Our family loves the Great British Baking Show and I adore Paul Hollywood, so I had to request this book even though most of our kids are gluten free and my hubby and I are keto. I have a lot of baking experience and can recognize the quality of these recipes even if I can't make them these days without some heavy modifications. There are color photos for many of the recipes and Hollywood tells you something about each recipe. The steps are easy to follow, demystifying the baking process for novices. In some cases, step by step photos are provided. There's a vast variety of types of bakes, with something for (nearly) everyone. As long as you eat flour, fat and sugar, that is. :) A wonderful book.

No nutritional information is provided for the recipes. The book is not suitable for those who are on special diets such as gluten free, paleo, keto or vegan. For all others, it will be a big hit.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Bake
by Paul Hollywood
Pub Date: July 19, 2022
Bloomsbury
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
In BAKE, Paul Hollywood shares his best-ever recipes for classic bakes: cakes, biscuits and cookies, breads and flatbreads, pizza and doughnuts, pastries and pies, and showstopping desserts. From classic cakes like Victoria Sandwich and Chocolate Fudge Cake, through brilliant breads like foolproof Sourdough, to savory and sweet pastries like Sausage Rolls and Danish Pastries, these are the only recipes you'll need to create perfectly delicious bakes time and time again.
I was introduced to Paul through the Great British Baking Show. This is a cookbook I would recommend. I've got a ton of the recipes bookmarked and am excited to make them--
4 stars

A great selection of recipes suited for seemingly any level of baker. Fans of Great British Bake Off will find some familiar favorites from the show among the book's pages, as well as techniques to help you achieve the perfect bake.

I love the variety of recipes available in this book. The recipes are easy to follow and are not too hard to make

I do not have a crush on Paul Hollywood. My sister, however, does. So I chose to read this book to see if it would be an appropriate Christmas present for her. I’m happy to report that it is. This collection compiles the all the ultimate versions of recipes that are special to the author, with a focus on his roots in northwestern England, where he first learned to bake bread in his father’s bakery.

Bake is divided into six sections - cakes, breads and flatbreads, pastry and pies, cookies and scones, pizza and doughnuts, desserts - the longest of which are the bread chapter and the pastry chapter. Each section starts with a brief introduction before proceeding into the recipes. The recipes themselves are clearly and concisely written. Each is preceded by an explanatory note, which gives the author’s opinion on how simple the recipe is and tips to help navigate the tricky bits of the recipe. Ingredient measurements are provided in both Imperial and metric units. The vast majority of the ingredients are easily found in a well-stocked American supermarket. Only dolcelatte - one of the cheeses on the four cheese pizza - gave me a moment of pause.

According to the author, cake comes first because it is the simplest thing to bake; as long as you measure the ingredients precisely and mix it properly, your cake will turn out well. I was pleasantly surprised by how simple the recipes were. For example, the majority of the cookie recipes are rolled into a cylinder, wrapped, refrigerated, and sliced. Even the two macaron recipes seemed doable. The bread recipes were very straightforward - even the recipe for the sourdough bread. He explained a very simple method for growing an active starter in five days, which was good because it was used not only in the sourdough bread recipe but also in the pizza crust recipe. When appropriate, the bread recipes explained options both for hand kneading and for mixer kneading. At the outset, I was confused as to why pizza shared a chapter with doughnuts. But the mystery was solved in the first sentence of that chapter’s introduction: that’s what the author would want as his last meal on earth. Even though his doughnuts are fried and not baked, he had to find a way to work them into this book. In the pizza chapter, it is! The pastry chapter had the most complex recipes, including six or seven different types of pastry dough. Each type of pastry dough was well explained and illustrated with photographs. The dessert chapter was glorious: trifle, baked Alaska, entremet and more sweet treats that may or may not require baking. But those not requiring baking were included because the author loves sweets of all kinds, just like me!

Full color photographs accompany each recipe so that the reader can start with an idea of what the end looks like. Certain recipes, especially the more complex ones, also have photographic steps, which are numerically cross-referenced in the recipe instructions.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The recipe selection is a diverse variety of Anglo-Saxon favorites, and there were hardly any that I wouldn’t feed myself (except for some of the savory pies). The ingredients are readily available in my area (New England). The recipe steps are clear and easy to follow. What more could I want? More importantly, what more could my sister want….

I received this book as a digital advance reader copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. I have yet to try any of the recipes from this book, but will update my review when I do.

What a gorgeous book! I was able to review an ARC of Bake from Netgalley.

Bake has beautiful pictures, and lots of great recipes. It also has lovely stories from Paul, and step by step directions for the recipes. It was a treat to read in electronic form, and I think in physical form it would be even more impressive.

The book is sectioned by type of recipe: There's cookies, breads, pizzas, cakes, scones, and more! The recipes are really geared toward any baker---not too many ingredients in most recipes, and step by step instructions.

I can't wait to try some of the scone recipes, and I know my Scottish father will love the Steak & Mushroom Pie recipe.

