Baking Style: Art, Craft, Recipes    by Lisa Yockelson Order:  USA  Can John Wiley & Sons, 2011 (2011) Hardcover      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Lisa Yockelson's Baking Style takes my breath away. Inside the covers of this magnificent cookbook on baking, we read 'Baking Style, A Dazzling Celebration of the Art and Craft of Baking, Is Lisa Yockelson's Thoughtfully Written Love Letter To Home Baking'. Couldn't have said it better myself. There are 100 essays and more than 200 recipes. Baking Style is not just a selection of recipes; the award-winning author also showcases her creative expertise and the love of her subject. Just opening the front cover will start your salivary glands working overtime. I think I'm going to start with the Keepsake Cookies – Mandel Breit. Never heard of them so I must try them. Whatever you might like in the baking line is here for you. Years ago, my then twelve year old granddaughter told me, 'You're not a cookie-baking grandmother.' How right she was. I had baked enough cookies to last a lifetime. But after seeing this lovely cookbook, watch out, kid, I'm headed for the kitchen. These recipes are not the highly decorated works of art that will bring gasps of awe from your guests. They represent what I would call comfort baking – comfort for the baker and comfort for the one who enjoys the baking. Yockelson's essay on dinner rolls – butterluscious – is enough to have you tying on your apron. Recipes for cookies, muffins, doughnut strips, jam tarts, hot rolls, soda bread, cinnamon twists, fruit cakes, sweet bread tart, sour cream cake, rose water babas, crepes – why go on? You get the idea. And when most of the overly sugary confections are left behind uneaten on the plate, every crumb of your baking these recipes will disappear as the eater looks for a second helping. Tip: It's not too early to think about Christmas presents. Baking Style would make a marvelous gift for that wannabe baker in your family – and, a bonus, it would give you some time to try out a few of the recipes before you wrap the book. I'm going for the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, myself. Every superlative you can think of is the right word for this wonderful baking book. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews