Book Description

Witness the rise of Southern baking from the humble, make-do recipes of our ancestors to its place as one of the world's richest culinary traditions through this essential cookbook from bestselling author Anne Byrn. With 200 recipes and more than 150 photos from 14 states, Baking in the American South has the biscuits, cornbread, cakes, and rolls that will help you bake like a Southerner, even if you aren't.Recipes can tell you volumes if you pay attention—the crops raised, languages spoken, family customs, old world flavors, and, often, religion. Did you know that where a mill was located affected the recipes handed down from that area? Or that baking and selling pound cakes directly impacted the Civil Rights Movement? These stories and recipes, developed from good times and bad, have been collected and perfected over years and are now accessible to us all. Anne's expertise in assessing, modernizing, and developing well-written recipes makes this the definitive guide for bakers of all levels.From-scratch, Southern classic recipes Thomasville Cheese BiscuitsOuita Michel's Sweet Potato Streusel MuffinsNina Cain's Batty Cakes with Lacy EdgesThe Best Lemon Meringue PieGeorgia Gilmore's Pound Cake This fascinating dive into the history of 14 southern states—Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and more—features stories and beautifully photographed recipes from pre-Civil War times to today's Southern kitchens. It's about the places, the people, the products and the culture of the moment that influenced what people baked. It's about African-American women and the monumental contributions they have made to the art of Southern baking, about home cooks and how they've kept traditions alive wherever they settle by baking family recipes each year for holidays and celebrations, and about the pastry chefs who have thoughtfully reimagined how the South bakes.Experience the recipes and the stories behind them that showcase the substantial contributions Southern baking has made to American baking at large. Food historians, bakers, foodies, and cookbook collectors from every corner of the country will want this cookbook in their collections.