Bread and Roses

October 2, 2023
Wilde, owner of L.A. bakery Red Bread, celebrates familiar and unusual whole grains from five global regions in her fascinating and ambitious if somewhat inaccessible debut. Asia is represented by rice, barley, and buckwheat, with recipes for brown rice donut bars alongside simple toasted barley porridge from Tibet. Among the recipes made with grains from the Americas, highlights include quinoa churros and amaranth squash almond butter pancakes. Millet cream puffs with coffee custard and teff anise custard cake are inspired by African grains. Each recipe features a minimum of 30% whole grain, and many also incorporate flowers, like the masa corn quesadilla with pressed nasturtium petals. It’s clear that Wilde is passionate, knowledgeable, and skilled in this area, but the recipes are not always easy to follow. While an extensive introduction covers techniques and substitutions, the more elaborate bakes would benefit from step-by-step illustrations. Many also incorporate up to three or four “component recipes” from an inspiring range of jams, sugars, custards, buttercreams, and spice mixes found at the back of the book. The organizational quirks make this collection somewhat difficult to use, but there’s no denying its beauty and uniqueness. Adventurous bakers looking to experiment will find plenty of inspiration. Agent: Eryn Kalavsky, Salky Literary Management.