"This will be irresistible to anyone hoping to find the culinary key that unlocks the good, not too sweet secrets of Polish baking." —
Library Journal
, Starred Review
Discover the vast and varied Polish baking tradition, old and new, Jewish and diasporic, in this authoritative collection of 120+ recipes from James Beard Award finalist Laurel Kratochvila.
Poland’s distinctive baking culture is a product of its rich and complicated history, from the World Wars to the rise of Communism to the cultural exchange that inevitably happens to a country with seven neighbors and endless migration. Step into the Polish piekarnia (bakery) and be greeted by an abundance of tiny cookies and rugelach, decorative layer cakes and cheesecakes, sweet yeast buns and danishes, and hearty rye breads and sourdough loaves.
In this repertoire—expanding baking book,
American—born, Berlin—based baker and 2023 James Beard Award finalist
Laurel Kratochvila brings you more than
120 familiar and inventive treasures—innovative recipes of her own and from pioneering Polish bakers
, including:
Horseradish, Beet, and Summer Greens Bialys
Sunflower Rye Loaf
Plum Butter Carnival Donuts
Rano Piekarnia’s Summer Bilberry Buns
Chocolate and Whipped Cream Warsaw Cake
Karpatka (Cream and Choux Cake)
Soft Iced Toruń Gingerbread
Rose and Almond Jewel Rugelach
Twisted Krakow Bagels
Sauerkraut and Mushroom Rolls
And much more.
Vivid storytelling and fascinating historical details illuminate each recipe’s significance:
If you want to start a fight with a French person, tell them that baba au rhum is Polish. In the eighteenth century, while exiled in France, Polish King Stanislaw I sent a dry babka back to the kitchen, spurring his pastry chef to soak it in sweetened alcohol to everyone’s delight—and thus, the emblematic French dessert was born in a Polish court.
Beautiful photography makes it feel as if you're right there
beside Laurel, stepping into a warm bakery on a cold winter's day, picking baskets of wild bilberries in July, and biting into a soft yeasted bun, jammy strawberries oozing down your chin.
Cheesecakes, wafer cookies, gingerbread, country loaves
: These recipes aren't just for those curious about the new wave of Polish bakeries or nostalgic for the old—world treats or Jewish delights of their childhood—they're for any home baker looking to fill their cookie jars and bread boxes with inspiration.
EXPERT AUTHOR + RELIABLE RECIPES: Lauded professional baker Laurel Kratochvila is the owner of Fine Bagels bakery and café in Berlin and author of the award—nominated cookbook
New European Baking
. Her
thoroughly tested, reliable recipes range from easy to advanced
and include clear instructions and step—by—step directions for making and shaping various base doughs.
SURVEY OF POLISH BAKING
: Dobre Dobre
's curated selection of more than 120 recipes encapsulates the
wide range and diversity of Poland's exciting baking culture
. Discover contemporary spins on the classics, traditional holiday treats, desserts from the diaspora, recipes with Jewish roots, including bagels, bialys, and challah, and much more. No one book can capture a country's entire baking catalog, but
Dobre Dobre
comes close.
UPLIFTS PIONEERING BAKERS: In addition to Kratochvila’s work, the book
spotlights ten stars on the Polish baking scene
and in the diaspora by featuring their recipes.
BEAUTIFUL TRAVELOGUE: Visit Poland via these stunning photographs and delectable recipes,
perfect for armchair travelers and heritage seekers
.
Perfect for:
Home bakers of all levels
Bakers of Jewish or Eastern European heritage
Those curious about the ongoing bakery renaissance in Eastern, Central, and Northern Europe
Cookbook collectors
Buyers of books like
Mooncakes and Milk Bread
by Kristina Cho,
New World Baking
by Bryan Ford,
Scandinavian from Scratch
by Nichole Accettola,
Mamushka
by Olia Hercules, and
The Nordic Baking Book
by Magnus Nilsson