushrooms
thyme sprigs - rosemary sprigs
parsley - eggs - heavy cream
chicken stock - Gruyère - Parmesan

Chocolate mousse
dark chocolate - heavy cream - eggs
whipped cream - chocolate shavings

Duff's good-ass fudge
sugar - evaporated milk - light corn syrup
natural unsweetened cocoa powder - butter
vanilla extract - walnuts

Popcorn balls
popcorn kernels - peanut butter chips
milk chocolate chips - butter - confectioner's sugar
light corn syrup - mini marshmallows

Sea salt-dark chocolate turtles
pecans - butter - light brown sugar
light corn syrup - condensed milk
butterscotch chips
dark coating chocolate - coarse sea salt

Marshmallows
powdered sugar - gelatin - sugar
light corn syrup - egg whites

Vegan chocolate cake
flour - sugar
natural unsweetened cocoa powder
soy milk - coffee
apple cider vinegar - frosting of your choice

[Paula Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read!

Everything is explained completely. Told just like a story by one of my favorite food network Chefs. Easy directions to follow.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this cookbook. Duff Goldman gives a lot of information about baking and some tips I hadn't known before. (I no longer need to buy a springform pan! This is great news!)

Duff's personality really shines in the book and makes it entertaining to read. He's funny and I loved reading everything, even the coauthor Sara Gonzales seems to have a fun personality that showed in her writing. The recipes were explained in ways that anyone could attempt them. I have several pages marked off for recipes I want to try (the pretzels will be attempted soon!).

I really recommend this to anyone who wants to learn to bake or who is just looking for new baking recipes.

[jeanmarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gah. I live duff so much! However I didn’t like this cookbook. I made a cornbread from it that was fine and a pecan square thing that Duff really talked up but it too was just fine. Nothing was bad but I wasn’t wowed. :(

Pros: it’s Duff! Maybe his recipes are better?

Cons: sweet and just ok.

I only did a couple recipes, so it’s not the most fair test, and perhaps I was unlucky. But this was a bummer. I’m still considering going for the Elvis cookies (which have garlic!!).

[Heather Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I’ll first start by saying I am a super snob about cookbooks. I am a baker who runs a business out of her home. I love cookbooks. I collect them, but I am very particular about my favorites. I love books with stories. I love cookbooks with pictures…at least one per recipe and honestly the more the better so I can see the process. And my favorite recipes include imperial measures, as well as weight measurements. I borrowed this book from the library, and I will be returning it soon but I’m DEFINITELY buying a copy for myself.

I love this book! This book checks, most of my favorite things: stories, clear instructions, good, formatting, and accessible ingredients. This book would be perfection if it included weight measures, but I know I am unusual for wanting that. Duff and Sara share great stories about each recipe and I love knowing if recipes come from Grandma or a fellow famous baker. The authors also have a great introduction section which I think is so important to a cookbook…and I ALWAYS read them. They are packed with great tips and tricks. I’m excited to add this book to my collection.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

More people have found the joy in baking I always had during the lockdown due to Covid. If you are one of those enthusiasts take Duff along with you inot your quarantine pod. this book is full of color photos that will help show you how the finished product can look. Luckily there is no caloric value in reading delicious recipes otherwise I'd have to waddle to the oven. His writing is as crisp and fresh as a gingersnap. For example in describing a lemon bar recipe, "...almost everybody loves lemon bars, and these are basically what the offspring would look like if brownies fell in love with lemonaade."

[ReadaBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice combination of baking/cooking tips and recipes. Duff’s personality comes through on the pages. Only reason I took off one star is because I have yet to try any of the recipes, so cannot yet gauge the difficulty of preparation or how clear/understandable are the recipe instructions. That said, I really like this guy, so I am expecting a positive there too.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of excellent baking books and so the competition for an original voice is stiff. I liked this cookbook as it is wide ranging with a lot of varied recipes in a lot of categories. The author also has a relaxed and confident style that is encouraging to the home baker. I particularly enjoyed the first chapters on flours, chocolate and techniques. Recommended.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading and making these recipes. I still use his french bread recipe. But a few that I tried had goofy mistakes that then threw off my end result. I think as I grow as a baker, I'll continue to come back to this cookbook.

[Lyndsay M Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent cookbook

All of the recipes in this cookbook, are amazing and very easy to follow. They are explained very well and do not take canned or boxed ingredients, just from scratch!

[Alice Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best baking book I’ve come across in a long time! Like reading a novel and non-fiction at the same time and enjoying every minute. Duff and Sara make baking accessible and give us plenty of ahmazing recipes (“formulas”) to try.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Enjoyable Book

I bought this book because I enjoy Duff on t.v. and I found the book just as enjoyable. I do wish there had been a few more pictures. They always help tell the recipe story better. And all around enjoyable book!

[Billy B. Yip · Rating 5 out of 5]

comprehensive and inspiring

I’d call this a complete soup to nuts instruction manual with inspiration and instructions on how to. Sounds a bit like a manual but at its core it can be considered so. Comprehensive and inspiring like I said in the title of the review.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

👍👍

This cookbook is well designed with relatively easy but delicious recipes. Duff gives a little history and some entertaining quips and tips at the beginning of each recipe.

