For those of us who remember biting into a warm doughnut, fresh from the stovetop, or for the younger generation who might be experiencing that decadent confectionary for the first time, few can resist the allure of this nostalgic pastry that has become a staple in American baking. A Baker’’s Field Guide to Doughnuts is the newest addition to the best-selling series from baking expert, Dede Wilson. In this whimsical collection, Wilson convinces us that homemade is the only way to enjoy the best-quality doughnuts, and moreover, doughnuts are no more difficult to make than a birthday cake or a batch of cookies.Where home bakers had once been daunted by the challenges of frying, flipping, and frosting, Wilson breaks down each doughnut with step-by-step instructions that are simple enough to guide anyone through creating doughnuts that look as beautiful as the photographs throughout the book.In over 60 different recipes, she includes all the essentials like cider doughnuts, old-fashioned buttermilk doughnuts, and French crullers, but adds a healthy dose of creativity as well. In the first part of the book she provides “The Master Recipes,” a variety of basic doughnuts, frostings, fillings, and glazes. The second part contains “The Field Guide,” where she puts together the master recipes in decadent combinations like chocolate caramel-bourbon-pecan doughnuts, crème brulée doughnuts, and German chocolate cake doughnuts.Innumerable in their variations and just plain irresistible, doughnuts are a baking delight won’’t go out of style. Wilson both celebrates and reinvigorates the doughnut-baking tradition in this guide, essential to any baker’’s cookbook collection.
