Mooncakes and Milk Bread

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

Born into a Chinese American restaurant family, Cho trained as an architect and lived and worked in San Francisco, starting a blog (Eat Cho Food) because her profession didn’t fully satisfy her need to create. A move to Inner Richmond, the city’s unofficial second Chinatown, further inspired: “What was most helpful in the transition from architecture to food was the unrelenting process of iteration and development.” Architecture taught her to “balance artistry with precision when explaining techniques, presenting dishes and writing recipes.” What is so special about Cho’s book is how it is rooted in a diasporic experience of cooking, eating, and the recreation of food memories. Recipes for many of Cho’s favourite Chinese bakery offerings are hard to find (she cites Hot Dog Flower Buns, Brown Sugar Shao Bing, and Macau-style chocolate-hazelnut cookies as examples), and she wanted to change that.

“Aside from copious amounts of food, you’ll also find community in a Chinese bakery,” she writes in her introductory notes. Her book reflects this, introducing readers to four respected Chinese bakeries in the USA and outlining different establishments from ‘grab and go’ to ‘sit-down cafes’, the latter modelled on Hong Kong’s cha chaa tengs. There’s a guide on how to shop at an Asian grocery store, lots of intricately pleated detail about ingredients and techniques, and an exploration of foundational bread before we dive into the many recipes using these. And what recipes! Honey Pistachio Moon Cakes, Snow Skin Icecream Moon Cakes, Black Sesame Souffle Cheesecake, Rose Siu Mai, Bacon and Kale Potstickers, Everything Bagel Bao, Asian Pear Turnovers with Miso Glaze all excite me, but the entire recipe index will fill your heart with longing. My only criticism is the fact that not all recipes have volume and metric measurements. Some do, and some don’t, resulting in a bit of extra work for less confident cooks.

Accessible Chinese breads, buns and delicacies.

I have never really made Chinese milk bread, steamed buns or even the iconic egg tarts, but this book made me think I could. Reading this book brought back fond memories of visiting China Town on Mauna Kea street in Honolulu to pick up egg tarts and "triangles" pie crust filled with char-sui. I enjoyed the stories, the history lesson and how well thought out the recipes were. I will definitely try to make the egg tarts, the savory pancakes and possibly attempt mild bread. I also have anew appreciation for moon cakes and their unique molds.

Recommend.

As a lover of Asian culture and baker and lover of baked goods myself I was thrilled to pick up this book. Coming from a heavily Asian-influenced part of Texas and being a huge fan of my own accord this book has to be one of the best guides I’ve ever seen on how to make the treats I love so much at my local bakeries and from some of the more famous chains like Mozart Bakery and 85°C.

These bakeries and the baked goods inside of them have become such an integral part of my convention experience; I now end each successful panel with hot tea and a slice of cake and more from Mozart Bakery. My friends and I shop at 85°C early into the weekend to load up on snacks and bread for the hotel room and I get one more trip in so I can bring these treats back home with me where I lack easy access to such delicacies.

Fortunately now, with the help of this book, I can make some of these recipes at home. No recipe seemed overly difficult and is written in a way that is fun, enlightening and instructional without babying me (a moderately seasoned [pun!]) baker.

I highly recommend Mooncakes & Milkbread to anyone who wants to learn more about baking, the cultural significance of many of the baked goods you may already love or simply want to learn more about a baking culture that may be different for you.

Mooncakes & Milkbread by Kristina Cho is out October 12, 2021

Do not read this book when you are hungry! This is an excellent cook book to familiarize you with Chinese cooking. There are many photos and recipes throughout. It walks you through getting the items you will need to create the recipes and each step to create the dish. They are time consuming though so you will have to set aside some time to make the potstickers. The Jook will be one of my first recipes to try though the Bacon and Kale potstickers sound enticing to me.



Thanks to the author,publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful and practical, Mooncakes and Milk Bread contains recipes for delicious Chinese bakery treats. These tasty treats range in difficulty from weeknight Parmesan Rolls to the all-day adventure that are Mooncakes. Well laid out and written for those who have never made steamed buns or milk bread before - it certainly inspired me to try both, and now I can't stop making them. My kitchen smells lovely, my flour is running out.

I was debating between a 4 and a 5 with this book because it’s definitely not for everyone nor are the recipes super easy or accessible, but that said, the book accomplishes exactly what it set out to do in extraordinary fashion and for that reason I settled on 5 stars.

The book itself is beautiful, featuring pictures of just about every recipe as well as other photos to help you understand the instructions. The recipes themselves are laid out quite well (measuring things in grams instead of cups), and while some instructions seemed a little unclear to me (like what does shaggy dough look like? (From the milk bread recipe)) as a whole the instructions were clear and made the challenge of tackling Chinese baking seem less daunting.

That said, the book brings back all the nostalgic memories of bakeries in Hong Kong and is packed with just about every recipe you could want. Some are familiar ones I’ve always wanted to attempt making, other are new to me but sound delicious, and others still might not exactly fit my tastebuds but have a good place in this book.

While I cannot imagine myself cooking everything in here simply because of the amount of time, equipment (though she gives good substitutions), and effort needed, I know this is the kind of book I would certainly turn to for all things dumplings and Chinese baking. It is beautiful, detailed, and unique in what it presents, so while the book may not be for everyone, for those looking to dive into the other side of Chinese cooking, this is a really great book to help you do that.

#MooncakesandMilkBread #NetGalley.
I'm so excited to try all of the recipes in Mooncakes and Milk Bread. The book is such a personal story and love of food, home, and culture. The photos are beautiful yet I wish the instructions were numbered. It's a bit daunting to me to venture outside of my baking comfort zone and I'm grateful that the author has shared this part of herself with others to expand our lives a bit more.

This book was amazing!!! One of the first Cantonese Chinese cookbooks in English. I cannot wait to try out some of the recipes. The photos are beautiful and the writing allows you to connect with the author's culture.

Kristina Cho shares more than just recipes in her cookbook “Mooncakes and Milk Bread”. She also shares her personal experiences growing up and living as a Chinese American in the United States. She also shares stories of her family history and some bakeries that are famous and important in Chinese American food history.

There is all of this, but there are also many, many delicious looking easy to follow recipes. As well as beautiful photography. This cookbook should be a staple for any baker who wants to experiment with new food or experience food that they can taste and think of their history and feel at home.

Ah. I love this book because the content bring me back to my childhood with my mom and grandma handmade bread and snack. I cant cook as good as both of them but this book make me want too.

Not only provide us with amazing recipes, the author give us a storybook about Chinesse snacks and sweet. She share about her experience and suggestion to get perfect ingredients and tools. some of it easy to replace with modern tools so dont overwhelmed with that list.
Overall this is a one stop book when you need knowledge and delicious recipe of Chinesse sweets and snack.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me this amazing book. Love it.

To say I loved this book would certainly be an understatement. This book felt like learning family recipes with a seat at the author's table. The recipes were clear and concise and the stories felt short, sweet and intimate. So many of these buns and dumplings I always considered impossible or too much work. But, Kristina Cho made them all so approachable. I just made the Steamed Cupcakes for Chinese New Year and the secret ingredient blew my mind (and my family's). Such a great book to bring childhood eats back to my kitchen.

Kristina Cho's Mooncakes and Milk Bread is an exciting book, since it seeks to bring the largely as yet unexplored world of Chinese baking to the fore. Books on Chinese cooking have far too long focused mainly on wok based dishes, stir fries, soups and other techniques, whereas Cho's book feels like an outlier. Peppered with beautiful photographs and easily achievable recipes, the book sets approachable goals for both beginner bakers and enthusiasts curious to experiment with Asian style baking. Everything from savory and sweet to breakfast dishes, cakes and tarts, Cho's book is a delight to look at and to bake with.

This cookbook is filled with nostalgic recipes of some of my favorite treats growing up. Im not really a baker but excited to try my hand at it soon. This book made me hungry! Brought back a lot of happy childhood memories..

I'm an indifferent bread baker at best (I prefer cookies or traybakes), but this book has made me want to try baking something yeasted. I say this a person who is near to several different Asian and Western bakeries.

The recipes are easy to read and understand (though I have not yet tried to make anything) and the pictures are lovely. I definitely found this easier to browse on my computer than on my kindle (screen size, maybe?). The steps are easily followed, with generous explanations.

All in all, a lovely cook book and cannot wait to try some recipes out.

I love how this book is constructed. Mooncakes and Milk Bread starts off with the Mother of All Milk Bread recipe and builds off of that. Different from other cookbooks that are full of completely different recipes, this one is full of recipes that begin with the same milk bread recipe. I love how it really gets you to become an expert in the dough recipe and shows you the different ways you can use it. The book is inspired by Chinese bakeries and the Chinese American experience, which I think is a unique perspective in modern baking. This is a great addition to any cookbook library.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
I really love this cookbook. It feels like part essay, combined with amazing recipes. Cho shares so many details of her life and childhood and how it connects with her food journey and what she makes. Not only did I get a bunch of new recipes to try to make, I got to read really intimate and personal writings about the author. I recommend this to anyone who's potentially interested!

Anyone who hasn’t been to an Asian bakery has really missed out. The baked goods are unique, and always fresh and delicious. If you don’t have access to a good Asian bakery, you can actually duplicate these baked goods at home. Kristina Cho ‘s excellent cookbook, Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries shows how in step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow.

Although the recipes are the main attraction in this cookbook, Cho has included information that is very helpful to all who aren’t familiar with Asian baking such as “How to Shop at an Asian Grocery Store,” as well as essential equipment. She also showcases several excellent Chinese bakeries in the US.

I love this cookbook! I have visited Asian grocery stores in Japan and China, as well as Hawaii and locations in the mainland US with large Asian populations. The baked goods are mouthwatering and I’ve tried to duplicate them, mostly without much success. Now, with this cookbook I have been able to bake some of my favorites. I must admit that I have even adapted some of the recipes to make the dough in the automatic bread machine to save time and have had perfect results.

