The Elements of Baking: Making any recipe gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free or vegan
Praised by Dorie Greenspan as a permanent fixture on her kitchen shelf, this book by Katarina Cermelj sets out to do something genuinely useful: explain, with scientific rigour, how to adapt any baking recipe to suit a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, or vegan diet without sacrificing flavour or texture. Cermelj holds a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, and it shows. Rather than offering a simple swap list, she breaks down the actual chemistry of baking ingredients so you understand why things work the way they do. That understanding is what makes this book different. You get concrete, quantitative conversion rules you can apply to your own recipes, not just the ones printed here. The recipe selection is generous and genuinely appetising, covering a wide range. But the real value lies in how the book changes your relationship with ingredients altogether. It's the kind of reference you'll find yourself reaching for again and again, whether you're troubleshooting a flat sponge or reworking a family favourite for a guest with dietary needs. Fellow bakers have responded warmly. Matt Adlard calls Cermelj the master of free-from recipes. Tessa Arias describes it as a baking science bible. Mark Diacono notes that the results taste as though nothing has been left out at all, which is perhaps the highest compliment a free-from book can receive. If you bake with any regularity and cook for people with dietary requirements, this is a practical, well-grounded resource worth keeping close to hand.
- Author: Katarina Cermelj
- Publisher: Yellow Kite
- Genre: Cooking & Culinary Arts
- ISBN: 978-1399712897
- Pages: 496 pages