This book features a unique selection of baked goods. While they aren't a family favorite here, if you like Asian you should certainly try these out.

Expertly designed and presented, unique and a pleasure to review, Breaking Bao is an exemplary cookbook for experiencing the varied treats of the culture.. A definite five-star selection!

I’ve recently started exploring baking (mostly cookies so far, but I’m excited to branch out), and I can’t wait to try some of these bao recipes! They look so straightforward, and the instructions are super clear and easy to follow not to mention the wonderful pictures help too. I’m genuinely excited to get started!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an ARC of this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


This is a gorgeous, and unique book filled will a wide variety of of Asian desserts and snacks. There were so many tasty things that I've never seen before, the the photos for each one were beautiful. All the recipes were clear, and easy to understand. I already have several on my list to make once the weather gets cooler.

The only reason it wasn't a 5 star book for me, is that many of the ingredients can be hard to source, and also expensive if you live in a rural area like I do. Some of the techniques could be difficult if you are inexperienced with baking too. I would recommend this for a more experienced baker in your life.

It is definitely worth flipping through, and I think it would also make a great gift!

Breaking Bao is a collection of bao and snacks from Asia. From classic buns to more unique bakes like Mango-Yaklut Tres Leches Cake, it embodies various flavors and combinations central to Asian cuisine.

These recipes all sound SO delicious. I love that there's a good mix of both savory and sweet treats, because I often find that baking books focus on sweet and I'm usually more of a savory fan. The photos are all gorgeous and make me want to make every single thing in here!

I had no idea there were so many ways to enjoy Bao!!! I loved the step by step (with pictures) instructions for the recipes!

The cookbook's 88 recipes strike an excellent balance between accessibility and ambition. From traditional mooncakes to fusion creations, each recipe is thoughtfully constructed with the home baker in mind, while still maintaining the precision and sophistication one would expect from a seasoned pastry chef. The stunning photography - over 100 images - serves not just as eye candy but as crucial visual guidance for techniques that might be unfamiliar to Western bakers.
What truly sets "Breaking Bao" apart is Lam's ability to weave together diverse culinary influences without losing authenticity. Her approach respects traditional Asian baking methods while incorporating French pastry techniques, creating something entirely new yet grounded in expertise. For anyone looking to expand their baking repertoire beyond standard Western fare, this cookbook isn't just a collection of recipes - it's a masterclass in cross-cultural culinary innovation.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

While I haven't yet tried any of these recipes, they all look so fun and delicious! I really love the intercultural approach Clarice Lam took to creating this cookbook. I also think this cookbook had a great balance of description/storytelling and recipe. Some cookbooks are too heavy on one or the other, either making it hard to find the actual recipe or making the recipes feel impersonal.

I also liked the terminology list at the beginning, and that it explained where to find the ingredients. The pro tips section after each recipe about storing the food and other helpful ideas was also wonderful. I wish more cookbooks did both of these things!

Publication date: 22 October 2024

Thank you so much for allowing me to review this beautiful book. There are so many delicious recipes to try in this book! I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys cooking.

The recipes are much more adventurous foodie and fusion than I was expecting. Not a bad thing, but it means there was only a couple recipes that resembled the foods I was feeling nostalgic for, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone new to Asian baked goods. It also tends toward the expensive and inaccessible, with a bit too much emphasis on weighing ingredients in a home setting, or using exactly the right ingredients - substitutions are not provided, so bakers in less cosmopolitan areas may struggle. I also didn't like the formatting - there was an abundance of useless white space in areas where it wasn't needed, that could have been shifted to provide space for reader recipe notes. I did, however, appreciate that ingredients were bolded when they appeared in recipe steps, so the reader could know when it was being used at a glance. And the recipes did spell the steps out much more than other pastry books do, which was nice. These look like good recipes, but I wasn't able to test them out for myself as too many ingredients aren't available to me.

Breaking Bao is an engaging, accessible, and do-able collection of baked goodies from Asia (and beyond) by professional baker Clarice Lam. Released 22nd Oct 2024 by Chronicle Books, it's 248 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Most people who enjoy Asian bakery offerings just buy them from their favorite vendors and leave the expert/time consuming tasks and prep to the experts. That's problematic for the majority of folks who don't live in urban areas blessed with a local Asian bakery. Pastry chef Lam has a lightly humorous and encouraging "voice" throughout the book and there's something for every taste in the collection.

The author does a great job simplifying the tasks involved and shows readers how to recreate them at home with their own tools and supplies. Most of the ingredients will be available at any well stocked grocery store in North America. Some of them will require a trip to an Asian/international market or online retailer.

