A great read, and definitely a huge nostalgia trip while reading this book. I had requested to have this preview provided to me just before mid-autumn festival, and the mooncake recipes in the book were publicized around the web - wanted to check out and try it out for myself. The fillings were great, but I find the mooncake skin dough too oily to hold intricate shapes after baking - they just melted into each other. Will perhaps reduce the amount of oil stated in the book next round.

Otherwise, still greatly enjoyed reading about the author's stories on her childhood and the variety of recipes provided, as well as how to shop in an Asian grocery store here in the US. It is not just Chinese-bakery inspired, but there are other fusion style recipes provided as well - really appreciated that as evolution in Chinese baking is always an important step in keeping tradition alive.

Great recipes and photos, so enjoyable to read and can’t wait to cook some of these! Such a gorgeous book

Thank-you Harper Horizon and Netgalley for the chance to review for an honest review.
Mooncakes and Milk Bread is the perfect gift for the holiday season.
This book is inspiring!
I loved reading the introduction and learning about the recipes.
They are easy to follow and the photography is simply beautiful.
I will be adding this to my collection.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this free eARC.
This is a nice cookbook for anyone even slightly interested in Chinese recipes.
The author did a very nice job with the introduction and explainug the simple yet important things you will need - ingredients, measurements, cooking utensils etc
The recipes are explained very well, the picters walk you through the process.
At the end of the book you even have most important Chinese holidays.
I highly recommend this cookbook for anyone whooves Chinese food. You won't regret it.

Fantastically detailed cookbook that focuses on a baking tradition that it’s audience might not know that well, and does some great riffs too. Definitely worth picking up.

What a gorgeous and practical cookbook! This is one I would treasure on my shelf.

Kristina Cho had created a work of art, a guide to Chinese baked and steamed favorites (and some drinks, as well), and a nostalgic reference to Chinese-American cafes and bakeries. As someone who lived and traveled extensively in Asia, I am glad to have found a well-rounded collection all in one place of all my favorites. I have not often attempted to make most of these recipes at home, but with Ms. Cho's deft tutelage, I feel completely ready.

Also, I have a list of places to visit to eat delicious food and drink amazing beverages as I travel to many cities in the US. First up will be Ray's Cafe in Philadelphia.

The photos are beautiful and this would make an excellent gift for any food-lover or cook in your life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a reviewer copy.

Delightful and practical, Mooncakes and Milk Bread contains recipes for delicious Chinese bakery treats. These tasty treats range in difficulty from weeknight Parmesan Rolls to the all-day adventure that are Mooncakes. Well laid out and written for those who have never made steamed buns or milk bread before - it certainly inspired me to try both, and now I can't stop making them. My kitchen smells lovely, my flour is running out.

That's it! Thanks to Kristina Cho I've finally found the PERFECT milk bread recipe!

Milk bread, steamed buns, Chinese pancakes and Malay cake are just few of the amazing recipes you can find in Cho's new book "Mooncakes & Milk Bread".
There were few things I really liked about this book:
1. One dough recipe can be used as the base of so many different dishes, so you can be as creative as you want!
2. Cho's explanations about the role & importance of the different ingredients in some of the recipes - useful for baking in general.
3. BEAUTIFUL pictures that make you wanna start baking right away!

I've already tried the milk bread recipe to make some school buns, and let me tell you - they were AMAZING!!! Super soft and fluffy! Can't wait to try some of the other recipes!

This was a great little recipe book that made me think I could make some intricate recipes. I think some will definitely be harder to make than she puts on, but I'll give them a shot.

On the world food day being celebrated today on 16-10-2021, I'm happy to present my book review of MOON CAKES AND MILK BREAD by Kristina Cho. She is an architect turned food blogger and an author of a cook book. Her blog "Eat Cho Food" can be read here:https://eatchofood.com/

The book as the title suggests carries with great effort and style the recipes of moon cakes and milk bread. The step by step process of the recipe is well explained with the use of images. The images are so attractive and mouth watering through out the book. In recipe the life of the dish if stored under favourable conditions are also being mentioned along with number of servings.

The book comes out of an inspiration from the Chinese bakeries and family members with whom the Author has cherished memories. The Author shares her experiences with Chinese American restaurants, grocery shops and cafes. She also gives a grand description of Asian Grocery shop and wants us to know "HOW TO SHOP AT AN ASIAN GROCERY STORE?

In "THE ART OF MOON CAKES" The symbol of Mid-Autumn festival is, without a doubt , moon cakes confirms the Author.

I quote from the book, "The author is happy to share that this book features everyday ingredients that most home cooks and bakers already have in the kitchen or can find in the neighbourhood grocery store."

Through out the book the Author has not deviated from the procedure in which she explains a recipe. If taken about a flour, she mentions about bread flour, All-purpose flour, cake flour, rice flour and glutinous rice flour. She leaves no stone unturned.

