The Weekend Baker

2005 IACP Cookbook Award Finalist

Food & Wine’s Top 10 List

USA Today’s Top 6 List

“You’ll find tempting recipes within reach of any aspiring home baker in this cleverly organized book”
-Alice Medrich, award winning cookbook author of Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate

• Organization by time:Recipes are categorized by the time they take to make.
• Mouthwatering recipes for sweet and savory snacks, including breads, brownies, rolls, cakes, cookies and more.
• Quick and Easy dessert recipes for unexpected guests and last-minute emergencies.
• A complete introduction to baking basics including time-saving tips.
• Stovetop recipes that can be made much more quickly than conventional oven-baked dishes
• Many no-bake recipes easy to whip together when you’re in a hurry.
• Color photographs: 24 luscious, close-up color photographs.

Critical Praise for The Weekend Baker

“Abigail Johnson Dodge understands that there are some days when you need a quick dessert and others when you want something spectacular. That realization is behind this book’s unusual-and sensible-structure. The recipes are organized according to how long it takes to make them. Whether you’re looking for a speedy dessert–say, Crunchy Berry Summer Crisp–or an elegant finish to a dinner party, such as Layered Chocolate Mousse Cake, you’ll find it here.”
– Food & Wine, December 2004

“This no-time-for-frills cookbook offers low effort/high yield desserts such as quickie cakes and no-bake snacks. Streamlined recipes are organized according to the time they take to make: Baker’s Express (ready in an hour), Baking in Stages (manageable steps) and Productions (more complex desserts).”
– USA TODAY, November 2004

“None of the yummy failproof recipes in this book requires vast stretches of free time because Abby breaks down the baking processes into discreet parts that slip easily into busy schedules. Her strategies make even involved recipes—such as moist Honey Oatmeal Bread and glorious Strawberries-and-Cream Layer Cake—feel easy. And her meticulously written recipes never leave you guessing about what to do.”
–Fine Cooking, January 2005

“Her book, based on her own experience, is designed as a guide for other busy bakers who want to balance multiple claims on their time with a flexible approach to baking. Along with advice and strategies, she includes plenty of warm personal memories, references to her family and the links that baking traditions provide.”
–The Associated Press (AP), April 2005

“Dodge believes that when it comes to the often-intimidating world of baking, one need not sacrifice quality for simplicity. The author honed her skills at La Varenne in Paris, specializing in pastry, but despite her serious experience, her approach is relaxed and realistic. Supremely efficient, the book will help readers in any number of situations, whether they have a few days, or less than an hour. Encompassing cookies and bars, cakes, breads, custards and pies, and sharing time-saving tips on everything from using the microwave to soften butter to keeping a well-stocked pantry, this is an excellent resource for cooks of all levels.”
–Publishers Weekly, November 2004

“This confidence-inspiring book is filled with tempting recipes that are within reach of any aspiring home baker. Abby Dodge brings her enormous enthusiasm, ability to teach, and years of professional test kitchen experience to a busy person’s home kitchen, in this approachable and cleverly organized book. Beginning with the quickest and easiest,delectable easy-to-follow recipes will lure lapsed bakers back to the oven and coax even the busiest first-timers to don an apron and discover the pleasure of baking something from scratch. I think a child could learn to bake from this book! ”
–Alice Medrich, winner of the 2004 IACP Cookbook of the Year award for Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate

“Abby Dodge understands America’s home bakers. After running Fine Cooking’s test kitchen for years, she knows how busy you are, what works best in your kitchen and how to help you get back to baking again with the good stuff: butter, sugar, cream, chocolate and fresh fruit. Her palate is simple and sensational and shines in every recipe. I am dying to try her Ginger Crackles, Stovetop double Chocolate Pudding, Uncomplicated Yellow Fruit-Topped Cake, and Pie Plate Butterscotch Congos. Every recipe has my mouth watering. And I know that with Abby each one will come out perfectly. ”
–Maggie Glezer, award winning author of Artisan Baking and A Blessing of Breads

“Weekends will be filled with delicious fun now that we have Abby’s collection of spectacular recipes and her unique guide to baking them with stress-free efficiency.”
–Flo Braker, author of The Simple Art of Perfect Baking and Sweet Miniatures

“Abby has written a new classic. For virtually every imaginable baking need- there’s a mouthwatering recipe here to fill it. With her warm and good-humored instructions, Abby makes you feel as if you have a friend in the kitchen coaching you over your shoulder every step of the way. This book is a treasure. ”
–Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, Award winining coauthors of Becoming a Chef, Culinary Artistry and The New American Chef