Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for this eARC of Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho. This recipe book is a labor of love! Not only does this book provide its reader with wonderful recipes and creative ideas for modifying and serving, but it also serves as a biography of Kristina's family restaurant, highlights Chinese bakery hotspots from all over the country, and teaches lessons in Chinese culture. I learned so much by reading this lovely book, and enjoyed every second of perusing the delicious treats detailed in these pages. I have always been intimidated at the prospect of baking my own bread, but the myriad recipes for how to use milk bread has enticed me to try! Highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to branch out in their baking, or learn more about a different food culture.

This book really appealed to me, it is not just a recipe/cookbook but a story about the culture around the Chinese American way of cooking. It is quite a large book of over 300 pages, but it is well worth the read. The information and techniques are well explains and the mooncakes and milk breads are very varied and interesting. From a young age, I have always loved the look of the Chinese shop windows and was intrigued by the wonderful ingredients displayed.
These recipes are modern but have not lost the culture and style of their origin. Really lovely and interesting book

A really easy-to-follow cookbook with intriguing recipes. Perfect for pandemic baking needs! Recommended.

I received this book for free from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I know nothing about cooking Chinese food so I went into this not knowing what to expect but this book looked extremely interesting.

I am so glad I checked it out! The pictures are beautiful, the stories are interesting, the recipes are delicious and simple enough for someone like me to actually cook them. There are even picture instructions on a lot of the more difficult parts such as rolling certain dough.

I can highly suggest this book all around. A definite keeper for the shelf. I actually went out and purchased a hard copy.

I will never be able to make such delectable treats as Ms. Cho, such as the Matcha and Jasmine Swiss Roll. But, she sends you down a memory lane of Chinese and Chinese-American culture, with delish recipes and information aplenty. I was especially happy to see a recipe for steamed buns, which is a Korean favorite as well ... I can never quite get the right recipe for it. I am going to try it out this weekend! I also appreciated the photographs.

I've never really been into cookbooks much, but earlier this year I read a book called Taste Makers by Mayukh Sen, which is a great testament to female immigrant cooks and really opened my eyes to what a cookbook could be. Originally, the cover and title of this book caught my eye.

The first part of the book has a great introduction to Kristina's immigrant family and how her family and the streets of Hong Kong have always inspired her even in the diaspora. She also talks about how to find Chinese ingredients in shops and some methods regarding baking tools. It's filled with pictures and reads like a memoir, which I am learning cookbooks really go hand in hand with. The book is then broken down into different categories of Chinese breads, tarts, cakes, etc.

I am not much of a baker myself, but my coworker is and is familiar with milk bread. We even made the milk bread recipe from the cookbook in our work kitchen! All in all, this is a great cookbook and a beautiful way to introduce Chinese baking to a western audience without compromising what makes it Chinese.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

To quote this book: “Chinese bakeries have been around for a long time and deserve time in the spotlight.” And now I can’t wait for it to have time in the spotlight in my kitchen.

As someone who enjoys reading cookbooks, this book is a dream. It is very thorough and easy to understand. Rather than just having a hit list of recommended equipment, it has a paragraph for every time describing why it is important. Same goes for ingredients, this helps give the “why” behind each ingredient and step and I find that very helpful!

I see this as a book that will help elevate my skills in the kitchen, not to mention that I have pretty much every page bookmarked.

Happy baking!

A long awaited book. At least in the culinary community. A well respected blogger opens the world of Chinese sweets to the reading public. Milk bread garnered thousands of likes during the pandemic. Ms Cho gives us her tried and true recipe. I can say from experience it is easier than others I have tried.We get a bit of historical background to accompany the recipes all adding structure and understanding to how a recipe endures.

I was so very hungry while reading this book.

The pictures are wonderful. I especially appreciate the way that complicated or unusual bread forms are shown step by step. It is an excellent tool in a book like this.

I really loved reading the stories behind the author's love for baked goods. The tales of how her grandfather immigrated to America and opened a restaurant, and how food connects her to her community are all really lovely to read. This is a book that not only has inspired me to get back in the kitchen and try baking again, but also has me wanting to sit down with a glass of wine and just read it while looking at the pictures.

It feels cozy... and delicious.

This book is very clear, even for a total novice like myself. I finally understand how to use some of the tools after reading this cookbook, and I find myself eager to jump in and get started. As with all cookbooks, I with there were more photos. I think there should be photos on every page! This is a great book though, with detailed explanations.