The recipes are wide ranging and are arranged into sections thematically: bao, cakes & desserts, and snacks. There are 88 recipes and they're all complete and well written. Ingredients are listed in a bullet sidebar, with yields, background for the recipe, a description, yields, and step-by-step directions. Recipe ingredients are listed with both imperial (American) and metric units (yay!).

The photography and styling throughout are excellent. Photos are in color, and the food is presented appropriately and stylishly.

Five stars. This is a delicious and comprehensive collection. It would be a great choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or gift giving purposes.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

If you like bao, you want this book. From the recipes for buns to all the fillings and then some, this book has it all. There are the usual fillings and then the unexpected ones. This is a must have in your kitchen.

Gorgeous book - perfect if you are craving a trip to the Asian bakery, but don't live near one! Highly recommend!

Gorgeous.

Simply gorgeous. This is Asian desserts, cakes, snacks and savories made with a modern sophistication. Gorgeous photos (some step by step, when needed, like for the scallion pancakes). This book is comprehensive in details. But still makes beautiful treats attainable. Just read the whole recipe with care. Makes me want to buy a blow torch to make Baked Alaska.
Recommend.

This cookbook makes me hungry. I can’t give a bigger compliment than that. The recipe seem easy and the pictures are very helpful. I would like to see this in a printed version because on my iPad it seems really small. My other observation is all the food looks fantastic and looks ready to eat. It also makes me think of my grandmother is 1960s and 70s cookbook. I don’t know why maybe it’s the shade of green that it is. Maybe it’s something else altogether I think this cookbook is fantastic, but those flipping in a bookstore might give it a pass.

I rarely purchase actual, hard copy, cookbooks anymore. It’s easier and less space consuming to grab and store recipes online. HOWEVER, Breaking Bao will be coming to live on my shelves, coffee table, and kitchen. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Bao have long been a loved food for me, and Clarice Lam has leveled them up with traditional and unique flavor combinations, mixing flavor profiles and techniques from all over Asia, as well as the Middle East and Europe. Char Siu Carnitas Bao, Coconut Croissants, Mango Sticky Rice Cake, and White Rabbit candy rice crispy treats are just a few of the awesome savory and sweet offerings. In addition to the dumplings and breads, there are cakes, pastries, cookies, snacks and more.

There are mouth-watering photos for every recipe (a huge plus to see Lam’s intended result for each item), along with very clear pictures when there are multiple steps, or a special technique is used. She also provides some great tips for mixing and matching recipe ingredients or trying them in alternative ways. The chef has some fun stories included as well.

There are a few items for some recipes that are not available in my small town supermarket but are easily available to be ordered. So far, I have only had the chance to make the Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan). It was easier than I expected and the soft, bouncy, but still sturdy-enough-to-make-a-sandwich bread tastes wonderful.

I can’t wait to try additional recipes. Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the digital ARC.

Breaking Bao breaks down some of the intimidation factors of attempting to reproduce many of the delicious sweet and savory baked treats that I have enjoyed in my travels through Asia. It also takes a spin at "baking fusion" blending eastern and western flavor profiles and techniques to elevate classics and create new decadent delights. Recipes are detailed, with clear ingredient lists, introductions, additional tips, and photos of the finished product. Some of the more involved recipes also have step by step photos, for example, the folding to create lamination in the Scallion Roti Canai is broken down to a dozen easy to follow pictures. The book has sections on Bao, Cakes & Desserts, and Snacks. It starts with an introduction, where the author provides a brief on her journey but also an introduction to the ingredients and tools that are used in the book. The Bao section is the longest and goes way beyond steamed buns, to every steamed, baked and even fried bite that I can't wait to try. The Cakes and Desserts are a feast for the eyes and the section has a few items that I'd love at my next celebration. As for Snacks, the holiday cookie canister may be overflowing this year as I try out a number of these recipes. This book is a great gift idea for any bakers of your list and the first one that I will be gifting is to myself. (4.5/5)
I received access to this ebook thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Chronicle Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

This cookbook is filled with delicious sounding bakes and sweets, most of which are too complex for me to tackle, although I did take note of a few I wanted to try. If nothing else, this book opened my eyes to treats from the Asian world that I had never heard of before and combines them in creative ways with other classic foods from the author's time in the US, France, Italy, and more.

I love Bao, and I was so excited for this book. The pictures are so vibrant and beautiful, everything looks delicious. My favorite part of this is the set by step instruction pictures for tasks you may not be familiar with (one example but not the best one, is showing you how to fold in the butter for puff pastry).

this was easy to follow, covered all ingredients well, and was visually easy to follow which are the most important things in a cookbook in my opinion.

Thank you for the ARC!