The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook
Home bakers first and bakery owners second, Paula Deen darlings the Days here inventory recipes for every season and sweet tooth that even the most amateur among us can feel comfortable in attempting: cinnamon-sugar-doughnut muffins, Mexican hot chocolate shortbread, and a shortcut piecrust that the Days promise will impress. Necessary special tools are clearly noted, and the tips, commentary, and notes are as fun to digest as these southern sweets look to be. One particularly funny inclusion is a customer’s ode to the “Pecan Sandra,” written after not finding his favorite cookie in the cases. The book is as pleasantly, cohesively stylized and visually appealing as the Days’ Savannah outpost. Drool-inducing photos featuring the impressive yet decidedly unfussy baked goods (with a special section devoted to savories as well, such as baked eggs and pancetta-fontina bread pudding) placed beside carefully culled vintage kitchenware and objets d’art of the cooking persuasion are works of art in themselves. --Annie Bostrom