This is one of the books I’m using to teach my granddaughter to bake. Yum!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed Duff as a person and loved reading these recipes, but they unfortunately didn't turn out well for me. I'm an amateur baker so it might totally be me, but I found the sweet bakes way too sweet and none of the bakes I made were ones I'd want to make again.

[Mary F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of you like to bake this book is for you excellent

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource with Duffs humot

Great resource on how to bake, well everything! Easy approach and written in Duff's voice makes baking less intimidating, like I can totally do this.

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daughter is excited about recipes to try. Love the stories that go with each one.

[Julie Nelson-Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cookbook that you can read cover to cover and thoroughly enjoy! The vegan chocolate cake recipe is wonderful! There are many tips and tricks and so much overall knowledge shared here. Love!

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recipes, nice pictures & commentary.

[BluMoon Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious baking book filled with solid staples.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt, the most hilarious/delightful to read cookbook I have ever gobbled up. Seriously, even in the instruction portions of many recipe there are comedic gems--which is why you should always read every recipe--you might just be richly rewarded for your diligence. The cooking tips and the definitions of many terms also make this book very useful for beginning bakers. The cake decorating recipes at the end of the book have detailed pictures of the various steps described in the instructions and THANK GOODNESS they do, because I don't think I could have followed the written directions exclusively. I've never worked with fondant because it totally intimidates me (and since I think it tastes nasty to boot) and I don't view myself as an artist, but this book makes me want to give it a go. I'll make my kids help me and if I really goof it up I'll just take it to a church potluck and blame it on them! Ah, the benefits of being the parent!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, this reads a lot less like a book of recipes and more like a conversation with Duff (and Sarah). Or like eavesdropping on the two of them as they draft up a bunch of recipes. This actually led me to take longer with the book than most other cookbooks as I read each introduction and my fair share of the detailed recipe "instructions." I found it interesting how Duff explains the process of baking (very conversational like you would get if he were talking to you about what he is doing and how) and through the course of reading, I learned a few things.

I haven't tested any of the recipes yet, but I plan to, and as I said earlier in an update post, if they recipe turns out even half as well as I anticipate, I will probably go out and buy the cookbook. As someone currently trying to purge cookbooks and basically tossing any that don't have recipes we turn to over and over, that's saying something.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book I've been pleasantly surprised by this weekend! I was a little afraid this would be all decorating techniques, since that's what his show focuses on. I checked it out anyway because of the strong reviews, and it's totally worth the time. Only one section is cakes - the rest is pretty much every sweet treat imaginable, and the explanatory chapters are really strong. The cookie/bar chapter was a standout, and he also includes a miscellaneous chapter with an incredible blueberry cake donut recipe (that's baked, not fried). There's a vegan section. . .I could really go on but if you love to bake, you've got to check this out. There's really something for everyone and there's only a small section on decorating - you could even skip it if that's not your thing.

Goldman co-authored this with one of his bakers, and I really enjoyed the two voices and experiences.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the library I happened to see the cover of this book and thought, "Hey I've seen that guy on TV before!" I do love cookbooks but I usually won't review them because they are, well, cookbooks. I flipped it open and saw this gem...

"[Baking]...seems like this impenetrable fortress of knowledge that one can only gain access to by laying culinary siege to it for many, many years, or by being a grandmother."

Now this is the kind of humor that I really like and I decided to read it. And so I did and after trying out a few recipes in the book I am faced with a dilemma...the library is going to want their book back.

If you are a beginner or somewhere further along the baking path, you will find this book a great resource. The instructions are some of the best explained I've ever seen. Somehow it even makes baking fun.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This almost fully illustrated cookbook is packed full of delicious items to try, from breads to cookies to pies. While I was flipping through in envy, since I can't eat regular baked goods, I was very happily surprised to find a vegan and gluten-free chapter hidden in here. With fourteen safe and enticing recipes for me, I was pleasantly surprised by this new cookbook that has something for everyone!

Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Cc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't baked/tested one recipe in this book yet I still give it 5 stars because of the first 33 pages.

The explanation of ingredients and techniques explained some things I never knew. (I've wondered what Graham Flour was for over 30 years!) Even if you don't bake sweet pastries these 33 pages are worth reading.

All the recipes look good, I will get around to trying as many as possible. The short introduction at the beginning of each give invaluable tips on how and why the recipe works.

I'm one of those Grandma's that've baked for 50 years and I still learned more than enough to say this book was well worth the purchase price! I don't remember ever enjoying just reading a cookbook as much as "Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home."

[Carol Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading through this book as if it were a novel, and now I am enjoying trying out the recipes. I really hear the voices of the authors in each recipe. I feels like they are in the kitchen with me as I am cooking. I do not feel talked down to, and appreciate that they don't assume the reader knows all terms. There's helpful hints as well as permission to make recipes your own.

I highly recommend this cookbook!