Customer Reviews

The Great Scandinavian Baking Book

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought the older hardcover version of this cookbook that was issued in 1988 and there probably is not a lot of difference between the two versions. I highly recommend this cookbook for two reasons.

First of all, it is written by Beatrice Ojakangas who, in my opinion, is the queen of all recipe book writers:) I own a number of her cookbooks and she writes in a very clear, concise way. All of her recipes are accompanied by a cultural anecdote or an informative note or two about the recipe so that you feel that you own more than a cookbook - you gain an insight into the Scandinavian culture and way of life.

Secondly, and just as important, the recipes in this book are simply delicious. They run the gamut from breads and rolls to mouth watering pastries, both sweet and savoury. I had seen the many shapes that Danish pastry came in and they looked somewhat daunting to prepare but, in her book, Ms Ojakangas provides easy to follow diagrams that made them a breeze to shape. Being a chocoholic, I never thought that desserts could be tasty unless they were loaded down with the stuff. I stand corrected!:)

Again, I highly recommend this book. The recipes are delicious and it is an excellent book for anyone who has ever felt daunted by baking. Well done!

This book is loaded with recipes for all kinds of baking, from hardtack to fancy layer cakes. It covers all the classics recipes from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Anyone familiar with baking from those countries will find thier favorites, and for those who are new to this region's baking plenty of delectable new discoveries are in store.Many recipes come with little stories and explanations about the traitions. The only thing I miss are photos, which make any cookbook even more tempting.

In my Norwegian-American family, baking well is considered a high art form. Christimas wouldn't be Christmas without the seven kinds of fresh-baked cookies, and the whole point of our Sankta Lucia celebration is the Lucia buns, fragrant with cardamon and saffron. And where would we be without home-baked rye bread?

Although most of these recipes came down through the family, I now always double-check with Ojakangas' book. She's accurate, clear, easy-to-understand, and everything we've ever baked from this book has turned out just as well, if not even better than when we use the family recipes.

I always measure the quality of my cookbooes by how grungy they get from spilled incredients, etc. Well, this one's a winner, with the pages automatically falling open to all our family favorites.

I bought this book when I first moved to Minnesota, figuring I ought to learn how to bake like a Minnesotan. What I didn't anticipate was how much enjoyment I would get from this book - the delightful scents of cinnamon and cardamon, the pleasure of a warm coffee cake laced with almond paste and fragrant with vanilla, complementing my morning coffee.
Every recipe I have tried has turned out well (though my cakes don't look as beautiful as the pictures, but I'm no artist); I think so highly of this book, I recently bought copies to give as gifts to friends who love to bake. In fact, though I have lots of recipe books, this is the one I usually turn to when I want to bake something homey and delicious.

The Great Scandinavian Baking Book is an addictive collection of recipes from author Beatrice Ojakangas. From Cardamom Coffeebread (Pulla) and Sweet Cream Waffles to Danish Strawberry Scones (Kraemmerhuse) and almond glazed Swedish Tea Rings (Vetekrans), once you start baking from this book you'll have a hard time putting it away. I was delighted with everything I made and appreciated how Ojakangas introduced me to the many delectable ways Scandinavians use cardamom in their baking. Her recipes are easy to follow and accompanied by conversational intros that share cultural tidbits or serving tips. Although there are no photos in this book, when more complicated steps are required to complete a recipe the how-to portion is frequently illustrated with helpful diagrams. The lack of photographs is really the only thing about it I didn't absolutely adore about the book, which will make a welcome addition to any kitchen and is appropriate for beginner and experienced bakers alike. You'll revel in the heavenly aromas emanating from your oven, not to mention the baked goods you'll soon be enjoying with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Chapters: Breads for Meals, Breads for Coffeetime, Cookies and Little Cakes, Cakes and Tortes, Pastries and Pies, Savory Pies and Filled Breads. Chapters about mail order sources, baking tips and ingredients are also included.

