Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking

Day (Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook; The Artisanal Kitchen) has written an informative and authoritative volume on Southern baking, with recipes compiled from her landmark bakery in Savannah, GA, from her family, and from other storied Southern bakers. The book is beautifully photographed and full of her baking knowledge, from breads to cakes. The collection includes a beautifully written introduction by Day about her family and how she became the baker and bakery owner she is today. The “Southern Baking Rules” section offers essential guidance for home bakers making these recipes; some of it also applies in general to any baking. In addition, Day makes recommendations on essential and optional kitchen tools and appliances. The book is divided into 13 chapters, including a chapter about recipe basics and a chapter on homemade jams. Standout recipes include Scallion and Cheddar Cathead Biscuits, skillet cornbread, blueberry buckle, hummingbird cake (a pineapple-banana spice cake with Jamaican roots), and chicken pot pie.