While browsing around Waterstones bookshop I came across this book with a catchy title. It goes through the history of baking, along with a little of the science as to why various aspects of baking work the way that they do. I found it a very interesting read.
It covers some of the earliest baking products such as pancakes, and other “baked goods” that didn’t need a particularly complex oven to make well, right through to the “relatively” modern masterpieces that we take for granted today. There are also very interesting chapters on the history of cakes, including where many different cakes I took for granted in my childhood actually originated from. Lastly there’s a chapter on pâtisserie, covering my favourites the pain au raisin and croissant in detail.
If you’d like to learn more about the history of the things we eat, then this comes highly recommended.
