Great Holiday Baking Book [Paperback]

Beatrice Ojakangas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2001

An expert on traditional holidays and the special baked treats that mark them, veteran chef and cookbook writer Beatrice Ojakangas presents recipes for twenty-one seasonal occasions and cultural holidays. She takes you from spring to winter with recipes like heart-shaped coffee cake for Valentine's Day, Austrian carnival doughnuts or spicy rabbit cookies for Easter, and cinnamon-walnut kamish bread or challah for Rosh Hashanah. For Christmas, the biggest baking season of the year, Ojakangas offers enticing recipes for thirty-eight classic and fancy cookies, eighteen yeast breads, thirteen quick breads, nine cakes, ten bar cookies and brownies, and many more. With these recipes, every holiday is sure to be memorable.

In addition to its array of delectable foods, The Great Holiday Baking Book is brimming with holiday lore from cultures around the world. Ojakangas also provides helpful tips and practical information about hosting a cookie-swap party, organizing your bustling holiday kitchen, involving the kids in baking fun, and more. With its variety of specialties and treats for almost every gala occasion, The Great Holiday Baking Book is sure to become an indispensable part of your feasts and celebrations.

Beatrice Ojakangas is the author of more than a dozen cookbooks, including The Great Scandinavian Baking Book (1999) and Scandinavian Feasts (2001), both published by the University of Minnesota Press. Her articles have been published in Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Cooking Light, Cuisine, and Redbook, and she has appeared on television's Baking with Julia Child and Martha Stewart's Living. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press; 1 edition (July 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816638683
• ISBN-13: 978-0816638680
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,472,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Beatrice Ojakangas has taught cooking and has written articles for Gourmet, Bon Apetit, Cuisine, Pleasures of Cooking, Cooking Light, Womans Day, and Redbook. Her previous books include The Great Scandinavian Baking Book and Great Whole Grain Breads. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable cooking resource, January 29, 2008

By 

Cookbook Gal "Cookbook Gal" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Great Holiday Baking Book (Paperback)

I reviewed the hardcover edition of this book, and my comments hold true for the paperback version, as well:

Cons: I'm giving it 4 stars because there is not one single photo, or an illustration, in the entire book! Pictures or drawings would be tremendously helpful when it comes to shaping some of the breads in the book.

Pros: This book contains delicious, including some hard-to-find recipes for every holiday throughout the year, including some I'd never heard of. There is a comprehensive Advent and Christmas section, with heavy emphasis on Scandinavian baked goods (for example, Norwegian Kransekake). Some of the holidays in the book are Hannukah, Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, Valentine's Day, etc. The recipes include cookies, savory baked goods, breads, tarts, cakes, etc. The measurements are given in cups and teaspoons, not grams and mL, and the recipes are geared towards a home cook.

The author includes several fruitcake recipes that were so delicious, my fruitcake-hating family insisted that I put them on the repeat list. A wonderful resource, and I'm glad I have it, despite the lack of photos or drawings.