From Pumpkin to Pie

The essential history of bread baking and sourdough’s rise to a global phenomenon.

Sourdough bread fueled the labor that built the Egyptian pyramids. The Roman Empire distributed free sourdough loaves to its citizens to maintain political stability. More recently, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, sourdough bread baking became a global phenomenon as people contended with being confined to their homes and sought distractions from their fear, uncertainty, and grief. In Sourdough Culture, environmental science professor Eric Pallant shows how throughout history, sourdough bread baking has always been about survival.

Sourdough Culture presents the history and rudimentary science of sourdough bread baking from its discovery more than six thousand years ago to its still-recent displacement by the innovation of dough-mixing machines and fast-acting yeast. Pallant traces the tradition of sourdough across continents, from its origins in the Middle East’s Fertile Crescent to Europe and then around the world. Pallant also explains how sourdough fed some of history’s most significant figures, such as Plato, Pliny the Elder, Louis Pasteur, Marie Antoinette, