Breaking Bao

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc of Breaking Bad by Clarice Lam.

The books title immediately caught my eye. I absolutely loved the book and its recipes. The pictures of the recipes were beautifully taken. They not only inspired me to try them out myself, but also added very helpful step-by-step instructions for some of the more elaborate instructions. I could see myself buying this book as a gift or just to treat myself. I also loved the anecdotes or cultural information at the beginning of each recipe. I cannot wait to try some of the recipes myself.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Breaking Bao.

Breaking Bao is a sumptuous feast for the eyes with a great title, too!

The author, Clarice Lam, is an accomplished and talented pastry chef who weaves classic French techniques to create unique and tantalizing twists to baos.

I love baos, but who wouldn't? They are delicious, fun to eat, and they comes in SOO many variations and flavors.

Some of my favorite recipes are cinnamon-raisin babka. matcha shortbread with raspberry ganache, and Macau egg start.

There are also plenty of show-stopping desserts like. mango sticky rice and honey yuzu baked Alaska.

Wow, just wow, the beauty and precision and originality of these recipes just blow me away!

The photographs are mouthwatering and there's a photo for every recipe.

Be warned; some of these recipes are labor intensive but as we know, anything worth doing takes time, energy, and patience.

This would make a wonderful gift for any baker or someone looking for a challenge!

As a food enthusiast, I recently had the pleasure of diving into the pages of “Baking Bao,” and let me tell you—it’s a delightful journey through flavors, textures, and creativity. Here’s why I’m head over heels for this cookbook:

Scrumptious Photos: The visual feast begins right from the cover. Each page is adorned with mouthwatering photographs that capture the essence of every dish. From golden-brown buns to glossy glazes, the images make you want to reach into the book and take a bite.

Exciting Flavors: “Baking Bao” doesn’t shy away from bold flavor combinations. Whether it’s a classic char siu bao with a twist or an innovative matcha-filled creation, the recipes are a celebration of taste. The umami, the sweetness, the spice—it’s all there, waiting to surprise your taste buds.

Can’t Wait to Try the Recipes: As I flipped through the pages, I found myself mentally bookmarking recipes. The wild mushroom - Boursin puff pastry? Yes, please. The mantou donuts with matcha? More than one. The pandan-lime meringue pie? Absolutely. Ramen cheez-its? Don't let kids eat them all before you get some. And don’t even get me started on the Vietnamese cinnamon-raisin babka! I’m already planning my next grocery run.

Accessible Recipes: What sets “Baking Bao” apart is its approachability. The instructions are clear and include step-by-step photos. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a newbie, you’ll find joy in recreating these treats at home. Plus, the author’s tips and tricks add that extra layer of confidence.

In summary, “Baking Bao” is more than a cookbook—it’s an invitation to explore the world of bao, dumplings, and steamed buns. So grab your apron, preheat the oven, and let the aroma of freshly baked goodness fill your kitchen. You won’t regret it!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!

I requested this on NetGalley because I don't see too much asian cookbooks on the market. Obviously there are more now than back in the days but still less relatively.

The cover is a vibrant green that just drew me to it. What I found interesting about this book is the fusion aspect. It is not just a fusion of cooking methods but also flavors that you wouldn't think of baking them together. The book is separated into 2 sections: bakes and snacks. I am especially interested in trying to make the snacks since I am a snack person.

I would recommend this book for those who want to learn the ways of asian bakeries and also with a twist.

Pros: This book's description as being "visually sumptuous' is the perfect way to describe what I thought when I saw the cover photography. I was thrilled to see that the fantastic photography continued throughout this book. When I try a new recipe, I so appreciate having a visual to guide me to what the dish is supposed to look like! The introductory section explaining the different ingredients was also incredibly helpful because I have not cooked with many of them before. The recipes throughout are detailed yet accessible, include helpful tips, and feel like a celebration of the dishes.

Cons: The only negative I can think of is that I didn't have a treat to snack on while reading this book about fantastic food.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read this book.

A very unique baking collection. Something for everyone. Includes both easier and complicated treats. Lots of wild flavor combinations and fun interpretations.

Breaking Bao focuses on baked goods and confections using Asian flavors.

The Sections are
Bao
Cakes & Desserts
Snacks

Each recipe has a little recipe blurb, yield, ingredients, directions, and recipe tips & Storage. Many recipes are accompanied by a photo of the dish.

There are so many recipes that I am so excited to try. Whether your a sweet or savory person I think there are tons of recipes for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Breaking Bao
Author: Clarice Lam
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a fantastic cookbook! Breaking Bao is filled with delicious recipes that I can't wait to try - the Ube Chiffon Cake and Char Siu Carnitas Bolo Bao being at the top! I really loved that the book featured a good variety of both sweet and savory, as well as, a good range of easy to more difficult recipes.
Would definitely purchase this for myself and as a gift for friends who enjoy baking.

Thanks to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Clarice Lam for an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I am so excited to physically own this cookbook, the photography for the recipes is completely gorgeous! However, I feel that even though the author intends these recipes to be approachable, some might be intimidating to a beginner. Not the ingredients, mind you, but the recipes themselves are quite sophisticated, even to someone such as myself who would consider herself to be an intermediate baker. Nevertheless, I am particularly excited to try my hand at making the pandan-lime meringue pie, the mango yakult tres leches cake, and the honey-yuzu caked alaska!

Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review Breaking Bao by Clarice Lam.

I absolutely love Asian bao whether they are sweet or savory, filled or unfilled. Breaking Bao caught my attention and it was a delightful read.

Reading through "Breaking Bao" made my mouth water. While I have yet to attempt any of the recipes, I have marked MANY I cannot wait to attempt when I have some free time. The recipes and directions appear to be very accessible.

Thank you so much to the publisher + NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love that Breaking Bao covers both savory and sweet recipes so well! I try to eat the world every time I go back to Hong Kong to visit -- there are so many delicious foods to be had! This book contains recipes for a lot of favorites/classics, including Dragon's Beard Candy, Chee Cheung Fun (rice noodle rolls) + Mantou (but reimagined as donuts with a condensed milk glaze + matcha!) and also has lots of unique fusion recipes that look amazing.

The book starts off with an intro from the author, followed by a section in the beginning on common ingredients, tools, and equipment that are used to make the recipes. The recipes are divided into 3 different sections:
1) Bao
2) Cakes & Desserts
3) Snacks

Each recipe contains an intro, the serving size, an ingredient list, instructions, and tips on storage, what parts can be made beforehand, how long it'll likely keep for, possible substitutes, where to find less common ingredients (+ sometimes how to make em'), and alterations you can do to change each recipe up.

There are tons of recipes in here that look amazing -- not gonna lie, some of them are on the more intimidating side for me since I rarely bake and haven't cooked in a while. The Sweet Corn Custard Bao, Kabocha Galette and Shokupan Donuts with Hojicha Milk Jam + Strawberry-Rose Confit are ones I'd love to make but are likely ones I will one day work up to. Despite that, I'm super excited to try making the Gochujang-Furikake Caramel Popcorn, White Rabbit Sachima, Scallion Roti Canai, and the Mango Sticky Rice Cake!

Beautiful book with very ambitious and challenging recipes. The step by step pictures looked helpful for forming/shaping the bao and pastries. Unfortunately, I found the instructions to be verbose and difficult to follow. The specialty ingredients, at times, were overwhelming to an average home cook (at least this one). My hope for cookbooks is accessibility of the recipes and being able to recreate favorite restaurant dishes at home.

Loved this cookbook by revered pastry chef Clarice Lam with its glorious photos and 88 recipes of Asian baked goods and snacks. Delectable!

This book is beautifully done. The photography is inspiring. The goal is to create fusion dessert and baked goods. There are matcha donuts. Baked Alaska is made with flavors that are more traditionally Asian. Cake rolls are made with ube.

All the flavor combinations sound wonderful. (This is a vegetarian but not vegan book.) The book does a great job of giving step by step photos of the more involved techniques that were confusing to people who hadn't tried them before.

The recipes are very involved. This is definitely a book for people who get excited by the thought of spending hours making the perfect dessert. There isn't anything here that I will likely be trying myself but for people who love to make show stopping desserts, this book is a winner.

What a beautiful cookbook. The photographer deserves a raise, crisp pictures, and didn't have that hue or filter feel giving a vibe. The vibe was just a vibe.