There are enough appealing recipes to keep readers baking for months. Every time I peruse this cookbook, my baking queue gets longer. The cookbook inspires me to stay home and bake, and it will inspire readers to do the same. This cookbook is highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

There are no words to describe how fantastic this book is and to say my daughter and I loved this book would be an absolute understatement. Honestly, I almost never read the backstories of the creator, but this is so much more than "just" a recipe book... It's nostalgia, warmth and love wrapped in a beautiful bow.

We can't wait to make these recipes, because believe you me, we will be making most, if not all, of the recipes!

This really is the perfect cookbook. I've been a fan of Chinese dishes my whole life, but I've never seen a book with every single recipe I could want in one place...until now.

I like that most of it is from scratch, so you can really have fun with it. And when you make dough for one thing, it can also serve as dough for several other things as well, so it's not as complicated as it may seem at first glance. Every recipe also has accompanying pictures, so you know what it's supposed to come out as, and how you're supposed to get to that point (for example how to properly fold buns).

I love that this focuses on so much of the science of baking and also uses weights for measurements. I hate washing spoons and cups when I could just use my scale to measure the perfect amounts. Also appreciate all of the pictures, including steps for rolling out and shaping doughs.

And, there's a lot of history, about the author's family, other families with similar baking/restaurant backgrounds in different cities, as well as the origins of the recipes themselves. Like I said, perfect cookbook.

I can't wait to have this on my shelf so I can just pop it open and try something new whenever I have time.

This cookbook is so much more than just a compilation of recipes and ingredient descriptions. You can really feel the heart, the love that the author poured into this. It radiates with the warmth of nostalgia and cultural adoration. When I get a cookbook, I’ll often skip over the longer bits of text. I don’t usually read introductions at all! But something about the way Cho writes makes this cookbook so inviting. Like a warm hug.

Each recipe is thorough and easy to understand. I love that there is a base dough that you can use to create so many different recipes. Each bun, bread, and confection is enough to make your mouth water, with pictures that practically emit sweet-smelling steam.

I’ll be purchasing this book once it’s available and cannot wait to add it to my collection. Highly recommend!

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is one of the first cooking books I have given a review to, and it is also quite different from other cookbooks I've read.

I loved the amount of cultural information put into this book. As someone who is not familiar with Chinese culutre, I enjoyed learning about the recipes I was looking at.

I think there were only a couple of items in this book that I am familiar with, and definitely tabbed a few options to try and make myself. That being said, I wish the format of the book was a little cleaner in the way the recipes are set up. I think the wordiness of the actual recipe can be cute down to simpler instructions. I understand this is a preference for the way people consume cookbooks, but if I am following a recipe, I like to be able to easily pinpoint the information I am needing.

Overall, a book I recommend any cookbook enthusiast, or anyone interested in Chinese Cuisine and culture pick up.

↠ 4 stars

This is a delightful cookbook, laying out what might strike some as seemingly complex items in simple terms, so that anyone can make this delicious baked goods.

Both a great introduction for people new to this type of cuisine and an excellent book for people who grew up with this to feel seen, this is a great book, both for recipes and for representation of a part of the American melting pot.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a delightful cookbook. First, I can tell it's going to get me out of the box when baking. There are so many baked goods in the book I've never heard of or tasted, so it's really exciting to think about experiencing something new to me. Second, I really appreciate the way the book is laid out. Sometimes cookbooks go the route of having seven pages of story for every recipe, but this one shared stories that brought the recipe home while still being an actual cookbook. I like to have a photo for most every recipe in a cookbook, and Mooncakes and Milk Bread has that. I also love that a lot of savory bakes are included, and it's not all sweets.

I'd recommend Mooncakes and Milk Bread to anyone looking for a great quality cookbook on Chinese baking.

Thank you Kristina Cho and Harper Horizon for granting me access to an ARC of this book.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho makes me so hungry. That is often the case when cookbook authors provide you with gorgeous photos that accompany their recipes. There is a lot I want to try on this book: savory buns, milk bread, egg custard tarts...etc.

The write-ups that accompany each recipe are entertaining to read as well. This is a great cookbook and I can't wait to try the recipes!

Not only is this book beautiful to look at, but you can also feel the love behind the recipes. I loved the author's personal story combined with the most precious photos. I personally have a similar background to the author so it really stood out to me right away. A book for me! So cool! But even if you just love Asian baking you will love this book. She even goes through how to shop at an Asian store. The recipes were simple and easy to understand. The pictures were descriptive and beautiful. I almost squealed when I saw the recipe for the hot dog flower buns as that was (and still is) my go-to at any Asian bakery. There are even drink recipes! Highly recommend!

Well thought out recipes! I enjoyed reading the author's experiences too. The recipes in the cookbook reminded me of the pastries that I ate when I was young. Definitely nostalgic!

I'm obsessed. Not only are these recipes lovely, but the pictures!!! Oh, the pictures! I am so so happy that this book includes step by step photos with recipes that require folding or combining doughs. I'm an absolute dunce when trying to figure out what exactly recipes mean as they describe how an item is meant to be shaped. These photos were such a life saver!

Baking is a great way to spend your down time. Trying other cuisines baking is a great way to challenge yourself, and be rewarded with some delicacy that you may have never tried otherwise.

The baking has been split into seven different sections; Bread, Bao and Bing, Not-Too-Sweet Buns, Pork Buns and Beyond, Gao (Cakes & Tarts), No Fortune Cookies, Chinese Breakfast, and Sips. Before we get to the recipes though, have a section on how to shop at an asian grocery store, essential equipment and ingredients for a better bake.

There are plenty of recipes to try out, personally I cannot wait to Milk Bread, homemade Steamed Bun Dough, Miso Corn Buns (combining two of my favourite ingredients in bread sounds like an amazing idea), and Dan Tat.

A good book on Chinese baking that I would recommend to most people.

I loved this book. Being Italian I found the recipes really original, exsotic and new, and loved the layout and photos too. I would definitely buy a physical copy, the only donwside is that it's difficult to find in Europe unless you pay a big import fee. I hope a UK or Italian publisher makes a UK/Italian edition, so I can have my physical copy too. I will certainly try some recipes soon.

I was so excited to see this on Netgalley since it’s not even on order at my library yet. This book is gorgeous! There are so many photos showing explanations and the finished product looks so good. There are some cookbooks that you own just for the beauty and this might be one. haha. Although, there are a lot of things that I want to try. I think the Coconut Jasmine Cream Buns look amazing! I would have to talk my husband into it since he’s not the biggest coconut fan but they just look too good. There’s also a Deep Dish Pepperoni Bread that I’m absolutely going to try. I will be buying this book for sure.

Thanks to Harper Horizon for an e-galley of this book for review.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this title! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is absolutely fantastic. I've only made a few recipes so far, but everything has been wonderful - especially the milk bread, which is the base for so many others.

The instructions for each recipe are clear and easy to follow. The stories and photos are wonderful and made me feel a connection to these dishes, even though I didn't grow up eating these

I received a digital copy of this for review purposes, but I'm going to grab a copy next time I'm at a bookstore - this deserves a permanent spot on my cookbook shelf.

Wonderful cookbook for a niche baking topic I don't often see. Everything included looks so delicious and the recipes were easy to follow.

Moon cakes and milk bread by Kristina Cho is a wonderfully warm book written with love about the baking traditions of Cho’s Chinese American family and show’s how easy it is to learn these baking techniques and recipes. This book is easy to read and learn from with lots of step by step pictures and shopping guides. I loved milk bread myself and have always wanted to learn to make it and this book gave me the tools to finally do it. :)
I suggest this book for anyone who loves baking or wants to learn Chinese recipes.

I absolute loved this book! If you grew up visiting Chinese bakeries and always wondered how to make certain treats, you will love this book, too. It brought back so many wonderful memories. Kristina Cho's writing style is very inviting and makes the reader feel as if they are talking to an old friend.

I would recommend this book to all bakers ... beginners to advanced. Kristina Cho sets you up for success. She walks you through the different tools and ingredients you will need for various recipes. Each chapter is dedicated to a different category of recipes such as bread, buns, cakes & tarts, and so on. She even includes some savory treats as well. I chose the matcha Swiss roll recipe as my first baking project from this book. It turned out delicious! I am excited to try her other recipes.

What I enjoyed the most is that Kristina Cho shares interesting stories throughout the book ... whether it's about the history of Chinese baking, her family and some famous bakeries. A truely delightful read.

I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I am grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity review this book.

This is an incredible book filled to the brim with delicious Chinese baked goods. All of the pictures make each item look mouth-watering and the directions and pretty easy to follow. I can't wait to try out all of the recipes!

This is an awesome cookbook for people interested in Chinese bakery pastries. It has great recipes and beautiful pictures.

I heard so many good things about this book and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one, boy was I excited to try recipes from it!

Kristina Cho's recipes are thorough, easy to follow, and well-written. This book has lots of beautiful pictures and is very well laid out, so even if you are not familiar with yeast breads such as milk bread or Chinese sweets, you can easily understand and create gorgeous baked goods! This book also has good amount of sweet treats and savory baked goods to satisfy both tastebuds and the recipes are streamlined and well organized and thoughtful, so it's really a great read for people who love baking. I've managed to try out several recipes in two weeks, starting with milk bread (a must!), cocktail buns, chocolate Nutella loaf, just to name a few and they all were a huge hit!

I have a long list of must-bake from this book and can hardly wait to bake them all. Get yourself a copy and enjoy baking. Who doesn't love milk bread, right?

