Title:	Healthy Baking
	Author:	Jordan Bourke
	Published:	February 23, 2017, Orion
	No. of Pages:	280
	Cover Price:	£20.00 Hardcover

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Eating Healthy is trendy; more than ever we are using different grains in our baking – both new and ancient - as well as being introduced to healthy foods that may be foreign and new to us. Healthy Baking: Nourishing Breads, Wholesome Cakes, Ancient Grains and Bubbling Ferments is the perfect primer for all of us who are wanting to get on the bandwagon and change to healthier eating. Jordan Bourke, who is a veteran cookbook writer from the UK, focuses on natural ingredients that are not only healthy, but delicious. Here is a book that will introduce new foods that will counteract the boredom in our meals, while at the same time, help us be healthier and happy with innovative, unique food.

This isn’t your typical cookbook with a laundry list of breads made from strange, hard-to-find ingredients (although there are some excellent ones); rather Bourke introduces all kinds of different dishes made from unexpected ingredients like Korean Kimchi (The Kimchi, Egg and Avocado on sourdough is innovative and delicious), Harissa – his recipe is excellent, and Labneh, which is excellent Middle Eastern strained yogurt. There are recipes for flavored oils, condiments, and fermented vegetables which add variety and flavor to dozens of dishes.

If you love to bake bread, a visit to the health food store or bulk food aisle in a larger grocery store (mine has everything in the recipes I wanted to make) is all that is necessary. Bourke’s recipes are well-written and easy to follow. Of course homemade sourdough takes a bit of time, and as busy as most of us are nowadays, it may not be something we want to spend the time to make. However, there are non-sourdough breads that are great. Rather than spend the extra time with Bourke’s extra steps (which obviously will make the bread better), I dumped the ingredients in my auto bread machine and set it to the dough setting, then formed the bread as directed. The Olive and Herb Yeasted Bread and the Rye, Pecan, and Date bread both were delicious done this way.

The book includes recipes for yummy cakes, tarts, and cookies, too, and they are worth making. All told, if you are interested in new dishes using healthy ingredients, you’ll want to pick up a copy.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.