Highly recommend this book.

To his fans, Paul Hollywood needs no introduction. He has made his name as one of the judges on the British baking show where contestants vie for a glass plate prize and a handshake. For those who would like to see what recipes Mr. Hollywood himself uses and recommends this book will be a delightful treat and, one that is full of treats to make. These are offered in sections including Cake, Breads and Flatbreads, Pastry and Pies, Cookies and Scones, Pizzas and Doughnuts, and, finally, Desserts.

The recipes have clear directions and it does not look like one must already be a talented baker to attempt them. There are also many illustrations throughout, some of which will undoubtedly make readers salivate.

One thing that I very much enjoyed in this book were the sections in which Hollywood talks about what baking means to him, the memories that we bring to the cakes we eat, and more. On the TV shows, Hollywood can seem abrasive at times but he is not in the writing within these pages.

I was fortunate to receive an e-galley of this title. I think that I will buy the hard copy when it is available in July.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

I suppose that it is best to begin with a confession: my wife and I are huge, long-time fans of The Great British Baking Show and Paul Hollywood is a big reason for that. As the judge that all the contestants fear the most—and are most eager to win the approval of with a coveted “Hollywood Handshake”—he shows himself time and again to be knowledgeable about all things related to baking as well as a master of execution in the culinary arts. So, when it comes to evaluating a cookbook that promises to include Hollywood’s favorite, time-tested recipes for a wide variety of classic bakes, I am more than a little biased before I even begin.

That acknowledged, BAKE is a remarkable collection of outstanding and tantalizing recipes. The thing about the book that is most impressive is the diversity of its coverage. Unlike the bread-centric focus of some of the author’s previous cookbooks—baking bread is his passion, after all—this is a far more balanced selection, including dishes from a broad set of sweet and savory categories that cover just about anything a home baker might want to cook, including Cakes, Cookies and Scones, Breads and Flatbreads, Pizza and Doughnuts, Pastry and Pies, and Desserts. All of the recipes are easy to follow and I really appreciate that the weights and measures were tailored to the U.S. audience. Also, at the head of each category, as well as before each recipe, the author offers lovely personal observations that are both insightful and frequently charming.

For what it is worth, we baked three of the recipes from different categories: Peanut Butter Cookies, White Sandwich Bread, and Yule Log. So, in addition to reading all these great preparations and imagining how wonderful they might be on the plate, we have first-hand experience with how a few of them actually turned out. They were all fun and satisfying to bake and ended up being delicious. However, our bakes were not uniformly successful—without the right pan for the Yule Log we over-cooked the sponge, which ended up being more of a Yule Parfait, but it was still quite tasty. Also, the bread came out great and exactly as described, but was very time-consuming given the required dough-rising and proving. Overall, BAKE is a cookbook that should be an essential resource for any home baker and it is one that we will enjoy using for many years to come.

Let’s be honest here and just say if I had this guy for a husband I’d be big as a house eating all these delectable dishes. I think I bookmarked half the book.

What did I like? Everything. I swear there wasn’t one bad dish in the book. That Baked Alaska looked like a wet dream…. Breads, scones, cakes, pie the list goes on and on. Naan, pita, tortillas, empanadas… I floved it all!

Would I recommend or buy? Uh this was fabulous. I’d spend my last fifty on this book. I will definitely add to my baking collection. Five fantastic stars!

I received a complimentary copy to look at… salivate heavily, and enjoy. I voluntarily left this review.

Bake is a gorgeous cookbook.Clear baking instructions measurements geared to your area.The photos are beautiful looking forward to using this cookbook for many delicious treats.#netgalley #bake

Bake is a cookbook which shares all of Paul Hollywood's greatest recipes. Not only are there the classics of Pecan Pie and Pain au Chocolat. But, there are unique recipes such as Lime Macarons and Pain du Campagne.

The cover is a classic Paul Hollywood photo. I've seen this lean on him a many times during the Great British Bakeoff and usually it's because he's quite happy or pleased with whatever is occurring in conversation or what's been cooked. A good sign for what's to come inside the pages.

The artwork and style is simple, minimal, and clean. Each section dawns another color highlight before going back to the white background for each recipe. This in my opinion is a great feature as it makes finding sections easier.

The photography choices were really nice. They have a more raw look to them, the colors balanced well and have a very earthy tone to them rather than being overly bright or have colorful backgrounds for each piece of food to stand in front of. There's also prep photos of cooking in the process on certain recipes and that's a nice touch.

5 Stars. We're excited to dive in and try making their breads (we'll be subbing out the regular flour for gluten free flour in most recipes) and the ginger snap cookies brought me back to Christmas at home with my family immediately once they hit the oven.

Now, next on the list is those Lemon Doughnuts because just as Paul Hollywood has said, "you can't beat a good doughnut".

Thanks to the publisher, Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy to read and review. Review will also be posted to my blog (www.kagoodsell.com/book-reviews), GoodReads, TikTok (@unearthingeco), as well as NetGalley reviews.