Wow this cookbook was packed full of so many recipes that I wanted to try. It was well put together and filled with valuable information. It began with an informative chapter on the different ingredients that you would find throughout the recipes. There was a great section on how to properly shop in an Asian market which for me was quite helpful. It gave me a list of equipment that would be used and I learned some new things before I even got to the actual recipes. I went through all the recipes because I always love trying a few. The first one I tried was the Crispy Chinese Sausage and Cilantro Pancakes. I love savory anything so this was an easy choice. They didn't come out perfectly but I never expect my first try to but what they lacked in beauty the taste definitely made up for it. I'll definitely try them again and perfect them with each new try. The second recipe I tried was the Coffee Crunch Swiss Roll, I love making rolls, anytime I come upon a new recipe for one I love to try it. This turned out really well, probably because I make this type of dessert often throughout the year. There are so many recipes that I want to try and look forward to doing so in the future. The recipes were easy to follow but you do have to take the time to read each properly and follow them to the letter, especially when it comes to baking.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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!

This is my favourite cookbooks of the year!! Cho presents a delicious lineup of recipes, from dim sum to bakery treats to savory breakfasts. All of the recipes are written in an approachable manner, and Cho explains many elements that may be unfamiliar to the reader. She also includes written & photographed snapshots of several famous & well-loved Chinese bakeries in America, which is a fun touch & connection. I really, really love this book and have already ordered my own copy!

Kristina Cho wrote a fantastic cookbook. I never realized how much I needed these recipes in my life! There is nothing like this book on the market and the recipes are fantastic. I look forward to trying out these beautifully written Chinese recipes, the photographs are also alluring.

This is a gorgeous book. Wiping drool I feel bereft that I have never had a mooncake or milk bread. The sticky buns look amazing. Kudos to the author for what looks like a complicated recipe into easy artwork. Great photos, and step by step methods to achieving a work of art! Five stars!
I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left this review! Gorgeous book!

I first learned about this cookbook through the Eat Your Books weekly newsletter, which highlighted it as an up and coming cookbook. And then I was tempted to pre-order it through Hardcover Cook when they announced that they would be doing an ingredient/equipment bundle with the book in the winter. When the book came up available on NetGalley, I could find no excuse not to read it.

It’s been about eighteen months since I’ve written a seriously comprehensive cookbook review; however, there is so much for me to squee about Mooncakes that this may not be one either. First and foremost, the recipes themselves are well-written. The ingredient measurements are provided in both metric weight (grams) and English volume (cups, teaspoons, tablespoons) so that the reader does not have to make any conversions to suit their preference. Each recipe follows a standard format, using very similar language where possible, which makes it easy to transition between similar recipes. For example, the oven preheat step was always located in a logical spot in the recipe (rather than right at the beginning). And resealable plastic bags are almost always indicated in the recipe post script as an acceptable airtight container for storage of baked goods. Second, the color commentary in the prefaces to the recipes not only provide context of why the recipe is in a Chinese bakery book, but also provide additional explanation of how the recipe is supposed to turn out and why. This makes the actual recipe ingredients and recipe steps more intelligible. Third, the profiles of small Chinese bakeries throughout the United States just happened to heighten my appetite for delicacies that I had never known by name, but definitely knew by sight and taste. Finally, the variety of recipes included in the collection was very impressive - ranging from the familiar char siu bao and har gow to personal family specialties that are just now seeing the light of day.

Did I mention the full-color photography? Each recipe is accompanied by a mouth watering full-color photograph (or two) of the finished product. In addition, the more complex recipes have a series of full-color photographs illustrating the assembly or other complicated aspect of the recipe.

Overall, I am a huge fan of specialized unique cookbooks; therefore, my desire to add a Chinese baking book to my 100-plus volume cookbook collection is not unexpected. As much as I love my Dumpling Galaxy cookbook and my Thousand Chinese Recipes tome, Mooncakes proved itself to fill a gap in my Asian collection. So I’m likely to acquire it on a post-Christmas sale.

I have yet to attempt any recipes from this cookbook because this Christmas holiday has been too hectic to make a trip to the giant Asian store for some necessary specialty ingredients. Hopefully, I’ll have an opportunity to do that soon so that I can try at least to make some dim sum. I’ll update my blog with the results if I do.

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

I received and ARC for a fair review:

This is a beautiful cookbook/culture dive. I love that the author spent time talking about their family. different types of bakeries/shops, and Asian groceries. There is a whole chapter on how to navigate and shop well at an Asian grocery which is something I will be using to maximize my next trip to my local Asian market for sauces and more. When it comes to the milk bread, we learn a lot from the author about the origins and culture surrounding it before diving in to how to make it which I really appreciated.

Love this cookbook!

I"m really looking forward to trying some of the recipes in this book! I love to bake, so I'm excited to try some techniques and dishes that aren't traditional to "America."

Do you love Chinese cuisine, but shy away from cooking it at home? Are you afraid you don't have the right ingredients or proper tools to cook it?

Mooncakes and Milk Bread inspired by well known food blogger Kristina Cho contains easy to understand step-by-step instructions to her mouth watering family recipes. She seamlessly guides the reader through shopping at an Asian grocery store. Kristina explains the difference in meats, produce, sauces, oil, flour, yeast, tea and much more. She even includes a section devoted to using the right equipment for success.

The reader will enjoy heart warming personal glimpses of the author's background and family members. The recipes include Chinese buns, breads, cakes, cookies, dumplings, breakfast dishes, and beverages. The photographs of each recipe are phenomenal and detail steps/techniques used in the cooking process.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho was published on October 12, 2021 and is available for purchase.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for my free e-book in exchange for my honest opinion. My review is available on Amazon, NetGalley, Barnes and Nobel, and Goodreads.

if you thought, as I did for a long time, that Chinese cooking did not contain things like bread, cakes, and cookies, this book will open your eyes and change your mind about all that. You'll find recipes for a wide range of items, both traditional items and new twists on tradition. With clear recipes and beautiful pictures, this is a great cookbook.

This book has a lot of information. It has great detail on what you need to make a variety of different Asian breads. The recipes themselves looked a little complicated for me personally but would be very helpful for someone interested in making mooncake or milk bread.

What in incredible book that I cannot wait to add to my collection! Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho was a fantastic selection of Chinese baked goods.

I cannot wait to make every single recipe in this book. I lived in China for about 9 months. My Chinese teacher also felt that cooking Chinese food was integral to our education. So many of these are recipes I have missed having since living in China or that my teacher taught me and I have long lost. As a lover of making bread this book just makes my heart sing. I felt the directions were clear and the photos clean and appetizing. I also appreciated the well thought out but but not overdone intro. I think this section will be essential to people new to breads, Asian cuisine, etc. I also learned a few things though which was really cool and helpful when reading the rest of the book.

I received an eARC from Harper Horizon through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Hello Kristina, thank you so much for writing this beautiful book. I love every single recipe you have in this book. I want to try them all. Because these are bread I ate when I was a kid. Now I live no longer in my hometown, so I miss those bread, we don't have it here. I love soft bread. Not to mention, the pictures here are so pretty. I love it.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I picked to read and review this book because food is very important in my culture and reading this made me want to pay more attention to the family recipes. I have added some of these recipes to my food journal so I will always have them on hand and it makes me want to try out more of the savory recipes that I have discovered in this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

As a lover of milk and baking, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy of this book. I was not disappointed. Not only was this book full of yummy photographs (very important to me in a cookbook), but was also packed full of stories, information, and plenty of well laid out and easy to follow recipes. I especially loved the "Crispy Chinese Sausage and Cilantro pancakes" as well as "Red Bean Swirl Buns" and "Hotdog Flower Buns" which were just purely fun to make as well as being tasty! I honestly can't wait to try every single recipe in this one!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Beautiful photos, lovely recipes, fun flavor combos. Can’t wait to try some of these breads. Some of the recipes are complex and take a day to prep, but the instructions are matched with photos and seem to provide enough guidance.

This book went above any expectations I had and has honestly set a new mark in what I expect from a Cookbook.

Packed full of knowledge from the history and cultural significance of these recipes, to how to shop for ingredients in Asian Markets, this was full of character from beginning to end.

The pictures were enticing enough to make me want to try things I hadn't even considered, and the recipes are explained intuitively and concisely.

This was a joy to read and experience, and I can't wait to start trying out recipes.

I have been fascinated by Asian cultures for a while now and that includes the food. I’m also a very keen baker, so this book hits both of those areas for me.
I loved this book, the narrative was interesting, informative, but not at all dry to read. But the best bit was all of the fabulous recipes. My particular favourites were the moon cakes as I have heard of them many times. I’m really looking forward to trying out the recipes for myself.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

Kristina Cho grew up in Cleveland, but her grandparents lived in the heart of Chinatown there, and that’s where she spent her weekends. She grew up surrounded by amazing food, helping out in the kitchen, eating at local Asian restaurants, and shopping at Chinese bakeries. She went to school to be an architect, but she just kept getting pulled back into food. She would cook and bake, explore Asian grocery stores, and eventually started a food blog. Now, she’s taken all that knowledge and infused it into a cookbook, so that she can share her memories and recipes with us.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a primer in Chinese baking, both savory and sweet. It is an exploration of Asian-American culture from a smart woman who grew up connected to both cultures. But most of all, it is a love letter to the food of her family, to the breads and buns, the cakes and cookies that have always brought her back home, no matter if she was around the world or just around the block.

If you’re not familiar with Chinese baked delicacies, Cho walks you through what you need to know to get started, from how to shop at Chinese stores and bakeries, how to buy and use Asian ingredients, and what special equipment you will need to create the variety of baked goods you can create with these recipes. I came to this cookbook with very little experience in Chinese baking, and with Cho’s detailed descriptions, her careful instructions, and all the photos, I feel like I could tackle these recipes with a decent amount of success (except the Mooncakes, usually made by masters. I’d want to work my way up to those).

