Sift: The Elements of Great Baking

For recipe developer, Kitchen Projects newsletter founder, and pastry chef Lamb, understanding the why of baking is the key to success. For example, once readers know why temperature can have a major impact on the intensity and flavor of an infusion, they become better bakers. This is the foundational philosophy of Lamb’s book, which is divided into two sections. In the first half, she takes a deep dive into the building blocks of baking: flour, sugar, eggs, and fat. The second half is dedicated to recipes, which are arranged into three timed categories: something that can be baked in an afternoon, a day, or a weekend. The meticulously formatted, gorgeously illustrated recipes range from familiar favorites including brioche and shortbread cookies to more ambitious projects such as parmesan-and-tomato linzer and mocha-passionfruit opera cake. Lamb often includes helpful explanations, such as in her recipe for Victoria sponge, in which she swaps out some of the butter for egg yolks and then cream to achieve a moister texture.