Then coming to starch, she explains how starch helps to have a chewy texture to cookies. She throws light on sweet potato starch, tapioca starch and wheat starch. Under essential equipment bamboo steamers are discussed.

"Bamboo steamers are vital for making traditional Chinese streamed buns and cakes." says the Author.

How to avoid collapsed dough?

Why use a wooden cutting board ?

No moon cake mould? No problem

pinching and pulling the dough

These are answered in a predominant way.

score and twist : talking about score and twist Author says "I highly encourage you to play around with all the design options"

Moreover the author brilliantly uses her origami skills and also presents flavour variations in bread and suggests cake styles too.

One more interesting thing is Taro . It is elaborately discussed in this book.

Rhubarb and cream cheese buns reminds me of the words of Ruskin Bond who in his book "It's wonderful life, Roads to happiness" states that it is served to him every day. I quote Rhubarb as a sweet dish, every day all summer. This was because our headmaster grew rhubarb in his back garden, and decided to inflict it on us.''

Garlic and chive whole wheat flower buns

coconut and peanut mochi balls

Pistachio palmiers

Black sesame souffle cheese cake

Honey pistachio moon cakes

Snow skin ice cream moon cakes

These tops the list of recipes given in the book as my favourites. How to handle the ice cream in Snow skin ice cream moon cakes is explained without fail. Readers can go through this book and choose their favourites. Overall this book is a one stop destination for recipes of Chinese bakeries.



(Received a copy of the book in the PDF format from Net galley in return to an honest review)

Thank you to the author, Harper Horizon and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully photographed cookbook, or rather baking book, that includes many recipes I have not seen elsewhere. The recipes are explained in clear and concise terms, easily understandable even for inexperienced bakers. The author includes a lot of helpful tips and tricks, and even some diagrams and step-by-step photos. I also found her explanations of how different flours, yeasts and other ingredients will influence a recipe extremely helpful. My only quibble with the recipe side of things is that some recipes have US and metric measurements, some have parts of each, and some are purely US measurements, which is a pity because having to research and work out measurements before you start is off-putting to say the least.

At the beginning of the book, and interspersed between chapters, the author shares her family's personal story and shows how their traditions and her heritage formed an integral part of the person she became. She also includes short spotlights on traditional Chinese bakeries around the US. All in all, a fantastic read, and an inspiration to start baking.

Mooncakes and Milkbread is an inviting dive into Chinese baking. It is full of warmth and draws the reader in. The book is easy to understand with additional pictures and in depth explanations of how to do techniques that previously seemed too difficult to master. I've never been to a Chinese bakery so I have nothing to base this off of, but all the recipes I attempted came out great, were tasty, and were enjoyed by my family.

Before I start just know that this cookbook is the most amazing book on breads I have ever seen and you need to buy it right now.

I don't know, what make's one a qualified cookbook reviewer? I've been baking all my life and have made my fair share of breads and pastries, but do not be fooled, I am no pastry chef. As someone who has read through more recipes than I can count, this is by far the best one I have ever encountered. With clear instructions and ample , not to mention beautiful, visual aids, Kristina Cho ensures that you will not be led astray when executing her recipes. Not only is the book gorgeous, with mouth watering photography, it is clean and easy to understand. If you are a lover of Milkbread and Chinese bready goods ( bao, dumplings, mooncakes) then this book will be your best investment.

If I could rave about this book forever I would because I just need everyone to buy it and appreciate the work that Kristina has put into this. It is filled with heart, soul and tasty recipes.

The book came out 12 October so you have no excuse to not buy it.

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for the eArc of this cookbook for review.

Dear Lord Kristina Cho I will be blaming you for my rapid weight gain. I'm going to look like one of your bread loafs if I don't stop trying out your recipes.

I was debating between a 4 and a 5 with this book because it’s definitely not for everyone nor are the recipes super easy or accessible, but that said, the book accomplishes exactly what it set out to do in extraordinary fashion and for that reason I settled on 5 stars.

The book itself is beautiful, featuring pictures of just about every recipe as well as other photos to help you understand the instructions. The recipes themselves are laid out quite well (measuring things in grams instead of cups), and while some instructions seemed a little unclear to me (like what does shaggy dough look like? (From the milk bread recipe)) as a whole the instructions were clear and made the challenge of tackling Chinese baking seem less daunting.

That said, the book brings back all the nostalgic memories of bakeries in Hong Kong and is packed with just about every recipe you could want. Some are familiar ones I’ve always wanted to attempt making, other are new to me but sound delicious, and others still might not exactly fit my tastebuds but have a good place in this book.

While I cannot imagine myself cooking everything in here simply because of the amount of time, equipment (though she gives good substitutions), and effort needed, I know this is the kind of book I would certainly turn to for all things dumplings and Chinese baking. It is beautiful, detailed, and unique in what it presents, so while the book may not be for everyone, for those looking to dive into the other side of Chinese cooking, this is a really great book to help you do that.

This book reminds me of all the wonderful baked goods at Chinese bakeries that I can now make at home. This book solves the mystery of how some of the baked goods are shaped like the Hot Dog Flower Buns! I have not finished reading the book yet, but browsed it a few times and have enjoyed it each time. I cannot wait to bake my way through this book!

This cookbook is a love letter to the baked goods of Cho's childhood and culture and to the people who make them available to those living away from home. I particularly like how she calls out some of the oldest, most memorable Chinese bakeries in different cities' Chinatowns.
The recipes are very clearly explained step-by-step with extra instructions when things get particularly complicated or tricky. The fact that Cho recognizes that most people will have no idea how to go about making the folds and twists necessary for some of the buns and thought to include pictures of each step in the process is an extra step that's not necessary but certainly appreciated.
My one complaint is that this book suffers a bit from the fact that it's based on Cho's food blog. It has the same slightly annoying tendency to take several chapters of rambling before getting to the actual recipe. I usually don't mind this as much as most people on the internet seem to gripe about it, but it does not translate particularly well to a cookbook. I would have personally preferred to have a section where she talks all about the different types of bread, her personal stories about them, and whatnot, and then have the recipes all clean and easy to find and follow after that. It's just a personal preference for the presentation that takes nothing away from how clear the recipes are once you get past all the (I'll admit, interesting) filler in between them.

Full confession, I'm reviewing this cookbook without actually having made any of the recipes. The ingredients that Cho mentions as basic aren't in stock in any store near me, but I've made a list and plan to get baking as soon as I find them. The almond cookies are calling my name even as I type this and I WILL have them soon.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for the early read!

Accessible Chinese breads, buns and delicacies.

I have never really made Chinese milk bread, steamed buns or even the iconic egg tarts, but this book made me think I could. Reading this book brought back fond memories of visiting China Town on Mauna Kea street in Honolulu to pick up egg tarts and "triangles" pie crust filled with char-sui. I enjoyed the stories, the history lesson and how well thought out the recipes were. I will definitely try to make the egg tarts, the savory pancakes and possibly attempt mild bread. I also have anew appreciation for moon cakes and their unique molds.

Recommend.

Kristina Cho’s Mooncakes and Milk Bread is a spectacular cookbook. It has gorgeous photography, clearly explained recipes, and threads that tie her upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio to the greater Chinese diaspora.

Cho grew up in her family’s Chinese restaurants. Initially, she wanted to be a chef, like her grandfather, but instead studied architecture, eventually creating a food blog as a release for her love of cooking. Mooncakes and Milk Bread works as an introduction to Chinese baking (and steaming and pan frying). She clearly explains ingredients, techniques and methodologies so that an interested learner doesn’t feel lost in the unfamiliar. She provides some foundational recipes like the Mother of All Milk Bread Dough and then riffs off of them throughout the book, in ways that make me feel like I could take that basic recipe and apply my own creativity.

There are so many bun recipes in this book. steamed buns, baked buns, plain buns, sweet buns and savory buns. Some buns are traditional (Pineapple Buns and Char Sui Bao), use traditional Chinese ingredients in in non traditional forms (Milk Bread Donuts with Salted Egg Yolk Cream), or incorporate other American ingredients into traditional bun styles (After School PB&J Buns and Thanksgiving Leftovers Gua Boa).

I became absorbed in the bun recipes, but the book is stuffed with cakes, pastries, tarts, cookies (no fortune cookies), dumplings, and breakfast. I loved that Cho showed how to make a variety of mooncakes, including how to makes some adorably shamed mooncakes without a mooncake mold.

My only frustration was that I wasn’t able to test recipes. A combination of health issues and work demands ruled out a trek to the store and playing with recipes. I can’t wait to get my hands on a paper copy and my self into the H-Mart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Horizon for the advance reader copy. My opinions are my own.

I don't bake. So why did I choose to read this book you ask. Because I LOVE milk bread. I long for this wonderful pillow-soft buttery bread. Since there's no Asian bakery in my little town, I better learn to make this bread myself. Surprisingly, most ingredients are already in the pantry. Baking is intimidating for me, but I will be making this Mother of All Milk Bread. 🍞😍

Mid-Autumn Festival, and of course mooncakes. Perfect timing too. I love the name and aren't they just pretty? Let's just say they are lovely to look at, but to eat? Red beans and nuts aren't my kind of dessert. I'm impressed really to know people do make this at home.

There are also no-bake recipes like dim sums, crispy scallion pancakes and potstickers. I don't like sesame seeds, but these crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside sesame balls look pretty darn good!

Thank you Harper Horizon and Netgalley for my ARC.