Buzz
Welcome to 'Cookbook of the Week.' In this series, I spotlight cookbooks that stand out for being unique, user-friendly, or just dear to me. While searching for a recipe online may be convenient, there's something truly magical about paging through an exceptional cookbook.
It's safe to say that one of the best ways to get recommendations is through word-of-mouth. That’s what we’re doing here, right? I chose this week's cookbook based on a recommendation from Claire Lower, former longtime food writer and editor at Mytour, and my former partner in food hacks. We still find time to chat about cleavers, cakes, and, of course, cookbooks. I'm excited to share 'Milk Street Bakes' with you this week.
I’m eager to jump straight into the recipes I tried, but I’ll hold off for now. Here's a sneak peek: Even if you're not in the mood for baking, this book has plenty of tasty recipes that don't require the oven (like the delicious flaky flatbread I made).
A little background on the book
Milk Street Bakes was just released this week, and it's the latest creation from Christopher Kimball, the founder of 177 Milk Street and a co-founder of America's Test Kitchen. When I think of ATK and their cookbook (which I also adore), I’m reminded of how comprehensive and meticulous their approach is. While Kimball and ATK have diverged, the connection is still evident when you flip through the pages of Milk Street Bakes. It has that dependable feel, like a trusted resource you can turn to again and again for reliable recipes.
This cookbook features 200 recipes, spanning from breads and muffins to cakes, pizzas, and cookies. A standout feature of the book is that many recipes are either directly from bakers worldwide or inspired by them. Each recipe is accompanied by stunning, detailed photographs, many of which show the dishes up close. Any recipe that may initially seem intimidating due to techniques like weaving or folding is broken down with helpful step-by-step images to ensure you feel confident as you work through the process.
A perfect cookbook for the daring baker
While the ingredient lists are generally short and simple at times, this isn't a cookbook for beginners. Instead, it's an excellent guide for the adventurous baker—someone eager to develop their skills, explore new flavors, and learn about the savory and sweet bakes of other cultures.
This cookbook doesn’t just offer a few go-to recipes while filling the rest of the pages with mediocrity. Milk Street Bakes entices you with a must-bake recipe for today and an irresistible list of what to try next. I've had this cookbook for just a month, yet it's already marked with as many bookmarks as some of my oldest, well-loved books.
I’m especially fond of the abundance of bread recipes in Milk Street Bakes. Bread recipes are often left out of cookbooks, or if included, they're sparse so as not to overwhelm anyone with the complexities of yeast and proofing. However, this book is rich with bread, from meaty carbs and layered flatbreads to pizzas with unique toppings and seed-filled rolls—all thoroughly explained. And it makes sense, because bread is the one food that unites diverse cuisines around the world.
What you can expect from the recipes
As mentioned, the recipes cover a wide array of baked goods from across the globe, but they include familiar favorites too. You’ll find classic buttermilk scones, drop biscuits, and banana bread, but with a twist: inspiration from different places or surprising flavor combinations that breathe new life into old standbys—think cardamom, a splash of brandy, or tahini for an unexpected surprise.
Kimball offers a carefully curated selection of recipes that strike a perfect balance of origin, stories, instructions, and helpful tips. As a fan of cookbooks with plenty of photos, I was delighted to see that this one doesn’t miss a beat. If you’re unsure how to swirl the olive bread, just turn the page. You'll have a clear picture of how the finished product should look if you follow the recipe to a T.
Each recipe comes with a detailed ingredient list, a helpful headnote, and clear instructions. Just before the steps, there’s always a valuable tip, such as, 'don’t forget to sift the dry ingredients.' Sometimes the instructions are a bit long—each step is often broken into a few sentences—but that’s because they are very specific, offering guidance on how to mix ingredients or what signs to look for to move on to the next step. Technique-driven bakers who like precision will appreciate this style, while beginners might find it overwhelming, and impatient cooks may rush through and miss important details.
The recipes I picked this week
Choosing my recipe this week was so enjoyable that I ended up making two: Turkish-Style Flaky Flatbreads and French Apple Cake. The cake was my initial choice, but I also needed some bread to go with my lentils, so I started with the flatbread first.
The Turkish-style flatbread recipe clearly explains everything in the headnote. It’s an unleavened flatbread with delicate layers formed by folding in a butter and oil mixture, then griddling it on a cast iron skillet. That’s exactly the kind of dish I love. The only thing I had to keep in mind, according to the tip before the instructions, was the resting time. Like many breads, the ingredients are simple—just all-purpose flour to keep the dough from becoming too chewy, with a little salt for flavor. The rest of the recipe includes water, and butter and oil for the fat mixture.
My flatbreads bubbled and browned beautifully in the skillet, each one taking only a few minutes to cook. I immediately tore into a warm round, and it was everything I had hoped for—a crispy, charred, flaky exterior that revealed soft, buttery layers inside.
The French Apple Cake is now bookmarked in my recipe collection forever. There's not much more to say about it—except that it was pure delight, following the recipe instructions perfectly. I initially hesitated, because while the picture was tempting, I'm typically not fond of apple cakes. Too often, the apples remain raw and become slimy, falling out of the cake. However, once I saw that the apples were cooked in butter first—which I always recommend—I knew Milk Street Bakes and I were on the same page.
The toughest part of this recipe is peeling almost three pounds of apples, but the effort is absolutely worth it when you get to slice into this cozy cake. The cake batter itself is made from just a few simple ingredients, and it’s surprisingly minimal. I never would have guessed how little was needed, but it turns out to be the perfect, light base to highlight the real star—the buttery apples soaked in brandy. Delicately flavored and wonderfully apple-forward, I had this cake with coffee for three mornings straight, and then froze the other half to enjoy again this weekend. The recipe doesn’t mention freezing, but I’ll see how it holds up.
How to purchase it
Milk Street Bakes is currently available at a discount directly from the Milk Street Store. You can also find it on Amazon's Kindle for $19.99, which is a great way to save paper, though I’d recommend the physical hardcover if you’re buying a gift or if you're a true cookbook enthusiast.