This book is definitely not for a novice baker. That said, love the step by step instructions with the photos to go along.

I love that many(some?) of these are classics (to some) with a twist. The raisin brioche, mouth was watering.

Overall a wonderful book with great recipes and formatted beautiful IMO.

Received an Advanced Reading Copy from NetGalley.

This cookbook is filled with fun recipes. It's filled with innovative flavors that depart from the traditional. I love the unexpected combinations of different ingredients from different Asian cultures. They all sound delicious and I've chosen a few recipes to try out. I can't wait til this book is officially released. I plan to buy a hard copy for my kitchen shelf. Looking forward to trying all the different recipes.

This delicious cookbook features a variety of recipes for a multitude of occasions. From snacks to sides to items for a gathering, you'll find something for just about any occasion. Recipes are well laid out, detailed, and easy to follow.

I love this cookbook (Breaking Bao, by Clarice Lam) so much! I will be baking from it and providing a more detailed review once published but for now, these are my thoughts.

In this highly personal baking book, Clarice Lam - a highly accomplished pastry chef who has worked in critically acclaimed establishments such as Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery; Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market; as the executive chef at Brooklyn's The Chocolate Room; her own Brooklyn shop The Baking Bean; and the opening pastry chef at Kimika in NYC - has created recipes based on her extensive world travels and memorable life events. In Breaking Bao, she takes us on a sweet and savory journey; she not only hopes that we will recreate, enjoy, and share these treats with others, but hopes that doing so will help to bridge the (still very large) cultural gap that exists, and that made Clarice feel like an outsider most of her life. The clever title, Breaking Bao, is for Clarice a sentiment akin to breaking bread, as by sharing this food with each other we hopefully can all come to realize that we are in fact more alike than different. And as for the actual recipes? Well, let's just say that I cannot wait to make the vast majority of this deliciousness!

The author provides three categories of recipes: Bao; Cakes & Desserts; and Snacks. In the Bao section, we begin with a great recipe for Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread). Milk Bread is delicious and relatively easy to make. I've been wanting a good recipe for awhile, so I was very excited to see this. What's even better is that this recipe for milk bread is then used as the basis for many of the other recipes in this section, such as: Gochujang Pizza Rolls; Shokupan Donuts (filled with homemade milk jam and strawberry-rose confit); Kaya French Toast; Mama Lam's Coconut Croissants; Vietnamese Cinnamon=Raisin Babka; and Strawberry-Mascarpone Maritozzi. There are also recipes here for dim sum-like filled buns and dumplings, with savory fillings such as Char Sui Carnitas, Dan Dan Filling, and Hong Kong Bolognese, which look both easy and delicious, and that have a "mix and match" quality with other recipes in this section, or that can just be enjoyed on their own. There is also a recipe for Scallion Roti Canai - an ultra flaky scallion laminated flatbread - that looks absolutely delicious and that has full-color, step-by-step photographed instructions (as do many of the more pastry-like recipes), for foolproof results. And how about Pork Floss and Scallion Focaccia? And Chocolate-Banana Bolo Bao - a chocolate bolo bao (aka bun) filled with banana custard? Honestly, there is so much deliciousness here to explore.

In Cakes & Desserts the creative fusion continues, with delights such as Pandan-Lime Meringue Pie; Mango-Yakult Tres Leches Cake; Macau Egg Tart Patissier (similar to portugese egg tarts - yum!); Vietnamese Coffee Viennetta; Mango Sticky Rice Cake; and Ovaltine Mochi Marjolaine - a seven layer masterpiece (much easier when broken down in to small steps, as it is here) - that includes a chocolate mochi cake layer, almond dacquoise, and an Ovaltine ganache and buttercream! And in the Snacks section we find such treats as: Ramen Cheese Itz; Matcha Shortbread with Raspberry Ganache; Fig and Marzipan Mooncakes; Yin Yeung Crullers (Hong Kong Milk Tea & Coffee-Glazed Crullers); Ferrero Mochi Bomboloncini (Ferrero Rocher-filled Fried Sesame Balls); and Gochujang-Furikake Caramel Popcorn. And the above is just a sampling!