The Great Scandinavian Baking Book is something I wanted to add to my cookbook collection for two reasons: 1) I'm from Minnesota and my Mom and her side of the family are all of Norwegian descent. The thought that I could recreate some items from my Mom's childhood excited me. 2) I wanted a collection of baking recipes that yielded results appropriate for "company."

Also I really like the flavor of cardamom :)

This book served both purposes. I've made some great items with wonderful results. I'll be honest, some of them sounded quite difficult and I didn't have a lot of confidence in my abilities. I'm a great cook (if I do say so myself) but baking - following directions really - is not my forte. But Beatrice Ojakangas' instructions are so precise, yet natural that I got things right the first time.

The first thing I made was an Icelandic coffee wreath. No, it's not Norweigan like my Mom. But it did make a great and beautiful pastry fit for serving at a holiday potluck at work. Everyone was impressed. It was so simple to make but it looked like a million bucks. That's the impression I want to make with my food at work, you know?

Then I made Norweigian butter cookies. Oh my gosh. How can a 6 ingredient recipe turn out something so lovely and melt-in-your-mouth good?

The real payoff was Crispy Krumkake. My Mom still has Grandma's Krumkake iron, but doesn't ever make the cookies because, well Mom is into lots of domestic arts, but cooking isn't one of them. So I gave Krumkake a shot and the recipe was fantastic. Light delicate cookies, made pretty by the iron's design, they were a hit! Unfortunately the German side of my family filled them with Cool Whip which made me cringe, but they liked it so I guess it's okay.

So why did I remove a star? Well the book has this gorgeous photo on the cover but no photos inside. There are some line drawings where appropriate (like explaining how to slice and shape that coffee wreath), but no inspirational photos. And the book isn't bound so as to be very useful in the kitchen. It's a paperback that isn't heavy enough to stay open. Not that format is everything, but transcribing or photocopying recipes isn't my idea of a good time. Overall it is a minor thing, but still worthy of comment.

If you like the flavors of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, butter, almonds - you'll love this book whether you have a Scandinavian history or not.

This book is a fantastic compilation of recipes. It brought back heart-warming memories of my Great Grandmother in the kitchen. I absolutely recommend this to those who enjoy staying in touch with their ancestory, and those curious about scandinavian cooking.
Enjoy!

Being from Duluth, Minnesota, hometown of Ms. Ojakangas, and a fan of baking, this book is one of my favorites. I believe that it captures true Minnesota and Scandinavian baking. Every recipe is wonderful and well written. I have had the opportunity to meet Ms. Ojakangas and to watch her bake and she is wonderfully inspiring.

I just picked this book up a few weeks ago and have already made several of the recipes in it. I'm impressed with everything. Clearly written, and I haven't had any recipe problems at all. Like other reviewers, I also enjoy and appreciate the short background she provides with the recipes - it's so enjoyable to think of these baked goods in context.
I love the organization of the book - breads, sweet roll/coffee breads, cookies, savory things (filled pockets and pies, etc). It's a long, full book, with lots of recipes - it feels like a basic and yet comprehensive survey. There must be huge numbers of recipes and variations for all of these things, but at the same time, you feel that she hasn't probably left out anything that's important or commonly eaten. At any rate, I'm thrilled with the things I've made so far and look forward to trying even more of them.

I was another one who bought this on its first release, only my copy was lost to me during a move. While I regret the loss of the hardcover, I bought this paperback as soon as it was again available (only to give it away and buy it again - yes, it really is THAT good!)

Beatrice Ojakangas has never steared me wrong in a recipe - ever. While I've tweaked and changed, I have never landed a complete dud following her suggestions. She sticks to the real ingredients (that means butter - not margarine, etc)and her recipes are always clear to follow.

This book allowed my family to recreate the baking of my childhood and in most cases go a step better, and as a result of it all my older children learned an appreciation for fine Christmas Cookies where the recipe mattered more than the artificially colored "decoration cookies" so common to our modern culture. I can't thank the author enough!