Whether you’re a fan of Bake Off or not, this is about to be your new favorite baking book. Reading the notes before each recipe is like talking to a friend over a cup of tea. Even the recipes that should be more intimidating seem more approachable with Paul’s descriptions. I tried his focaccia, macarons, and olive bread sticks and each one seemed easier than I thought they would be especially for the pay off once the bake was ready. There are photos of not just the finished results but many photos of the process when needed to ensure you’re doing everything right.

I highly recommend picking this one up as soon as possible, your friends will be more than impressed when you show up with just about anything from this book.

This book is a delightful collection of recipes by the GBBO judge. It covers baked delights from all over the world, set out clearly. A lovely feature is that measurements are all given so that both British and American bakers can use the book easily.

A no nonsense baking book with ingredients which are accessible and easy to follow instructions.
Paul Hollywood keeps his crown as the king of British baking and I love the traditional bakes in this book alongside some more unusual recipes.
I have made endless batches of cheese scones and I am still excited to try the recipe from ‘Bake’, I will also be trying the Lemon Drizzle cake and who can resist as gray of fresh Ginger Snaps!
!

The introduction starts with the line, "Baking is all about sharing," which I agree with and love. These are recipes to share.
Recipes are in chapters on Cakes, Cookies and Scones, Breads and Flatbreads, Pizza and Doughnuts, Pastry and Pies, and Desserts. The Cake chapter includes some things like brownies. The Bread chapter seems to me like it is the longest. The Pastry chapter has more savory recipes than sweet.
The book has both cups and metric measurements. Each recipe has a full color photo. There are a few recipes I would consider more British, but overall it is a great book with nice variety.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

Having long been a big fan of the Great British Baking Show and an owner of previous baking books by Paul Hollywood, I was anxious to get my hands on Bake, his newest book.

I was not disappointed. The author’s casual, personable style, his experience, and his delicious-sounding recipes make for a great cookbook. I especially liked, and will try, his bread recipes. Anyone that knows about Hollywood probably knows that his breads are what made him famous. I was interested in the fact that he described having what amounts to a ‘sweet tooth’. Thus, his cookie, pie and cake recipes also look delicious. The photos in this book make the recipes very appealing. The ingredients seem to be easily obtainable. The procedure for making things in this book do not seem overly complex.

As a collector of good cookbooks, this one will most definitely find a place on my shelf and on the counter in my kitchen as I experiment with some very tasty baking recipes!

This is a beautiful cookbook filled with many classic baked dishes. I love that it's classic presented in a sleek modern way. The graphic design and visuals are so clean and sleek and there are many large sharp pictures. The few recipes I tried were delicious! I appreciate that the ingredients come measured in cups and grams. A few things I baked called for superfine sugar which was hard for me to find in the USA grocery store. I was able to find a small container but it wasn't available the way table sugar is in a large bag. There were also several things I was interested in making that called for orange extract, I'm not a huge fan of orange flavor. I surprised myself because I really enjoyed the orange chocolate banana bread, but a few others I may amend for a different extract. My favorite takeaway from the book was Paul a Hollywood talking about how baking is a way to share with others and how much fun it is to bake something and bring it to someone's home. I love to bake for just that reason, sharing with family, taking to a neighbor, or sending a yummy treat in with my kids to school! Thanks to NatGalley and Bloomsbury USA for allowing me to take a peak at this new cookbook!

By his own admission, Paul Hollywood of The Great British Baking Show fame, has tasted and judged literally thousands of cakes, pastries, and desserts. In this book, he shares his ultimate versions of these recipes. His cookbook, aptly named, BAKE, has a variety of recipes that range from ultra sweet to savory. Recipes are included for cakes, pies (both savory and sweet), desserts, scones, pizza, bread, and flatbreads. Recipe directions are straightforward and clear. Ingredients are listed both in cups and grams. Hollywood even provides a brief commentary at the beginning of each recipe with tips for success. The cookbook is illustrated with beautiful, clear photographs of each recipe, which helps the aspiring baker know how the finished product looks. I tried Hollywood's version of lemon drizzle cake and it was excellent. I tried his recipe for classic scones - which uses bread flour - and it was also delicious (his scones pleased the queen, according to Hollywood).

Five stars for Paul Hollywood's cookbook, BAKE, which will help new baker acquire baking skills and also improve the skills and repertoire of more experienced bakers.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Bake by Paul Hollywood is a beautiful cookbook. The photos are gorgeous and the directions are clearly written. I’m looking forward to trying his macaron recipe!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

With the great british baking show reputation behind him, Paul Hollywood's BAKE cookbook comes with a great variety of recipes that vary from sweet to savory. They all look easy enough for the home baker yet are very classy to present to guest.. I was pleasantly surprised to see a yule log recipe. Only minor complaint is the flavors are still in the "safe" zone, but he's so traditionally British it's expected.