She starts with some basics—Milk Bread and Steamed Buns—before moving on to show how to shape and fill them buns, and offers up ideas of creams, jams, and even tasty pork fillings. From the Deep Dish Pepperoni Bread to the Almighty Pineapple Bun, the Hot Dog Flower Buns to the Hong Kong-Style French Toast, the Tuna Buns to the Crispy Panko Pork Chop Sandwiches, these recipes work well for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and even snacks.

There is the sponge cake recipe, which bakes up into the Lemon Sponge Cake, Shiny Fruit Cream Cake, and the Chocolate and Salted Peanut Crepe Cake. Or do you go with the Chinese Puff Pastry, which you can use for the Classic Egg Tarts. Or do you prefer cookies? There are Goong Goong’s Almond Cookies, Pistachio Palmiers, or Fried Sesame Balls. The breadth of possibilities in this cookbook are impressive, from sweet to savory and back again.

As someone who is not all that familiar with Chinese pastries, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with this cookbook. But as I paged through these recipes, I found so much more than new recipes and flavors to play with. Cho offers readers a chance to see into a different culture, a way in the door for those of us who are on the outside. And for those who are already a part of Asian-American culture and who grew up on these flavors, they can find a way to create their own favorite pastries and pass on the recipes and the memories with this cookbook.

Egalleys for Mooncakes and Milk Bread were provided by Harper Horizon through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Mooncakes & Milk Bread
By Kristina Cho
A Review

A delightful introduction to the rich and wide culture of Chinese Baking with classic recipes made easy and accessible!

I’m eager to try these all out! Especially the Swiss rolls! The Pork buns! The egg tarts! And of course the jianbing!

Captivating photos, simple recipes with delicious results! A feather in the cap of any homebaker!

The part that caught my heart was the exploration of various Chinese bakeries around the USA! Definitely bookmarked a few and will be visiting in the future!

I’ll definitely be purchasing this for myself and as a Christmas gift to one of my friends!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Horizon for the review copy and the chance to provide an honest review!

One thing I look for in a cookbook is the story behind. The vast knowledge of bread making, and the stories that come with the experience entertain me so much. This is a must have book, moreover for the bread lovers ones. I also enjoy the pau/bao recipes and the mooncake recipe satisfy my curiosity of this Chinese Heritage sweet, enjoyed on special occasion.

These recipes all looked absolutely delicious. It made me so hungry just flipping through it. I hope to try some of these some day.

I got this book because I love chinese food and I've heard a lot about milk bread and I wanted to try it. Surprisingly the majority of the ingredients you will probably already have in your cupboards. Also, it isn't that hard. You don't need to be an experienced baker to produce anything in this book. The recipes are easy to follow and explained really well.

Anyway, I have now successfully tried and enjoyed milk bread. Absolutely loved it. Now I'm on to the next.
Give it a go you won't be disappointed.

A great read, and definitely a huge nostalgia trip while reading this book. I had requested to have this preview provided to me just before mid-autumn festival, and the mooncake recipes in the book were publicized around the web - wanted to check out and try it out for myself. The fillings were great, but I find the mooncake skin dough too oily to hold intricate shapes after baking - they just melted into each other. Will perhaps reduce the amount of oil stated in the book next round.

Otherwise, still greatly enjoyed reading about the author's stories on her childhood and the variety of recipes provided, as well as how to shop in an Asian grocery store here in the US. It is not just Chinese-bakery inspired, but there are other fusion style recipes provided as well - really appreciated that as evolution in Chinese baking is always an important step in keeping tradition alive.

Great recipes and photos, so enjoyable to read and can’t wait to cook some of these! Such a gorgeous book

Thank-you Harper Horizon and Netgalley for the chance to review for an honest review.
Mooncakes and Milk Bread is the perfect gift for the holiday season.
This book is inspiring!
I loved reading the introduction and learning about the recipes.
They are easy to follow and the photography is simply beautiful.
I will be adding this to my collection.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this free eARC.
This is a nice cookbook for anyone even slightly interested in Chinese recipes.
The author did a very nice job with the introduction and explainug the simple yet important things you will need - ingredients, measurements, cooking utensils etc
The recipes are explained very well, the picters walk you through the process.
At the end of the book you even have most important Chinese holidays.
I highly recommend this cookbook for anyone whooves Chinese food. You won't regret it.

Fantastically detailed cookbook that focuses on a baking tradition that it’s audience might not know that well, and does some great riffs too. Definitely worth picking up.

What a gorgeous and practical cookbook! This is one I would treasure on my shelf.

Kristina Cho had created a work of art, a guide to Chinese baked and steamed favorites (and some drinks, as well), and a nostalgic reference to Chinese-American cafes and bakeries. As someone who lived and traveled extensively in Asia, I am glad to have found a well-rounded collection all in one place of all my favorites. I have not often attempted to make most of these recipes at home, but with Ms. Cho's deft tutelage, I feel completely ready.

Also, I have a list of places to visit to eat delicious food and drink amazing beverages as I travel to many cities in the US. First up will be Ray's Cafe in Philadelphia.

The photos are beautiful and this would make an excellent gift for any food-lover or cook in your life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a reviewer copy.

I not only enjoyed the recipes that she had, but I really appreciated the tips and details she gave us. When she talked about the different types of flowers and sugars that were needed it made me excited because I love baking and now I know more of the intricacies to it.

That's it! Thanks to Kristina Cho I've finally found the PERFECT milk bread recipe!

Milk bread, steamed buns, Chinese pancakes and Malay cake are just few of the amazing recipes you can find in Cho's new book "Mooncakes & Milk Bread".
There were few things I really liked about this book:
1. One dough recipe can be used as the base of so many different dishes, so you can be as creative as you want!
2. Cho's explanations about the role & importance of the different ingredients in some of the recipes - useful for baking in general.
3. BEAUTIFUL pictures that make you wanna start baking right away!

I've already tried the milk bread recipe to make some school buns, and let me tell you - they were AMAZING!!! Super soft and fluffy! Can't wait to try some of the other recipes!

This was a great little recipe book that made me think I could make some intricate recipes. I think some will definitely be harder to make than she puts on, but I'll give them a shot.

On the world food day being celebrated today on 16-10-2021, I'm happy to present my book review of MOON CAKES AND MILK BREAD by Kristina Cho. She is an architect turned food blogger and an author of a cook book. Her blog "Eat Cho Food" can be read here:https://eatchofood.com/

The book as the title suggests carries with great effort and style the recipes of moon cakes and milk bread. The step by step process of the recipe is well explained with the use of images. The images are so attractive and mouth watering through out the book. In recipe the life of the dish if stored under favourable conditions are also being mentioned along with number of servings.

The book comes out of an inspiration from the Chinese bakeries and family members with whom the Author has cherished memories. The Author shares her experiences with Chinese American restaurants, grocery shops and cafes. She also gives a grand description of Asian Grocery shop and wants us to know "HOW TO SHOP AT AN ASIAN GROCERY STORE?

In "THE ART OF MOON CAKES" The symbol of Mid-Autumn festival is, without a doubt , moon cakes confirms the Author.

I quote from the book, "The author is happy to share that this book features everyday ingredients that most home cooks and bakers already have in the kitchen or can find in the neighbourhood grocery store."

Through out the book the Author has not deviated from the procedure in which she explains a recipe. If taken about a flour, she mentions about bread flour, All-purpose flour, cake flour, rice flour and glutinous rice flour. She leaves no stone unturned.

Then coming to starch, she explains how starch helps to have a chewy texture to cookies. She throws light on sweet potato starch, tapioca starch and wheat starch. Under essential equipment bamboo steamers are discussed.

"Bamboo steamers are vital for making traditional Chinese streamed buns and cakes." says the Author.

How to avoid collapsed dough?

Why use a wooden cutting board ?

No moon cake mould? No problem

pinching and pulling the dough

These are answered in a predominant way.

score and twist : talking about score and twist Author says "I highly encourage you to play around with all the design options"

Moreover the author brilliantly uses her origami skills and also presents flavour variations in bread and suggests cake styles too.

One more interesting thing is Taro . It is elaborately discussed in this book.

Rhubarb and cream cheese buns reminds me of the words of Ruskin Bond who in his book "It's wonderful life, Roads to happiness" states that it is served to him every day. I quote Rhubarb as a sweet dish, every day all summer. This was because our headmaster grew rhubarb in his back garden, and decided to inflict it on us.''

Garlic and chive whole wheat flower buns

coconut and peanut mochi balls

Pistachio palmiers

Black sesame souffle cheese cake

Honey pistachio moon cakes

Snow skin ice cream moon cakes

These tops the list of recipes given in the book as my favourites. How to handle the ice cream in Snow skin ice cream moon cakes is explained without fail. Readers can go through this book and choose their favourites. Overall this book is a one stop destination for recipes of Chinese bakeries.



(Received a copy of the book in the PDF format from Net galley in return to an honest review)

Thank you to the author, Harper Horizon and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully photographed cookbook, or rather baking book, that includes many recipes I have not seen elsewhere. The recipes are explained in clear and concise terms, easily understandable even for inexperienced bakers. The author includes a lot of helpful tips and tricks, and even some diagrams and step-by-step photos. I also found her explanations of how different flours, yeasts and other ingredients will influence a recipe extremely helpful. My only quibble with the recipe side of things is that some recipes have US and metric measurements, some have parts of each, and some are purely US measurements, which is a pity because having to research and work out measurements before you start is off-putting to say the least.

At the beginning of the book, and interspersed between chapters, the author shares her family's personal story and shows how their traditions and her heritage formed an integral part of the person she became. She also includes short spotlights on traditional Chinese bakeries around the US. All in all, a fantastic read, and an inspiration to start baking.

Mooncakes and Milkbread is an inviting dive into Chinese baking. It is full of warmth and draws the reader in. The book is easy to understand with additional pictures and in depth explanations of how to do techniques that previously seemed too difficult to master. I've never been to a Chinese bakery so I have nothing to base this off of, but all the recipes I attempted came out great, were tasty, and were enjoyed by my family.