This book is a rare gem... a unique and beautiful baking book for the baker with sophisticated, truly worldly tastes. However despite its adventurous nature, most of the recipes here are very manageable for the average baker, with a few that require some extra steps. But in all cases, Ms. Lam provides clear, easy-to-understand, step-by-step instructions along with full color visual instructions for more involved steps (like rolling out and forming dough, etc.), and stunning photographs of every recipe so we can see what our finished product should look like. And while a few of these ingredients will be new to some (such as pork floss, pandan, and yakult), these can easily be obtained either at a local Asian market or online. Thankfully, we are given brand names to look for in the Ingredients section, which makes the process of finding them and achieving similar results even easier. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my review and honest opinion.

Wonderful selection of recipes of Asian and Asian inspired breads and desserts 💖

Beautiful images, easily to follow recipes, step by step instructions for more intermediate recipes as well as very informative section explaining ingredients and cookware ✨

Highly recommend this book if recipes like these are what you’re looking for!

Thanks NetGalley, Chronicle Books & Clarice Lam for giving me an ARC copy of this incredible cookbook!

You eat first with your eyes. Lam’s book, Breaking Bao, embodies this statement. As I read this cookbook, as I love to do, I found it difficult to choose a favorite recipe. The short descriptions at the beginning of each recipe were helpful in narrowing it down, however.
Though I am a seasoned cook, I found the clear step-by-step directions to be extremely helpful as some were very involved. In addition to delectable bao, there are also treats like Chocolate Mochi Cake, Pandan-Lime Meringue Pie, Dragon’s Beard Candy, and Ramen Cheese Itz, I encourage you to give this beautiful book a try. It opened my eyes to many recipes I am excited to try. Thank you to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Clarice Lam for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Fantastic bao bun themed cookbook!

I have been looking for a standardized cookbook providing information on cooking everything from your typical street bao bun to your jazzed up recipes, stuffing it, baking it, making pizza out of it, etc.

A few examples of the delicious recipes included:

Gochujang Pizza Rolls pg. 39
Kimchi & Corn Cheese Pan Fried Mochi pg. 55
Buckwheat & Black Sesame Bao pg. 82
Vietnamese Coffee Viennetta pg. 163
Bolo Bao Cream Puffs pg. 204

A very unique cookbook for any chef's collection. I will be adding a physical copy to mine.

***Thank you to Netgalley and to Chronicle Books for providing this cookbook in exchange for a review.

All of the menu recipes are yummy and I want to try all of them, 88 Bakes and Snacks from Asia and beyond. Thank you, Clarice Lam, for introducing us to all variety of bakes and snacks.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. There were several recipes I am excited to try. I like that the recipes included photos as well.

If you enjoy baking whether it's savory or sweet, then this book will delight you. Well, yes, it's not a typical baking book with fudgy brownies and yellow cake with frosting recipes, but if you love bao and are familiar with Asian ingredients, this book is definitely yours. This book has a chapter dedicated for cakes and

Breaking Bao has many recipes from sweet to savory, bao to babka, ube to Ovaltine. I wouldn't recommend this book to a beginner cook/baker since most of recipes require multiple steps (no worries, there are pictures to help you out!) and don't seem easy or simple. But there are some fun ideas and fun combinations of ingredients that sound really intriguing. Not to mention beautiful photos to have you want to start baking right away!

Although this won't be my everyday cookbook, but if you want to surprise your loved ones and neighbors, I'd try Baking Bao out. This is such a fun cookbook!

Lovely, innovative recipes. You're better off with a different cookbook if you're looking for traditional recipes, but these ones are definitely fun fusion ideas.

Very interesting cookbook. I'd like to try some of the recipes, but they do seem complicated to me (not a baker). I'm hoping that I can follow the directions since they seem well written.

'Breaking Bao' has truly stunning visuals for their extensive and well-varied recipes. From the personal touches and welcoming tone, it's clear that Lam has such a deep passion for cultural cooking. There's an adequate information section to get everyone up to speed on ingredients and methodology. The recipes feel accessible yet elevated cultural classics that encourage the reader to give them a try rather than overwhelm them. The step-by-step pictures for more extensively crafted recipes is such a perfect extra detail. Such a visual pleasure to read a truly well structured cookbook with engaging recipes.

An amazing cookbook for anyone who's passionate about baking! The Asian-inspired recipes are so creative, and they look delicious and droolworthy from the photos. This cookbook is truly special and a must-have for any baker in your life.

I enjoyed this cookbook and have been able to improve my cooking, especially in adding new flavors to my baking and perfecting my bao recipes. I loved the variety of recipes that Clarice was able to include and it wasn't just focused on bao, but instead, it also introduced many desserts and dishes that I normally would go to a restaurant for, but instead, now can make at home! I also loved the inclusion of pictures as instruction for certain recipes that were more complex, because they better helped explain how to create something, for example, the dragon's beard candy. On top of this, I also loved the twists on more classic recipes, like a lamington or croissant. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to level up their cooking and try something new and sometimes challenging. I loved it!

Expanding my baking to new cultures is always exciting, its even more exciting when I am able to gain insight from those within the culture. This title was a delightful introduction to Asian flavor and classical techniques that can be achieved in your home kitchen. Classical French techniques elevate your baking to the next level, your friends wont believe that you made these in your home kitchen! Great pictures, and easy to follow recipes with detailed explanations. Perfect for the ambitious home baker whose not afraid to head over to the Asian market with a list of new ingredients. Thank you netgalley and Chronicle Books for access to this digital ARC.

This is the first recipe book I have read on bao. I found the recipes accessible and the choices interesting.
The photos will look much better in the print version. That aspect was not my favourite.

I love that the cookbook is inspired by so many different cultures flavors. She’ll take a flavor profile from one food and put it in a form that is entirely unexpected, Thai tea gelati, ube cake roll yes please! It’s a visually beautiful book with lots of photos of the final product as well as process photos for more complex recipes. The introduction also has a very thoughtful section explaining the various flavors and products that aren’t as common in the Us and where to find them. This was extremely helpful. Some of the recipes were a little more complicated then I feel like I could make but even those recipes I found myself thinking of other ways to use a flavor combination or frosting. Can’t wait to give a few recipes from this book a try!

Thank you to Clarice Lam, Chronicle Books, and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was an immediate request for me since I love baking, especially with Chinese/Asian flavors in mind. So this seemed like the perfect cooking read for me--after all, 88 recipes will keep me occupied for quite a while.I can't wait to tackle more of these recipes with my mother who has most of the necessary ingredients.

Overall this is a lovely cookbook for those more experienced in the baking world, as these recipes are not quite for beginners. That being said, I will be sure to purchase a physical copy when Breaking Bao formally releases, and will recommend this to my fellow bakers!

The recipes in this book are outstanding and beautiful. They're also DELICIOUS! Big fan and can't wait to cook my way through this cookbook!

We begin with bao, move into cakes and desserts, and conclude with snacks. In the introduction, Clarice Lam briefly shares a story from her 7th-grade history class, where students were asked to bring a treat from their culture to share with the class. This experience highlighted how food best represents our cultures and allows us to show ourselves to each other. Her takeaway in life is, “No matter how far we travel or how ‘Americanized’ we become, food can always bring us back to our roots.”

Clarice Lam embraced her culture as she became a pastry chef. Her book, Breaking Bao, is organized with step-by-step instructions to guide you through the recipes, allowing you to enjoy and appreciate her culture. She admits that these recipes are inspired by her travels and blend Asian culture with other influences.

Some featured recipes include Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread), Pork Floss and Scallion Focaccia, Thai Tea Gelati, Ovaltine Ganache, and Fig and Marzipan Mooncakes. The book is filled with beautiful photos showcasing the delectable finished products. It’s a great addition for anyone interested in fusion delights, with easy-to-understand instructions and a thorough breakdown of Asian ingredients and products. As a pastry chef, Clarice Lam focuses on baked goods and desserts, so you won’t find main entrees in this book.

This book will be available starting October 22, 2024, and will make a wonderful gift to either yourself or a friend.

I haven’t made any of the recipes from this book yet, so I can’t quite give it 5 stars. But everything looks delicious, and like something I’d actually be able to do. I am definitely planning to buy a hard copy when it is published! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

YOU NEED THIS BOOK. I have already made four recipes from it, and it has completely changed my bao game. I am absolutely obsessed. It's a gorgeous and relentlessly researched cookbook with heart and humor. A must-have for your kitchen!