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I have big, happy news today: I'm writing a cookbook! After I wrote My Berlin Kitchen and tested 42 recipes, I sort of swore, like almost blood oath, that I'd never write a cookbook, but then I birthed that sweet baby of mine and then a couple years passed and Ten Speed Press came a-calling and I found myself writing a proposal for them – because hello, of course – even though there was that almost-blood oath and then I started getting sort of excited about the proposal and then found I actually really wanted to write the cookbook and, phew, what a relief because Ten Speed up and bought the proposal and now it's official:

I'm writing a cookbook and I'm so excited about it, a book on German baking in all its glory, from yeasted cakes, whole-grain breads, fruit strudels, and dumplings to nut tortes, cakes, and savory pies, plus a whole chapter on Christmas baking that will be sure to send me straight into the nuthouse. There will be around 100 recipes and lots of photos and little stories and I hope (and pray) it will be both classic and comprehensive enough to find room on your shelves for years to come.

(The gorgeous braided Easter loaf that you see up there comes from a wonderful family-run bakery around the corner from my house that still makes many traditional German pastries, cakes and breads, sadly rare for Berlin.)

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85 responses to “My Next Book!”

  1. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    Hooray! I’ll be first in line to buy it! Your last book was beautiful. Plus, the Ragu changed my life forever.
    Congrats!

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  2. heather Avatar
    heather

    That’s wonderful! Congrats. Now that little man of yours needs to start sleeping in so you can get some work done. Can’t wait to read it and try the goodies.

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  3. Bérangère Bouffard Avatar

    Woohoo! I think we all secretly expected that. 🙂 Congratulations and good luck!! On my list!

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  4. Viktoria W. Avatar
    Viktoria W.

    I am thrilled you are writing another book. Congratulations! I am even more thrilled that it is going to be about German pastries. I am German and have discovered my love for German pastry when living abroad. When I was pregnant, I craved for ‘Butterkuchen’ (also known as ‘Zuckerkuchen’) and ‘Friesentorte’. These are well known pastries in Northern Germany. Are they also known in Berlin? So far, I have miserably failed in baking them. Whink, whink 😉

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  5. Luisa Avatar

    I love Zuckerkuchen! Here’s a recipe for it that I developed for Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/My-Berlin-Kitchen-Story-Recipes/dp/0147509742. I don’t know Friesentorte, but will certainly be investigating now! 🙂

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  6. Trushna Avatar
    Trushna

    Yay Luisa, so excited! I’m just reading through Berlin Kitchen now and relate on so many levels – born in the states, grew up in India, married to a German and now living in Zurich. Would love a book on German baking so I can impress my husband and his family! Oh, and pleeeeeeeease could you include a stop in Zurich for the book tour? We’d love to meet you!

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  7. Nestingnewlywed.wordpress.com Avatar

    How exciting! Your posts always bring back memories of exchange in Germany … and then my stomach rumbles …
    All the best with the new book – already I’m looking forward to buying a copy and working my way through it. Better yet – how about a stop in Australia on your book tour? 🙂

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  8. Viktoria W. Avatar
    Viktoria W.

    Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try it out.

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  9. Kathleen Avatar
    Kathleen

    Luisa, what a great idea for a cookbook: German baking. We live in Palo Alto, where Stanford is located, and there is a German bakery in the next town. There are rich pastries with cherries and cheese. Plus those wonderful cakes with unimaginable quantities of poppy seeds. Cannot wait to read your delicious recipes and beautiful writing in the new book!

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  10. Kate Avatar

    Hooray! Congratulations, I will be waiting for this. I loved your first book. I was just in Berlin this March and kept searching for an English-language book on German baking, to no avail, so yours will certainly be on my pre-order list. Good luck and bon voyage!

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  11. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    My sentiments exactly!

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  12. Valeria Avatar

    I found your blog through Rachel & Emiko as we were all in Rome at the same time, and I am so so glad I did. I arrive right in time for congratulations and for having something to look forward to, but also, with some time to enjoy it in retrospective over this lazy bank holiday weekend. xx

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  13. katy Avatar

    I’m so excited to hear this; I loved all of the German baking recipes in “My Berlin Kitchen” and am eager to learn more about yeasted cakes and German bread! Congratulations!! I can’t wait until it comes out.
    Happy writing and recipe testing!

    Like

  14. Ena Avatar
    Ena

    I just came back from a visit to Berlin and before the trip I went through all of your Berlin on a Platter blog and jotted down a few things in my travel notebook. So on my way to Schloss Charlottenburg, I went to Hutzelmann and bought Quarkpiroggen and Kranzkuchen, stopped at Ozge grill to get pide and ayran (pide was ok, but not really my thing, later I regretted not ordering the stew that you had mentioned), then went to Schloss and enjoyed the pastries (especially Quarkpiroggen) while sitting on a bench at the wonderful gardens around Schloss. I also took my friends to the Oliv Cafe where we had freshly made apricot crumble cake with whipped cream and fresh finger tea, the cafe is beautiful! I went to Sasaya one night but it was full and there were already people standing and waiting to be seated. I am already looking forward to my next Berlin trip and then I’ll tick more places off my list. 🙂

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  15. Ena Avatar
    Ena

    P.S. I cannot wait for your new book to come out, the topic of German baking thrills me!

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  16. Luisa Avatar

    yes, loved that post!

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  17. Luisa Avatar

    Ohh, that is music to my ears! xo

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  18. Luisa Avatar

    No, it’s not! I always use American baking powder, no matter what I’m baking. Can’t stand the German stuff.

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  19. Luisa Avatar

    You bet! Leckerlee’s is so great.

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  20. Luisa Avatar

    Bälzer ist kult! 🙂

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  21. Luisa Avatar

    I’ll do my best!

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  22. Luisa Avatar

    Dominosteine may prove too fussy, but all the rest that you mention will definitely be included!

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  23. Luisa Avatar

    I’m so sorry I missed you all at lunch – thank you for your kind words!

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  24. Luisa Avatar

    Wow, good work! 🙂

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  25. Allison @ Clean Wellness Avatar

    What fantastic news! I loved your last book and can’t wait to see a cookbook from you. Congratulations and happy baking!

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  26. Lizy Tish Avatar

    Great news! Can’t wait to see what wonderful goodness will be in there…

    Like

  27. Christine Avatar
    Christine

    Oh interesting, thanks for the info! I’ll now do the same and not worry about buying the little packets (which are sold in our Pennsylvania Wegman’s supermarket).

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  28. Anita L. Avatar
    Anita L.

    This is lovely news. It will go on my shelf next to my German cookbooks (which are a challenge to translate).

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  29. Emily Avatar

    This is such wonderful news! Good luck and I cannot wait to use it!! Stollen has been high on my list since I tried Big Sur Bakery’s version this past Christmas c/o Quitokeeto. That, and every other German sweet I’ve ever tried.

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  30. Nadia Avatar
    Nadia

    Congrats! And PLEASE include lots of almond-related stuff!

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  31. jonquil Avatar
    jonquil

    Yea!

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  32. Melissa Baldwin Avatar

    This is wonderful news! I absolutely loved your first book. Let me know if you need any help testing recipes for that Christmas chapter of yours 🙂 love from Boston.

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  33. Nuts about food Avatar

    Catching up with my reading so I am a little late, but CONGRATULATIONS!!!

    Like

  34. Grace Avatar
    Grace

    I’m looking forward to your German baking book! Like Stephanie, I will try to adapt some recipes to be gluten free, but they will not be quite the same. I hope you include a recipe for lubkuchen.

    Like

  35. carolina Avatar
    carolina

    Liebe Luisa,
    Ich bin gespannt!ich warte begeisert auf dein neue Buch! Wann kommt es?
    LG
    Carolina

    Like

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