Before I start just know that this cookbook is the most amazing book on breads I have ever seen and you need to buy it right now.

I don't know, what make's one a qualified cookbook reviewer? I've been baking all my life and have made my fair share of breads and pastries, but do not be fooled, I am no pastry chef. As someone who has read through more recipes than I can count, this is by far the best one I have ever encountered. With clear instructions and ample , not to mention beautiful, visual aids, Kristina Cho ensures that you will not be led astray when executing her recipes. Not only is the book gorgeous, with mouth watering photography, it is clean and easy to understand. If you are a lover of Milkbread and Chinese bready goods ( bao, dumplings, mooncakes) then this book will be your best investment.

If I could rave about this book forever I would because I just need everyone to buy it and appreciate the work that Kristina has put into this. It is filled with heart, soul and tasty recipes.

The book came out 12 October so you have no excuse to not buy it.

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for the eArc of this cookbook for review.

Dear Lord Kristina Cho I will be blaming you for my rapid weight gain. I'm going to look like one of your bread loafs if I don't stop trying out your recipes.

This book reminds me of all the wonderful baked goods at Chinese bakeries that I can now make at home. This book solves the mystery of how some of the baked goods are shaped like the Hot Dog Flower Buns! I have not finished reading the book yet, but browsed it a few times and have enjoyed it each time. I cannot wait to bake my way through this book!

This cookbook is a love letter to the baked goods of Cho's childhood and culture and to the people who make them available to those living away from home. I particularly like how she calls out some of the oldest, most memorable Chinese bakeries in different cities' Chinatowns.
The recipes are very clearly explained step-by-step with extra instructions when things get particularly complicated or tricky. The fact that Cho recognizes that most people will have no idea how to go about making the folds and twists necessary for some of the buns and thought to include pictures of each step in the process is an extra step that's not necessary but certainly appreciated.
My one complaint is that this book suffers a bit from the fact that it's based on Cho's food blog. It has the same slightly annoying tendency to take several chapters of rambling before getting to the actual recipe. I usually don't mind this as much as most people on the internet seem to gripe about it, but it does not translate particularly well to a cookbook. I would have personally preferred to have a section where she talks all about the different types of bread, her personal stories about them, and whatnot, and then have the recipes all clean and easy to find and follow after that. It's just a personal preference for the presentation that takes nothing away from how clear the recipes are once you get past all the (I'll admit, interesting) filler in between them.

Full confession, I'm reviewing this cookbook without actually having made any of the recipes. The ingredients that Cho mentions as basic aren't in stock in any store near me, but I've made a list and plan to get baking as soon as I find them. The almond cookies are calling my name even as I type this and I WILL have them soon.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for the early read!

Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early October.

Cho thoroughly introduces Chinese pastries, buns, breads, desserts, and sweets as sampled from different locations across the U.S. before going into a recipe and many ode-like variations upon it. My faves are the cilantro pancakes, pork floss & seaweed pull-apart rolls, mango mousse cake, milkbread donuts, bacon and kale potstickers, and everything bagel bao.

Kristina Cho’s Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a spectacular cookbook. It has gorgeous photography, clearly explained recipes, and threads that tie her upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio to the greater Chinese diaspora.

Cho grew up in her family’s Chinese restaurants. Initially, she wanted to be a chef, like her grandfather, but instead studied architecture, eventually creating a food blog as a release for her love of cooking. Mooncakes and Milk Bread works as an introduction to Chinese baking (and steaming and pan frying). She clearly explains ingredients, techniques and methodologies so that an interested learner doesn’t feel lost in the unfamiliar. She provides some foundational recipes like the Mother of All Milk Bread Dough and then riffs off of them throughout the book, in ways that make me feel like I could take that basic recipe and apply my own creativity.

There are so many bun recipes in this book. steamed buns, baked buns, plain buns, sweet buns and savory buns. Some buns are traditional (Pineapple Buns and Char Sui Bao), use traditional Chinese ingredients in in non traditional forms (Milk Bread Donuts with Salted Egg Yolk Cream), or incorporate other American ingredients into traditional bun styles (After School PB&J Buns and Thanksgiving Leftovers Gua Boa).

I became absorbed in the bun recipes, but the book is stuffed with cakes, pastries, tarts, cookies (no fortune cookies), dumplings, and breakfast. I loved that Cho showed how to make a variety of mooncakes, including how to makes some adorably shamed mooncakes without a mooncake mold.

My only frustration was that I wasn’t able to test recipes. A combination of health issues and work demands ruled out a trek to the store and playing with recipes. I can’t wait to get my hands on a paper copy and my self into the H-Mart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for the advance reader copy. My opinions are my own.

I don't bake. So why did I choose to read this book you ask. Because I LOVE milk bread. I long for this wonderful pillow-soft buttery bread. Since there's no Asian bakery in my little town, I better learn to make this bread myself. Surprisingly, most ingredients are already in the pantry. Baking is intimidating for me, but I will be making this Mother of All Milk Bread. 🍞😍

Mid-Autumn Festival, and of course mooncakes. Perfect timing too. I love the name and aren't they just pretty? Let's just say they are lovely to look at, but to eat? Red beans and nuts aren't my kind of dessert. I'm impressed really to know people do make this at home.

There are also no-bake recipes like dim sums, crispy scallion pancakes and potstickers. I don't like sesame seeds, but these crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside sesame balls look pretty darn good!

Thank you Harper Horizon and Netgalley for my ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for a tasty ARC to review!

Wow, this was delicious to peruse, all puns intended. Filled with gorgeous, mouthwatering pictures and warm prose explaining Cho's memories and inspirations for recipes, I found this a wholesome and useful cookbook!

There was youtiao, steamed buns, and mooncakes, all of which I was familiar with from Chinatown and Hmart bakery runs, but there was so much more. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and dessert recipes! Those delicious cream fruit cakes you see on asian dramas! Explanation of some more unfamiliar ingredients like white pepper! I just really loved how thorough the book was, and how infused it was with Cho's care for the food and family memories.

This gets a super charming five stars.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This cookbook is also part autobiography with wonderful stories of growing up in tight knit community and how they taught and influenced her cooking. I love when the authors include the how and why they put a recipe in the book. I also love whenever there’s insight behind how and why something is made in a particular order - such as, do this to get this texture or shape. In this case, in addition to lots of walk through, it came with lots of photos of both her past and how the pastry should look in process or completed.

If you’re new to baking or this is a new style of baking for you, this is a great book to add to your collection as not only does it come with clear directions, it also comes with a list of substitutions for harder to find ingredients.

This book was a joy and contains recipies not generally found in your standard cookbook of Chinese food. I am part of a facebook group called British Born Chinese Food - members had been sharing photos of mooncakes, snow mooncakes, pineapple buns, chiffon cakes all of which inspired me to bake these items however recipies are not easy to find. Kristina's book covered all these and have been able to satisfy my cravings for chinese baked goods!
The most intersting aspect for me was the section on mooncakes - these are traditionally gifted around Autumn moon festival (15 August in Chinese calendar) and are very expensive. Whether this is because of the ingredients (traditionally lotus bean paste and salted egg yolk) I am unsure, what I do know now is that they are incredibly easy to make as long as you make a small investment for a mooncake mould. Kristina provided an alternative to the tradional recipie using pistachios and honey which was lovely, perhaps more to Western tastes.
Delve into a different baking style (should be on Bake off) I would recommend this book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC.

Bring on the bao!!! I am so excited to try these recipes. My kids are pretty adventurous eaters so it will be so fun to work our way through this cookbook!

But this book is more than just recipes. The stories are wonderful and give the book so much meaning and importance. And the pictures are gorgeous. Some recipes won’t be easy for a novice but most are easy to follow instructions.

This was so different from other cook books that I have read recently. I discovered a whole new range of breads and cakes that I have been expirementing with.

Fully recommend this.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own

This really is the perfect cookbook. I've been a fan of Chinese dishes my whole life, but I've never seen a book with every single recipe I could want in one place...until now.

I like that most of it is from scratch, so you can really have fun with it. And when you make dough for one thing, it can also serve as dough for several other things as well, so it's not as complicated as it may seem at first glance.

Some recipes require more time than others, like the "White Pizza", but I have no doubt they're worth it.

So far I've only tried two, the Strawberry Jasmine Milk Tea and the Chocolate and Salted Peanut Crepe Cake.

I'm not huge on fruit in teas, but this one was quite nice.

And the cake? Pure perfection. It's soooo delicious. I made a tiny one for myself and left the rest of the batter for another day. You can bet I'll spend the next few days snacking on that.

Every recipe also has accompanying pictures, so you know what it's supposed to come out as, and how you're supposed to get to that point (for example how to properly fold buns).

And, there's a lot of history, about the author's family, other families with similar baking/restaurant backgrounds in different cities, as well as the origins of the recipes themselves. Like I said, perfect cookbook.

I can't wait to have this on my shelf so I can just pop it open and try something new whenever I have time.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I did not read Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho through an educator lens

Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho was stunning - from the amount of directions (both written and visual), the various recipes and the photography. This cookbook is a must have and one to definitely make everything from. I was really impressed with her attention to detail and the visual directions when baking are super helpful. I cannot wait to get a copy of this one for our house!

Beautiful book with great recipes.
Well done and very informative.
A stunning book for everyone that wants something a bit more unique and special.

This one's got a lot of new ideas I am so dying to try! Like have you ever heard of Mushroom Mushroom Buns? Please make sure you're not hungry while reading this book or have a snack by your side.

In addition to all of the wonderful recipes found in this book, this book also tells a story. The way it is written makes you feel like you’ve known the author your entire life!