Quick Stats:
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Book Cover: 5/5
Content of Book: 5/5

The cover is stunning and is what immediately drew me to this book - The photography is stunning throughout.
Each recipe is accompanied by a photograph which is something I look for in a cookbook. I am a visual learner so seeing the final product is something that will make me pick up the book time and time again.

I have yet to try any recipes, but I am looking forward to testing them out!

*I received this book as a digital advance reader copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.*

This book was such a lovely combination of recipes, stories, and technique. I found it easily accessible as someone who was pretty familiar with the foods in the book, but not very comfortable with baking, because Kristina Cho breaks down complex techniques into simple, doable steps, and transforms bakery dishes into those you can make comfortably at home. My favorite recipes in the book were the ones for everything bagel bao and Chinese puff pastry, but I would happily make and eat almost every recipe in the book. I loved the vivid, honest, and sweet stories about Chinese-American bakeries, family, and culture woven together with delicious recipes.

I really loved the pictures on this one they look so awesome and inviting, it helps a lot too since you usually need a little visual help to see if the recipe it’s going along well or if it looks almost as the one there.

The instructions seems very easy to follow and they are very step by step I loved that so you can see and read what are you doing so you can try to recreate it.

I got inspired a lot from this book will be doing a lot of baking soon.

And even some gifting on xmas since there’s a lot of cookies and desserts here.

This impressive book is loaded with recipes, photos, and step by step directions. Mooncakes, and Milk Bread is a book loaded and aimed at Chinese bakery recipes! The sheer amount of recipes in this book is amazing and no other book I have ran across offers such a selection of information, step by step pictures and recipes both sweet and savory! This book is a real treasure and I am excited to make the recipes contained within!

This just a beautiful c0oking book throughout. The photography is stunning from the first page – you can really tell Kristina Cho put so much love into this project. It's incredibly informative, from the guides to kitchen essentials to Cho's stories about growing up, her favourite bakeries and the history of Chinese breads and sweets. I can really appreciate that some recipes contain step-by-step images — I'm not a particularly great baker, so it's good to have clear explanations and examples of the progress. Overall, this is truly a valuable book – it's insightful, fun, and something that would look amazing on any shelf.

Love the format and the beautiful, colorful photos. Each recipe is less intimidating than I expected.

This book is so much more than just "mooncakes and milk bread"--it tells the story of the rich culinary heritage. Reading the recipes (youtiao, pineapple buns, custard buns, egg tarts, the butter cookies... just to mention a few) makes my mouth water and brings me back to my childhood! The little snippets of stories, cafes, and lovely photographs make this book even better.

I wasn't sure how much variety would be in this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. There are a whole lot of recipes to try out here and they're presented in a way that makes them seem approachable and possible. I also liked the mix of traditional and modern/western takes on recipes. There's something in here for everyone and I'm excited to get backing! Lovely, helpful photos as well.

I reviewed a copy of Mooncakes and Milkbread from NetGalley, and I was impressed with the sheer variety of the recipes and step-by-step photographic instruction. At first, I wondered why the recipes weren't listed in the table of contents (just the categories), but when I saw the appendix, I realized there were too many to list in there, so I guess it made sense to put it in the back.

The step-by-step photography of the steps, as well as the ingredients listed in both US and metric measurements, really show how much thought was put into making this book as useful and universally appealing as possible. I don't live in an area where Asian bakeries are readily available, but to have this as a reference for when I have a craving is invaluable. Highly recommended!

I first heard about Mooncakes and Milk Bread from the New York Times article "Seven Dazzling New Cookbooks Bring the World to Your Table." As soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to see it. It's such a treat to find a cookbook of authentic Chinese baking - it's not something you stumble upon often - and one that is written with such passion is just so much the better. I adore the subtle flavors and sweetness of east Asian bakery treats but have always had to go to a restaurant or bakery for them as I've never been able to find suitable recipes; this book definitely changes that for these delectable Cantonese treats.

Although the recipes may not be familiar to many in this country, Cho presents the recipes in such a way that they are very easy to follow along with. She does an excellent job at making the (what may be) unfamiliar very familiar. She explains in wonderful detail not only the ingredients and methods, but the deeper meaning of many of the foods about which she writes. And even if the recipes themselves don't speak to you, the photos will definitely leave you wanting to try one of everything!