Just Jennifer

The Jewish Baker’s Pastry Secrets: Recipes from a New York Baking Legend by George Greenstein

George Greenstein was a James Beard Award winning baker who owned a Jewish bakery on Long Island for over twenty years.  Greenstein, who died in 2012 was a third generation baker created traditional Jewish favorites and European classics introducing them to the next generation.  The recipes and notes for this book, started over fifteen years ago, were found among Greenstein’s papers and have been faithfully and lovingly recreated by his family.  Wanting to include Greenstein’s recipe for Rugelach but not being able to fit it into any other chapter, the family (and editors) decided to include the recipe in the introduction making the recipe and the sharing of it that much more special.  The introduction is followed by the basic ingredients and tools to be used in the chapters that follow and then a section on creams, glazes and fillings, grab a spoon and dig in!  The recipes that follow are divided by types of bread or cake: Bundt, Babka, Strudel, Gugelhopf, Stollen, Puff Pastry, Charlotte Dough and Danish Pastries.  Each chapter starts with a master recipe to create the dough and the techniques that will be used in recipes that follow.  Babka dough is turned into Hamantaschen and sweet or savory loaves.  Puff pastry is turned into cookies, turnovers and pockets, all repositories for delectable fillings.  With over two hundred recipes, there is something that is sure to tempt the home baker.  A few of the recipes have a short paragraph introduction that include the family lore or how a recipe is special to a Jewish celebration, but more would be welcomed as would photos of the baked goods either to whet appetites or to assure a home baker that the recipe turned out the way it was intended.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.