Moon cakes and Milk Bread is a excellent book which exposed me to the world of Chinese baking. The recipes are well explained and are accompanied by a background story. I’m sure to try out these recipes in future.

Thanks to netgalley , the publisher and the author for this ARC!

Really, if you’ve ever wanted to make those mouthwatering Chinese buns and pastries, this is the book to get. The author is a recipe developer who dedicate her days cooking up a good variety of foods which are then taste tested by friends and family. The recipes are very detailed and are always accompanied by at least a photo of the finished product so you know how yours should look. I like that step by step pictorial instructions or diagrams are given whenever they’re called for, such as how to mold your moon cake or fold your rose siu mai.

I enjoyed Ms Cho’s nostalgic and well written food stories of her family and friends and her features of the indomitable Chinese community of bakeries.

I’m on a therapeutic low carb diet and so can’t eat almost all the food here. I’ll admit to requesting for this book to see if I can tweak the recipes so that they are compliant to my way of eating!

Pros: I spent my childhood in Singapore and was drawn to this book because of my memories of mooncakes at Chinese New Year (even though I remember not loving the taste of them at them time). My mom has a mooncake mold at her house, so I’m interested in attempting to make mooncakes in the future.

I appreciated the background information given in this book—specifically the part about ingredients and how there are many types of flour, sugar, etc. The section about shopping at an Asian grocery store was also helpful because I’ve never visited one even though there are several within a few miles of my house. (My dad has been plenty of times to stock up on his favorite sauces and condiments.)

There are so many recipes in this book that I want to try immediately—especially the savory dishes. If I’m honest with myself, mooncakes might be a bit aspirational for me to attempt, but I think I might be able to make milk bread! The crispy Chinese sausage and cilantro pancakes look and sound amazing . . . as do the youtian, the brown sugar shao bing, the mo, and all the pork buns, to name a few. One of my favorite things about this cookbook are the fantastic photos—the food looks delicious, and I love having something to compare my cooking attempts to.

I would love to see an episode of the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show feature some of these recipes!

Cons: I’m guessing these recipes are more complicated that they seem at first glance. I might need to watch some YouTube videos to see someone form dumplings, shape bread, and make mooncakes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for the opportunity to read this book!

After seeing Cho’s tiktoks and instagram Reels I knew I had to read this book! I’ve always been compelled to make mooncakes but felt they were so intimidating. This book will increase that need but will take away the intimidation! I haven’t made one of the mooncakes but I did attempt to make the pineapple bun!

Really fun recipes if you love the asian bakery around the corner and want to recreate!

I haven’t finished this book yet, since I’m enjoying each word and recipe included. But so far, is sooo good, that I decided to leave a review now and update it later.
Since my family roots are Cantonese, getting my hands in a book with recipes you don’t usually find is a real treat. It has great recipes, the directions are clear and easy to follow and there’s something for each level of confidence. It has sweet, savory, basics, twist, adaptations, so you will find something.
Edit. I’ve already tried my hand at the White Pizza and it was exactly what we've been looking for!

When I think of desserts, my brain doesn’t usually consider Chinese cuisine but this author shows us that Chinese cooking includes some delectable sweets things and that makes this cookbook unique and interesting.

Cho begins by telling us the brief history of her family coming to America from Hong Kong and explains her grandfather’s journey toward being the proud owner of multiple restaurants. Cho went to college to become an architect but has found her way to her dream job of blogging and writing about food (she has a substantial following on social media as well).

This cookbook includes lots of information about ingredients and tools (thank you for finally explaining that scallions and green onions are the SAME THING!). This book is laid out very well including easy to follow recipes and diagrams and pictures of the process as well as the finished product. I don’t see myself trying to master all the techniques shown here but I would be thrilled if I could make a good milk bread and a scallion pancake!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Horizon, and Kristina Cho for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved experimenting with the recipes lovingly shared in this book! I have had little to no experience with Chinese bakery items, so this was a welcomed experience. I treasured the introductions up front so a greater appreciation could be had for Chinese American shops and bakeries. Ingredients for a Better Bake was helpful because I have to acknowledge that food from another culture will be created differently than food from America. The chapter How to Shop at an Asian Grocery Store was truly enlightening. Since I live in a big City where these stores are available, it was cool to be able to practically use these tips. Hands down though, the best part of this book is the recipes provided. I cannot express how helpful the pictures were and the photography was inspirational. My eyes were opened, and my palate satiated. Thank you, Kristina, for sharing your heart, your heritage, and your kitchen in such a real and tangible manor.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

This is a gorgeous book chock full of recipes you're going to drool over and then start planning to bake! If I had a physical copy, I think I would have dog-eared every page to come back to. I loved the variety, and the simple explanations for how to create these mouthwatering cakes and creations. I have seen so many of these kinds of desserts but figured they would be difficult to make–this cookbook taught me it's not as tough as it may seem! I'm excited to try many of the recipes.

I absolutely adore Asian cuisine and I loved the recipes and stories in this cookbook. I personally made the Fluffy Steam Bun Dough and filled it with BBQ Pork and it was DELICIOUS! Next on my list is the Crispy Chinese Sausage and Cilantro Pancakes and Asian Pear Turnovers with Miso Glaze! The recipes are very easy to follow and some of the more specialty items you can find at most chain grocers or your Asian grocer!

Curiosity got the better of me when I requested this book and I'm pleased that it did, rather than killing the cat. An enjoyable read merging the author's life story with a lot of traditional, with twists at times, Chinese baking. The recipes are clearly laid out. I would have preferred metric measurement as well but can cope with the American versions. The book is laid out in sections and I have to admit that I felt there was rather a lot of repetition with the methods in each - making the dough, proving, knocking back within the sections. However, there is plenty for a very much beginner in this kind of baking as I have to admit that I never really thought of this cuisine having much "baked" in it. My ignorance. There are plenty of illustrations, there are lists of ingredients mostly easily available and plenty of variations to try. Go for it. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love to bake, but wasn’t that familiar with Chinese baking and this was a lovely introduction. I loved the personal stories combined with great recipes. As a non-American I had to do some converting like from Fahrenheit to Celsius, but other than that the recipes are easy to follow. I already tried Goong Goong’s Almond Cookies and although not (yet) perfect…they tasted amazing. Looking forward to try more recipes from Mooncakes & Milk Bread.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a gorgeous cookbook filled with show-stopping recipes! The variety of sweet and savory recipes is mouthwatering and some are absolutely gorgeous to behold. The recipes are of varying complexity, perfect for the person who loves to bake. I love how the introduction includes the history of Chinese baking, cafe culture, ingredients, and essential equipment. The photography and illustrations are absolutely wonderful. Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a perfect addition to your cookbook collection!

Thank you Harper Horizon and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a useful and beautifully curated baking book with recipes from Kristina Cho. Due out 12th Oct 2021 from Harper Collins on their Harper Horizon imprint, it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Despite being red haired, freckly, and mostly Irish, I remember very fondly being "adopted" by the family who owned one of our local Chinese bakeries. My family were customers for many (many) years and I was happy to recently find that they're still in business and under the management of the original owners' grandchildren now. This book is *full* of recipes for those Chinese bakery goodies which I remember so fondly and never thought I could ever recreate at home.

The introduction which includes a good overview over ingredients, tools, and sourcing specialty items (including how to shop at your local Asian grocery store) is followed by the actual recipes which are arranged thematically: bread - bing - bao, not-too-sweet buns, pork buns & beyond, gao (cakes & tarts), no fortune cookies, Chinese breakfast, and sips (drinks).

Recipes contain a title and description, yields, ingredients in a bullet list in a sidebar, and step by step directions. Ingredients are listed with American standard measures only. Nutritional information is not included. There are so many gorgeous and clear color photos included. Most (but not all) of the dishes are accompanied by one or more photos. This helped me to know how to arrange and prepare the dishes with which I wasn't already familiar.

Additionally, the book is full of chatty and warm reminiscences from the author about her family and growing up as a 1st generation American in a restaurant family. She has an honest and friendly voice and I really enjoyed reading about her childhood, her family, and her family's stories.

Five stars. Wonderfully comprehensive and versatile.

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

Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries is not just a cookbook, but a nod to the heritage and tradition of the author's family. Although the author was raised in Cleveland's Chinatown, her grandparents were from Hong Kong. The grandfather learned to cook, giving origin to the family tradition of owning Chinese restaurants in the United States. The family photographs that dot the pages give the cookbook a very personal feel.

The introduction has useful information, like ingredient lists, how to shop in a Chinese grocery, essential equipment and tools, and an introduction to Chinese Cooking. The author does a good job of giving step-by-step instructions on more difficult dishes, like making different shaped buns.

The recipes are divided into interesting sections, which I have listed below with some of my favorites.

Bread, Bing, Bao: Mother of All Milk Bread; Crispy Chinese Sausage and Cilantro Pancakes

Not-Too-Sweet Buns: Red Bean Swirl Buns; Coconut Jasmine Cream Buns; Asian Pear Turnovers with Miso Glaze

Pork Buns and Beyond: Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns); Miso Corn Buns; Gingery Bok Choy and Gai Lan Steamed Buns

Gao (Cakes and Tarts): Malay Cake; Chinese Sponge Cake; Shiny Fruit Cream Cake; Matcha and Jasmine Swiss Roll

No Fortune Cookies: Goong Goong's Almond Cookies; Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes; Fried Sesame Balls

Chinese Breakfast: Crystal Shrimp Dumplings; Maple Bubble Waffles; Turnip Cake

Sips: Hong Kong Milk Tea; Sparkling Lime; Lychee-Lemon Ice Tea

The Art of Mooncakes: Honey Pistachio Mooncakes; Snow Skin Ice Cream Mooncakes

Some Assembly Required (examples on how to use the cookbook for entertaining and gift giving): Building Your Own Pink Box (Bakery Box); Holiday Cookie Box

Overall, Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries gives readers inspiring recipes to try. I wish that the author would have explained more about mooncakes, as I am not familiar. This is a cookbook that I would recommend to readers looking to make bakery style Chinese dishes.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by NetGalley and the publisher, Harper Horizon. The decision to read and review this cookbook was entirely my own.

