The Village Baker's Wife: The Deserts and Pastries That Made Gayle's Famous [Hardcover]

Joe Ortiz (Author), Gayle Ortiz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Village Baker's Wife is thought by many to be one of the best baking books of its year. If you bake, this book can help you hone your skills to professional levels. If you love dessert, reading the lavish recipes will make you salivate.

Whatever your local bakery charges will seem worthwhile once you see how the best baked goods are made--brimming with fresh butter and eggs, the finest chocolate, and fresh fruit.

Photos and drawings are used excellently in this volume. Crammed with information, each page is accessible thanks to intelligent design. Most recipes begin with a list of "Baker's Basics to Review." Take the time to do this; it will increase the likelihood of outstanding results and minimize scrambling for needed information at critical moments.

Raspberry Walnut Brownies, Downtowners (a sticky bun), Lemon Lust Bars and Banana-Coconut Cake are treats you can make with The Village Baker's Wife. If you like, tackle their devastating Chocolate Mousse Cake and elegantly European, marzipan-enrobed Princess Cake. Professional caterers should not miss this book.--Dana Jacobi

From Library Journal

"The village baker's wife" is a bit tongue in cheek, especially since the bakery was Gayle Ortiz's idea and project to begin with, but since Joe called his excellent book on artisan breads The Village Baker (LJ 12/92), there is a certain symmetry at work. Here are recipes for the croissants and Danish pastries, pies and tarts, cookies, muffins, and other delicious delicacies sold at Gayle's Bakery in Capitola, California. The recipes are well written and thorough, and techniques are often illustrated with whimsical but very clear line drawings. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898158699
• ISBN-13: 978-0898158694
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for all levels of experience --, December 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Village Baker's Wife: The Deserts and Pastries That Made Gayle's Famous (Hardcover)

I love Gayle's in Capitola -- all the pastries taste exactly like those from your fondest childhood memories. In the past few months I've made several cakes from Gayle Ortiz' cookbook, and each one tastes just like Gayle's! Even somewhat complicated recipes are broken down into manageable components with easy-to-follow, detailed instructions. I have an embarrassment of cookbooks and baking manuals from four generations of avid bakers, and Gayle's combines the best qualities of all of them. As evidenced by another reviewer's comments, the inherent subjectivity of baking renders no cookbook foolproof. (I've made the pastry cream according to the directions several times, with no problems.) However, this cookbook is nearly foolproof -- my self-proclaimed "not-a-baker" boyfriend & his three children made the carrot cake for my birthday with no assistance, and it was wonderful -- just like Gayle's! (The one error I've found is that recipe's baking time seemed to be incorrect -- 30 minutes instead of the 50-60 mine needed to bake).

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DEE-LISH-US!!!, July 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Village Baker's Wife: The Deserts and Pastries That Made Gayle's Famous (Hardcover)

What a find! This book has some great recipes. It really caters to folks that know their way around the kitchen and have some knowledge of baking, even though the directions are very well written and each recipe has a refer to page to remind you of a technique that was explained early on in the book.

I've never been to Gayle's but I certainly won't pass it up if I'm ever in the area. Everything I have made, with the exception of the croissants, have been phenominal (the croissants were way too buttery and greasy - this was probably due to my handling of the dough rather than the recipe though). The pastries are to die for even though they took some time to make - no one believed I made them, they looked too perfect - exactly like the photo! The chocolate mousse cake is sinfully delicious and the key lime pie is the BEST I have ever had. Needless to say I have added a few pounds from all the experimenting in the kitchen.

The ingredients are easy to find, the recipes are the ones you'd want from a traditional bakery (danishes, pastries, cakes, cookies, pies). What a gold mind this book has been, I feel like Gayle's has 'revealed' all their secrets. I keep reaching for this book when I want to try a sweet treat.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book from a great bakery, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Village Baker's Wife: The Deserts and Pastries That Made Gayle's Famous (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book! The recipes are well-written and easy to make, plus the results are as good as what's served at Gayle's Bakery. Included are short stories about the chef's and cooks who have influenced them, which are both charming and inspiring. As a professional baker, this is one of my favorite books.