I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho Published by Harper Horizon on October 12, 2021
Genres: Cooking / Courses & Dishes / Bread, Cooking / Methods / Baking, Cooking / Regional & Ethnic / Chinese, Cooking / Regional & Ethnic / Southeast Asian
Pages: 304
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
2022 JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • Baking and Desserts
2022 JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER • Emerging Voice, Books
ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker Magazine, The New York Times
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time Out, Glamour, Taste of Home
In Mooncakes & Milk Bread, food blogger Kristina Cho (eatchofood.com) introduces readers to Chinese bakery cooking with fresh, uncomplicated interpretations of classic recipes for the modern baker.
Inside, you’ll find sweet and savory baked buns, steamed buns, Chinese breads, unique cookies, whimsical cakes, juicy dumplings, Chinese breakfast dishes, and drinks. Recipes for steamed BBQ pork buns, pineapple buns with a thick slice of butter, silky smooth milk tea, and chocolate Swiss rolls all make an appearance--because a book about Chinese bakeries wouldn’t be complete without them!
Kristina teaches you to whip up these delicacies like a pro, including how to:
- Knead dough without a stand mixer
- Avoid collapsed steamed buns
- Infuse creams and custards with aromatic tea flavors
- Mix the most workable dumpling dough
- Pleat dumplings like an Asian grandma
This is the first book to exclusively focus on Chinese bakeries and cafés, but it isn’t just for those nostalgic for Chinese bakeshop foods--it’s for all home bakers who want exciting new recipes to add to their repertoires.
Okay so I requested this book basically immediately after reading WINNIE ZENG UNLEASHES A LEGEND, so, there’s my readalike and recommendation. This is a very cozy baking book that emphasizes sharing Chinese American stories through a Chinese American lens; mixing illustrations with photography, each with just the right amount. It focuses a lot on making bready-type dishes, rather than just starting with sweet stuff, which is important and necessary. There’s a lot of illustration and instruction about technique, including best recommendations. I really enjoyed leafing through this book. Five stars. Full list of recipes available on my blog.
Mother of All Milk Bread
Matcha and Black Sesame Marbled Milk Bread
Black Sesame Paste
Fluffy Steamed Bun Dough
Crispy Chinese Sausage and Cilantro Pancakes
Youtiao (Chinese doughnut)
Brown sugar shao bing
Moo Shu Wrappers
Mo
Xi’an-Style Braised Lamb Ro Jua Mao
The Almighty Pineapple Bun (Bo Lo Bao)
Cocktail Buns (Gai Mei Bao)
Red Bean Swirl Buns
Red Bean Paste
Coconut Jasmine Cream Buns
Jasmine Whipped Cream
Egg Custard Buns (Nai Wong Bao)
After-School PB&J Buns
Chocolate Nutella Loaf
Asian Pear Turnovers with Miso Glaze
Sweet Potato and Brown Sugar Mantou
Rhubarb and Cream Cheese Buns
Milk Bread Doughnuts with Salted Egg Yolk Cream
Salted Egg Yolks
Taro Leaf Buns
Taro Paste
Very Chill Jam Buns
Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns)
Char Siu Pork
Pork Floss and Seaweed Pull-Apart Rolls
Miso Corn Buns
Tuna Buns
Hot Dog Flower Buns
Gingery Bok choy and Gai Lan Steamed Buns
Steamed Spring Chicken Buns
Mushroom Mushroom Buns
Crispy Panko Pork Chop Sandwiches
Thanksgiving Leftover Gua Bao
Sambal and Parmesan Buns
Curry Chicken Puffs
Everything Bagel Bao
Garlic and Chive Whole-Wheat Flower Buns
Deep-Dish Pepperoni Bread
Pau Pau’s Steamed Cupcakes (Fa Gao)
Malay Cake (Ma Lai Gao)
White Pizza (White Sugar Cake, Bai Tang Gao)
Chinese Sponge Cake
Paper Cupcakes
Shiny Fruit Cream Cake
Sugar Glaze
Matcha and Jasmine Swiss Roll
Coffee Crunch Swiss Roll
Black Seasme Souffle Cheesecake
Mango Mousse Cake
Chinese Puff Pastry
Classic Egg Tarts (Dan Tat)
Macau-Style Egg Tarts (Po Tat)
Lemon Coconut Tarts
Chocolate and Salted Peanut Crepe Cake
Salted Peanut Whipped Cream
Red Bean and Salted Egg Yolk Mooncakes
Honey Pistachio Mooncakes
Thousand Layer Mooncakes with White Lotus Seed Paste
White Lotus Seed Paste
Snow Skin Ice Cream Mooncakes
Goong Goong’s Almond Cookies
Coconut and Peanut Mochi Balls
Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes
Fries Sesame Balls
Pistachio Palmiers
Kinako Sewing Tin Butter Cookies
Matcha and Hojicha Cream Puffs
Seasme Crisps
Chocolate-Hazelnut Macau-Style Cookies
Crystal Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)
Rose Siu Mai
Bacon and Kale Potstickers
The Simplest Jook
Fan Tuan
Jianbing You Can Actually Make at Home
Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Gao)
Hong Kong-Style French Toast
Savory Soy Molk with All the Fixings
Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Sheng Jian Bao (SEC SJB)
Chrysanthemum Tea
Hong Kong Milk Tea (Li Cha)
Yuenyeung
Sparkling Lime Matcha
Strawberry Jasmine Milk Tea
Lychee-Lemon Iced Tea
Coffee with Grass Jelly
Grass Jelly
Leave a Reply