The layout was fresh and fun and the photos are amazing! Quite a few recipes here I intend to try. Hunger pang inducing at the least.

The author's story and journey from architecture to a career in food writing is fun to read. Cho shares her family's story as it relates to Chinese food and shares her Chinese food forays in Beijing, and the Chinatowns of Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Cleveland where she grew up. She does a great job discussing ingredients that she uses in her recipes while providing helpful tips. Cho's recipes provide classics to modern interpretations of Chinese baked goods with mouth-watering photos.

This cookbook is perfect for people who love those blogs that give long stories before getting to the recipe. The recipes were easy to follow and really what more could I say about a cookbook? I like milk bread and thus, I will be making some thanks to this book.

Kristina Cho's Mooncakes and Milk Bread cookbook was a delight to read and I look forward to preparing her recipes as I've been fortunate enough to eat dim sum at a Chinese bakery. I loved the food and I have been looking for a cookbook to teach me how to make my own bakery delights at home. I was not disappointed by her book.

I can't wait to try making the following:

Mother of All Milk Bread
The Almighty Pineapple Bun
The Simplest Jook
Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Shen Jian Bao

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

I do not know when exactly I learned about Mooncakes, but my curiosity about them goes back as far as I can remember. Living in a tiny town in the Midwest, they weren't something I had the opportunity to try, but as a child was the entirety of my knowledge of Chinese baked goods and left me amazed because I knew they were difficult to make.

My knowledge since then has obviously grown, first with Milk, Bread, and then Dim Sum.

This book, however, covers everything my childhood would have wanted to know and so much more. So much so I have every intention of buying this book as a birthday gift to myself.

Normally I'd stray away from saying the Kristina Cho covered everything that my mind can think of, but this woman has included recipes to Ice Cream Mooncakes to her own version, "Danish Sewing Tin Cookies." (Which will be becoming a trademark of holidays in my home)

Cho also does savory recipes of many kinds in her book, enough dim sum recipes to cover my cooking adventures for at least a year. Along with dishes I've never heard mentions before, like Fan Tuan and "Savory Soy Milk with All the Fixings." I'm excited to try if I can find Chinese Donuts (Youtiao) in my area (or brave making them).

Wonderful and entertaining to read this cookbook! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for a gifted copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for the absolute pleasure to read Mooncakes and Milk Bread so that I may provide an honest review.

This book is a complete delight full of evocative writing and wonderful recipes. Having raised my children in Asia and traveled extensively while there, we are slowly working our way through these recipes and reliving many happy memories. Kristina Cho did a wonderful job presenting this collection and it feels modern, organized and accessible. She sets the baker up for success with pictures and clear instructions. I have already pre-ordered a copy and eagerly look forward to its release date so that I can add this book to my collection and enjoy it with my family for years to come!

Blogger Kristina Cho (eatchofood.com) has written a fascinating book about Chinese bakeries and cafes, including recipes and details about Chinese culture. There are recipes on classics like pork buns but also recipes that are modern - Macha and Jasmine Swiss Roll. Cho starts off with the basics in every cookbook (equipment, staple foods) and then has 6 chapters that focus on bakeries and tea houses. My favorites are Chapter 4 (Gao) and all the cool mooncake recipes - who doesn't want a honey pistachio mooncake? and Chapter 6 about Ray's Cafe & Tea House in Philadelphia. The pictures are beautiful and a nice balance of recipe photos and pictures of the bakers. Highly recommend and now following Cho's blog.

A must have for anyone who bakes, loves baked goods, or loves Chinese food. Kristina Cho has made a beautiful, simple, and fun cookbook for any level of baker to learn modern Chinese baking. This book has made a special place in heart because I grew up eating these foods and now,Cho has helped me learn how to make them myself at home!

This book is everything I was hoping it would be. So many beautiful, high quality photographs (a must for me), illustrations to teach you how to pinch and tuck the different types of doughs, and sweet and savory recipes at varying degrees of difficulty.

In addition to baos and buns, there are cakes, cookies, sui mais, potstickers, and SO MUCH MORE. Plus, there are a few "fusion" dishes (such as the Everything Bagel Bao).

The recipe for Milk Bread Doughnuts with Salted Egg Yolk Creme particularly makes my mouth water so I'll be trying that asap and will report back soon.

Looking forward to cooking from this one and having it on my shelf!

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is such a special book! I know so little about the world of Chinese Baking and I found a lot of useful information, inspiration, and guidance in these pages. The author did an excellent job of providing the history and context while also weaving in her own personal stories of her family and upbringing in Cleveland and beyond. I particularly loved the spotlights on Chinese bakeries across the country.

The book is broken up into the following sections:
Bread, Bing, Bao
Not-Too-Sweet Buns
Pork Buns and Beyond
Gao (Cakes & Tarts)
No Fortune Cookies
Chinese Breakfast
Sips

Each chapter presented the classic "building block" recipes and then riffed beyond that. I love that each chapter featured a traditional version + some Western mash-ups like After School PB&J Buns or Everything Bagel Bao.

I was really excited to learn more about Asian bakery staples such as Chinese Sponge Cake, sweet & savory dumplings, and Mooncakes. The first thing I want to make after reading this is Milk Bread!

Highly recommend for the person who loves to bake and explore in your life. Even as a coffee table book, this would be beautiful, educational, and inspiring.

My social media feed has been full of people making milk bread lately and the thought of making it myself felt overwhelming. I picked to read this book in hopes of overcoming my fears. I was happy to find the instructions to be clear and easy to follow. There was also a full range of recipes from sweet to savory to choose from. Additionally, the photos were beautiful and inspiring.

Thank you to NetGalley for an RC of Mooncakes and Milk Bread.

I love this cookbook! It was wonderful!

And I'm not just saying that because I'm Asian, born and bred in NYC and one of my favorite pastimes, past and present, is walking into a bakery.

I love all things bakery and love going to bakeries, whether they're Asian or Western or in Patagonia.

The author writes with such love and respect for her family of chefs and bakers; her loving grandparents who taught her how to bake with skill and artistry, the support of her own family and how her architectural talents translates so well into baking because baking requires precision and details.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is comprehensive; it covers all the familiar baked goods you see in an Asian bakery and each page filled me with such glee and excitement.

I won't lie; some of the recipes are time consuming but anything worth doing takes time to do.

The author has great instructions, step by step photos for some, and even includes tips on how to store your delicious baked goods (if you're lucky to have any left), flavor variations and how to decorate your scrumptious dumplings, buns and so much more!

Each chapter has a memorable story from the author's past and/or a throwback to a famous Chinese bakery with an illustrious past. There was so much I didn't know, like who started the first Cathay Bank! I loved these sections almost as much as I loved the food porn.

Even if you've never been in an Asian bakery or you have and have always been intrigued by their pastries, this is the cookbook to gift to any baker looking to try something new.

I wish there were more photos!

I'm am very unfortunate to not have access to a nice little Chinese bakery in my area, but god, do I want to put my steaming basket to use now. Very prettily curated recipes, with easily gathered ingredients. :o

A great collection of recipes for cooks of all skill levels. The instructions were concise and easy to follow and the photographs made me want to cook everything in the book.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful cookbook!

There are helpful pictures throughout the book on rolling techniques and finished dishes. This is a great recipe book that explores Chinese pastries and the history of bakeries and delis. There are recipes beyond breads - there's tea and desserts and other other recipes.

Some of the recipes are time consuming, but the recipe steps are listed in depth and helpful. Overall a fun find!

I loved being able to learn new customs and it is made very easy in the recipes so when someone like me who doesn't bake a lot wants to do it, I can! I cannot wait to share with my daughter when she gets older. If you love to bake and are looking for something different I highly recommend this cookbook!

I absolutely love Chinese baked goods so I am so happy to have found this cook book! My boyfriend and I will be spending lots of time trying out these recipes!

Mooncakes and Milkbread is a beautiful and robust cookbook that guides you through a mouth-watering tour of North American Chinatowns. From bakery classics to dim sum go-tos, Cho's recipes are thorough and easy-to-follow, replete with handy tips on techniques or where to source ingredients. As the grandchild of Chinese immigrants, I've grown up with these unique flavours, but have never before been able to find authentic recipes that didn't run me head-first into a debilitating language barrier. As such, this cookbook was a godsend!

Punctuating the recipes are heartfelt stories about living and growing up in a Chinese American community, which called to mind my own experiences. Due to never learning Chinese (my Canadian-born Chinese father barely speaking it himself) I have often felt fragmented in my connection to my culture. Food was the one thing that I could share effortlessly with my grandparents and other elders, so I perfectly understand the power it has as a tool for communicating care and affection. I can feel a similar level of care and affection of each of Cho's recipes. She brings a true love and a fresh take of the cuisine to the table, and I look forward to her future releases!

Recipe Review:
I test-ran the Chinese sponge cake recipe to celebrate my father's recent retirement, and it turned out flawlessly. Prior to finding this book, I had tried to replicate the airy, semi-sweet sponge cakes that you can find decorating the displays at any Chinese bakery. However, my searches online weren't particularly successful, and I had to resort to using a (far-more complicated) recipe for Japanese-style shortcake. Cho's recipe blew that one out of the water, baking for shorter, turning out fluffier, and setting perfectly level - making assembly a cinch. I also used her recipe for stabilized whipped cream, pairing it with both macerated and fresh strawberries to make a beautifully light, spongey take on strawberry shortcake. I can't wait to try more recipes from the book, especially classics like the "white pizza" (steamed rice cake), almond cookies, and pineapple buns.

Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a warm invitation into the world of Chinese baking. Kristina Cho starts off with a glimpse into her background, how she was born in Cleveland and moved to San Francisco when she finished college. The move to San Francisco (and the Inner Richmond in specific) changes her life - she begins a blog to document her foodie adventures and snippets into her own life.

This book is truly a celebration of Chinese cooking and baking. Kristina delves into the different types of Chinese bakeries and even offers tips for how to shop at Asian specialty shops, which I really appreciated. I love Asian markets, but they are a bit overwhelming. Kristina’s advice walks you through all of the departments and what you should look for before you begin your Chinese culinary adventure. She also offers advice on pantry staples and what cookware you will need.

And the recipes! There are so many tasty sounding recipes in this book, both savory and sweet. The recipes are clearly explained and illustrated in a way that makes it seem like you actually can make these recipes at home. The problem is choosing which one to start with (the pineapple buns are particularly tempting).

I loved how bright this book is. The colors of the pages and the clear photographs make this an aesthetically beautiful book. I love how Kristina spliced in snippets of her upbringing and also snapshots of different bakeries in between each chapter,

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I really enjoyed learning more about Chinese bakeries and look forward to trying some of these recipes.

The author shares not only her memories of her Chinese-American upbringing, she also shares some great recipes! Her memories and background of the foods is like reading a biography that makes you hungry and feeds the soul. It’s personal and delicious all at the same time. 

Between the memories and background are some great recipes that the author takes you through. The pictures are drool worthy and i’m sitting here with a pad and pen to write down what I need from our large Asian grocery store here in town. I can’t wait to try so many of these recipes.

While I may not be Asian, I do love Asian food and culture. When I was a little girl, my grandmother would take me to Chinest restaurants that served meals in silver domed serving pedestals. It was Americanized, but it was exciting and I loved the experience. When I grew older, I would take my daughter to Chinatowns around the United States for treats and then spent quite a bit of time working in China over the years, I love trying to make some of the favorite treats and meals I have had while there. This book will help me recreate more of these recipes and enjoy my own trip down memory lane.

A great reference cookbook! I learned about the cuisine and origins of some of the dishes. I'm a cookbook author myself and appreciated how easy the book was to follow.

GORGEOUS BOOK!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy to read and then write an honest review.

Loved the pictures and the helpful hints for shopping in Asian grocery stores.

I am desperately craving all things bread right now - even though I do find Asian breads usually not to my liking. Reading through this brought back all my memories of living in Japan and Hong Kong and I'm now hungry again. :)

https://bonnevivantetr.wordpress.com/2021/08/08/book-review-mooncakes-and-milk-bread-by-kristina-cho/

Kristina Cho is a food blogger and recipe developer from Ohio. Her family owned a Chinese restaurant hence her love for sharing recipes and making good food.
I LOOOOOOVED this cookbook. I don’t even know where to start. First of all, it was very informing. The recipes were informative, precise and detailed with mostly accessible ingredients. Other than the recipes, there were many educational parts that gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about some things I was always interested in: Chinese customs, culture and cuisine as well as Chinese bakery culture over at the US.
If you’ve ever been to a Chinese bakery or seen some of the baked goods from there, you’ll know how detailed some of these products may be. This book however, did an excellent job at depicting and explaining how these intricate designs were normally made thanks to photos and illustrations. Needless to say, this book was filled with beautiful photographs of absolutely delicious looking dishes and pastries. As a bonus, there weren’t only pastries, breads and other baked goods in this book. Even if it didn’t contain many vegetable and meat based dishes from Chinese cuisine, it still made an effort to teach the readers about the breakfast culture and products that are usually consumed in a traditional Chinese breakfast. It also contained some yummy looking beverage recipes at the end, all of which I’m very excited to try.
This book serves and deserves every single penny it costs! If you’re already into Chinese culture and food like me or if you’ve just been curious about it after being into a Chinese bakery and wanted to try some of the recipes yourself, I would recommend this book. And if you want to go over and see some of the mouthwatering recipes from Kristina, you can access her blog over at https://eatchofood.com
“Mooncakes and Milk Bread” by Kristina Cho will be published on October 12th this year and is now available for pre-order.

This cookbook had some really great recipes. The recipes were easy to understand and not too complicated for the average cook. I enjoyed the illustrations and look forward to making these recipes for years to come.

I really loved this one, not just the recipes but the background Kristina Cho provided of how she came about making of all these delicious treats! Love the pictures too, and can't wait to try some of these recipes!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

I was beyond thrilled when I saw this available from Netgalley. I fell in love with the Chinese bakery near my mom's home and this love was only multiplied when I moved to China year's later. Now I am thrilled to be able to make some of these delicious items in my own home. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the most excited about the pineapple buns, but I'm also excited to try out the Xi'an-style Braised Lamb Ro Jia Mao (something that I really miss), some Youtiao and hotpot, and something new like the Asian Pear Turnovers with Miso glaze. Definitely come hungry when you open this book.

I will say that some readers may not find these recipes to be accessible either due to certain tools or ingredients not being readily available to them. While I know that Amazon delivers just about everything not everyone is going to want to order cooking ingredients online. However, I think a lot of readers will be able to appreciate the wealth of information and the personal stories that are provided along with the recipes. This is a great book for anyone looking to dip their toes into Chinese baking.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kristina Cho for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Baked goods and Chinese food are not frequently talked about in the same sentence … or even the same paragraph! When I first moved to China, I was not only taken aback by how many bakeries lined the streets, but also how overly sweet all the pastries were. I’m still not a fan of those commercial bakeries, but I learned to love treats like mooncakes and milk bread, so this cookbook was a great surprise when I saw it on the NetGalley site.

Although I don’t think this will be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it would be an incredibly worthwhile addition to anyone’s kitchen library. I love the explanation of ingredients and specific holidays for which some of the recipes are made. I appreciate the introduction about cafe culture and the specificities of the Chinese markets and equipment.

If you were to ask the average foreigner to talk about Chinese cuisine, he/she would mention noodles, rice, and maybe “chow mein.” I think this book will educate and entertain a whole new audience and get them familiar with, and excited for, a completely different type of a Chinese cuisine. Hopefully more people will realize what they’ve been missing!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this book. I loved reading the authors stories about her childhood and how she now bakes the same treats from her youth. I share the same stories of wandering Asian markets and various Chinatowns. I remember the smells and being able to pick out goodies with my parents. This book provides amazing recipes and a nice trip down memory lane.

This book is my childhood. All the recipes I remember and really appreciate this author putting together. I haven't seen a lot of book take time to explain mooncake recipes and I really appreciate it. Even though I read this as an ARC, I will be buying the book as well since its something I'll be constantly going back to make stuff from.

Having never heard of moon cakes or milk bread, this cookbook was intriguing to me as I was also not very familiar with Chinese baking and wanted to learn more.

If you a reason a lover of Chinese cuisine, I could see this being a hit for you, but I do think this is more of a niche cookbook as there are some very specific ingredients that I personally wouldn’t use frequently, also some of the techniques/equipment were very specific to this type of cuisine.

The recipes I tried were delicious and I be added a few more things to my repertoire, it just was a little more stressful than my typical baking experience as I tried to learn the techniques, work around not having specific equipment (like steamer baskets), tried to get familiar with different ingredients.

Overall a solid 3 out of 5 really designed for people who already have familiarity with Chinese baking

This book is a visual feast!
The photographs add to the visceral experience, a perfect book for a housewarming gift whether or not the recipient likes to cook! There are lots of photos and not just food photos but also images from the market, family photos and illustrations.

Although I hadn't heard of this food blog before I've become a fast fan.

This may be my favorite cookbook every. A little history and culture, lots of tips and how to’s, a little where you can find these things in the U.S. and sooooo many yummy recipes. I vow to make them all, especially with a new Asian market in town.

This book is fantastic! Kristina introduces us to Chinese bakery recipes with clear instructions, simple ingredients, beautiful pictures of the finished product, as well as step by step pictures of how to make each recipe. I love her tips throughout the book and how unique and yummy each recipe looks! Awesome cookbook, especially for those who want to branch out their culinary fares or enjoy a little taste of home!

I just finished reading through Mooncakes and Milk Bread and I have to admit, I'm really hungry! First, the author does a great job of sharing and explaining the list of ingredients as well as necessary tools. She even explains how to navigate an Asian grocery store, which would likely come with a learning curve for many Americans. Next, all of the recipes come with beautiful, mouth-watering photos and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. She also explains the necessity of certain steps and why they must be followed exactly; i.e. how ingredients interact with each other and when being cooked/baked. When Cho shares her own family experience and photos, it gives some authenticity to the recipes and her expertise. While a number of the recipes include variations, it may reach an even broader audience to include vegan and gluten-free options for readers with dietary restrictions. The Coconut Jasmine Cream Buns sound incredible!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing an early read of this book.

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS COOKBOK!!!

I’m so happy that I finally found a chinese recipe book that isn’t about noodles, instead this one is all about asian bakery!

The book features many types of recipes: buns, bread, cookies, a whole chapter for moon cakes and even a ‘sips’ chapter.

I really liked the layout with the beautiful pictures of the food. At the beginning there is also an intro that helps you with shopping in an asian grocery store and special ingredients.

The recipes are easy to follow and in some cases there are even step by step photo instruction!

If you like asian cuisine you must get this cookbook!

This is a comprehensive book, over 300 pages, with recipes from many Chinese bakeries. I always thought that Chinese dumplings and steamed buns were complicated and time consuming to make but not so! Anyone who loves Chinese food this book is a must have. Lots of interesting historical background information too. Highly recommended.

So many goodies! This book is great and the recipes look amazing. Most of the recipes have photos and they all look mouthwatering! It's easy to follow and everything looks delicious! There are so many recipes in this book! Great for people that loves baking bread from scratch and for those that love Chinese pastries. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review