Master baker Stefan Elias has built a solid reputation as an expert on the Franco-Belgian baking tradition. The wingman of legendary Ghent baker Jacques Bloch, Stefan has been on a personal quest to discover authentic, almost forgotten recipes for several years. This book is for home bakers who love artisanal baked goods. Stefan helps novice and experienced bakers cook up a real feast with over 150 different recipes. The line-up includes such classics as brioche bread, Liège waffles and Belgian truffles, as well as regal bundt cakes with frostings and ganaches, cruffins and a cornucopia of pastries and pies. No baking feast would be complete, however, without savoury dishes such as pizza tartlets, oven cakes and filled chaussons. Everyone at the table can share in the fun thanks to the delicious vegan recipes. The secret to the art of baking lies in Stefan's method: he enriches these traditional recipes, which have been handed down from generation to generation, with carefully chosen ingredients and his undeniable passion for his craft. Historian Greet Draye, who is affiliated with KU Leuven (Centre for Agrarian History), shows why home baking is still going strong with fascinating stories about baking customs and bread culture. Find out how the Egyptians discovered by accident that dough could rise, how cake was strictly a privilege of the nobility in the seventeenth century and, above all, how you too can become part of this rich baking tradition.

Table of Contents:
FOREWORD, 9 Stefan Elias BLOCH, 11 INTRODUCTION, 13 Greet Draye THE GOLDEN RULES OF BAKING, 20 PASTRY BASICS, 24 GLOSSARY, 32 KITCHEN ESSENTIALS, 34 MORNING ROLLS AND BUNS, 37 - SAVOURY TOPPINGS FOR MORNING OR LUNCHTIME BAGELS, 40 - BOERKES PLAIN, WITH NUTS, SULTANAS, OR CURRANTS (VEGAN), 42 - CRISPY SEEDED OVEN BAGELS (VEGAN), 44 - SOFT ROLLS WITH SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND OMEGA 3 SEED MIX, 46 - PICCOLOS AND BARM CAKES (VEGAN), 48 - SWEET KADETJES (BUNS), 51 SWEET BREAKFAST, 53 - BOULES ALSACIENNES, 54 - CREAM AND CHOCOLATE RONDELETTE, 56 - ALMOND CROISSANT, 57 - GALETTES, 58 - CHERRY CROISSANT, 61 - CHOCOLATE POCHE, 62 - SESAME AND CHOCOLATE VIENNOISE, 64 - ROUND SUISSE WITH RAISINS, 66 - STREUSEL BRIOCHE, 68 - BOURBON VANILLA BRIOCHE, 69 - MARITOZZO, 70 - SUGAR KNOT, 72 - FILLED MASTEL, 76 - CREAM BRIOCHE, 78 - CRUFFINS (VEGAN), 80 - NOISETTE, 83 - SUGAR BOLUS, 84 - BRIOCHE À TÊTE, 86 BREAD AND BUTTER, 89 - BOULDOUK BRIOCHE, 92 - WHOLEMEAL FRUIT AND HAZELNUT LOAF (VEGAN), 94 - VANILLA BOULOT PERLÉ, 96 - SESAME SANDWICH LOAF (VEGAN), 98 - TEAR (AND SHARE) SANDWICH LOAF, 100 - BRIOCHE LOAF WITH CHOCOLATE, 102 - RUSTIC PAIN DE CAMPAGNE/COUNTRY LOAF (VEGAN), 104 - BRIOCHE DE NANTERRE WITH RAISINS, 107 - GALETTE BRIOCHÉE, 108 - SOFT NUT BRETZEL (VEGAN), 111 - COUQUE CHIFFON, 112 - SEMOLINA FALUCHE (VEGAN), 114 - BABKALLAH, 116 - PAGNON AMANDE, 118 ON THE CAKE STAND, 121 - PARIS BREST, 122 - PEAR TARTE TATIN, 125 - CHOCOLATE AND DARK CHERRY CAKE, 126 - GRANDMOTHER’S FLAN CAKE, 128 - SOUTHERN MINI FLAN CAKES, 133 - GOURMAND FLAN CAKE, 134 - SUMMER FRUIT CAKE, 136 - CHEESECAKE, 138 - WALNUT CHAGALL, 140 - LUXEMBOURGOISE, 142 - PEAR CHARLOTTE CAKE, 144 - CARAMEL CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE, 146 - ÉCLAIR PARISIEN, 149 - TEA PIE WITH A SWEET FRUIT FILLING, 150 - CITRONELLA, 152 - CHOUQUETTE, 154 - TARTELETTE MAISON, 157 - NUT TARTLET, 158 - THE TASTIEST CARROT CAKE, 160 - BUDINI DI RISO, 162 DELICIOUS FRUIT PIES, 165 - APPLE PIE ALSACIENNE, 167 - CHERRY PIE (VEGAN), 168 - OLD-FASHIONED APPLE PIE, 170 - PLUM PIE (VEGAN), 171 - GOOSEBERRY PIE (VEGAN), 171 - BLUEBERRY PIE WITH AN OAT FLAKE CRUMBLE TOPPING (VEGAN), 172 - RHUBARB PIE (VEGAN), 175 - FOREST FRUIT PIE (VEGAN), 176 - APRICOT PIE (VEGAN), 179 - PANANE PIE, 180 WAFFLE FEST, 185 - HEART-SHAPED WAFFLES, 186 - MINI VANILLA OR CHOCOLATE BUTTER WAFFLES, 192 - CHOCOLATE-DIPPED LIÈGE WAFFLES, 195 - FLUFFY WAFFLES FOR STORING, 196 IN THE BISCUIT TIN, 199 - LONG BUTTER SHORTBREAD BISCUITS (BOTERTONGEN), 200 - COCONUT MACARONS, 203 - ALMOND HEARTS, 204 - CHERRY MARGUERITE, 205 - FLEMISH SPECULOOS, 207 - SPECULOOS BISCUITS (VEGAN), 207 - SMALL SHORTBREAD COOKIES (VEGAN), 208 - SWEET AND CRISPY BISCUITS, 209 - ACORNS, 210 - RICCIARELLI, 212 - MARQUISETTES, 213 - BELGIAN TRUFFLES, 214 - VANILLA PAIN À LA GRECQUE, 217 A CAKE FIT FOR A KING, 219 - LEMON BUNDT CAKE WITH LEMON FROSTING, 220 - POPPY SEED AND WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE BUNDT CAKE, 222 - PECAN AND MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE BUNDT CAKE, 224 - BANANA AND WALNUT BUNDT CAKE, 227 - RASPBERRY AND CRUMBLE BUNDT CAKE, 228 - MILK CHOCOLATE AND SPECULOOS CRUMBLE MARBLE BUNDT CAKE, 230 - CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE, 232 - ALMOND BUNDT CAKE, 235 REGAL CAKES, 237 - PEAR AND BRÉSILIENNE CAKE ROYALE, 238 - APPLE AND STREUSEL CAKE ROYALE, 240 - APRICOT CAKE ROYALE, 241 - BLACKBERRY CAKE ROYALE, 242 - FIG AND CRUMBLE CAKE ROYALE, 244 - RASPBERRY CAKE ROYALE, 245 - REDCURRANT CAKE ROYALE, 246 - FOREST FRUIT CAKE ROYALE, 246 DELICIOUS SAVOURY BAKES, 249 - SAVOURY FLATBREAD, 250 - PIZZA TARTELETTE, 256 - CHAUSSON, 262 - BRIOCHE PISSALADIÈRE, 265 - GARNISHED QUICHE (QUICHE GARNIE), 266