A craft-baking book that uses groundbreaking techniques to highlight natural flavours

WINNER OF THE ANDRE SIMON AWARD 2021
SHORTLISTED FOR THE FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS 2022
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'I love Dee Rettali's baking – she is obsessed with flavour. A bold and beautiful book' DIANA HENRY

The 90 recipes in this book are all about beautiful, natural flavours from quality ingredients like fruits and spices.

Dee Rettali is an artisan baker who, over a lifetime of baking, has honed her recipes to bring out intense flavour using forgotten craftsmanship. Dee's cakes, created for her bakery – Fortitude Bakehouse in London – are a world away from generic cakes loaded with sugar or artificial flavours.

Many of her recipes are incredibly simple one-bowl mixes, brought together by hand and with no need for fancy kitchen equipment. The batter can be baked then or, to heighten the natural flavours and reduce sweetness further, left to slightly ferment in the fridge. This technique allows you to prep ahead and simply bake the cake when you want it. Some other recipes use a sourdough-like starter as a base to which any combination of seasonal flavours can be added.

Dee has roots in both Ireland and Morocco that have inspired the unique flavour combinations in her bakes, such as:
· White grape and rosemary cake
· Marrakeshi mint and orange peel sourdough loaf cake
· Blueberry and lime little buns
· Turmeric custard and roast pear brioche buns
· Chilli-soaked date and oat loaf cake

This is a cutting-edge way of baking and at the same time it has antecedents in Dee's past. Growing up in rural Ireland, seasonal and no-waste baking was simply a way of life. This book brings this back to life in a thoroughly modern way.
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'This isn't just another book about baking; it's a whole new way of approaching it' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

"This isn't just another book about baking; it's a whole new way of approaching it" - Sunday Telegraph

"A world away from your average sugar-laden creations. Instead, [Rettali] harnesses flavour-building processes such as using sourdough starters, fermenting batters before baking, steeping fruit and making herb infusions. Among her many stand-out bakes are turmeric custard and roast pear brioche buns, Spanish fermented butter cake with fizzy apricots, and ras el hanout and black treacle cake, scattered with chilli flakes" - Waitrose Weekend

"Typical sweet bakes not your style? Dee Rettali of London's Fortitude Bakehouse uses sourdough starters and fermented batters to create buns and cakes with intensified flavours. Emphasising the craft of baking, her recipes rely on herbs, spices, and fruit for character, and many can be made in straightforward fashion before you try the fermented version." - Delicious Magazine

"Over a lifetime of baking, Dee Rettali has honed her recipes to bring out intense flavour using forgotten craftsmanship. Here she shares the sourdough cakes and simple breads she creates for her bakery – Fortitude Bakehouse in London – full of deep flavour and generations of artisanal technique." - Daunt Books, Books of the Year

"A whole new world of baking" - Sunday Telegraph Travel, Books of the Year

"A thoughtful collection of hearty loaf cake recipes that put a modern spin on traditional artisanal baking ... Those willing to wait will be greatly rewarded" - Publishers Weekly