SIFT: The Elements of Great Baking (Hardback) - Nicola Lamb

'Every page is a masterclass in better baking' - Nigel Slater

'When your bake rebels, trust in SIFT. Nicola Lamb solves the many mysteries of baking: why ganache misbehaves, why dough acts up, and what 'until golden brown' truly means. Informative, enriching, and so delicious' - Yotam Ottolenghi

'Nicola understands and explains baking like nobody else' - Jamie Oliver

'Simply extraordinary recipes' - Helen Goh

'Everything you ever wanted to know about baking but were too afraid to ask' - Felicity Cloake

Nicola Lamb is the go-to person for all your baking questions and cravings. In her essential new baking bible, SIFT, she takes the fear out of failure and offers up an inspiring collection of over 100 delicious bakes.

In the first half of the book, Nicola breaks down the key elements and techniques with boundless enthusiasm and beautiful illustrations. Explore every how and why of baking and move forward with complete confidence - you'll never again wonder why your custard has curdled, why your sponge didn't rise or why your panna cotta didn't set.

Nicola's recipes are divided into the time it takes to make a bake, ranging from gooey cookies and airy cakes that you can whip up in an afternoon to fabulous showstoppers you can devote a weekend to. These include:

Bake in an afternoon: Roasted Strawberry Victoria Sponge, Miso Walnut Double-Thick Chocolate-Chip Cookies and Bread-and-Butter Pudding with Caramel Mandarins
Bake in a day: Salted Vanilla and Pistachio Layer Cake, Fancy Rhubarb Tart and Olive Oil Brie-oche with Roasted Grapes
Bake in a weekend: Mocha Passionfruit Opera Cake, Pain au Chocolat and Tiramichoux

About the Author

Nicola Lamb is a recipe developer, consultant and pastry chef based in London. She trained in some of London and New York's top bakeries, including Dominique Ansel, Ottolenghi, Happy Endings, and Little Bread Pedlar. She is the author of 'Kitchen Projects', a top food and drink newsletter on Substack, praised as an 'incredible resource' by the Observer. This weekly newsletter delves deep into the world of pastry, exploring everything from beignets and focaccia, to sorbet and cheesecake - and has over 42,000 dedicated readers.

Nicola's recipes and writing have been featured in Serious Eats, the Guardian, Olive Magazine, Vogue, and ES Magazine. She continues to host sell-out pastry parties with her pop-up bakery, lark! and has collaborated with notable names like Verena Lochmuller of Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, Toklas Bakery, Soft & Swirly, and Kossoffs, among others.

You can follow Nicola on Instagram @nicolaalamb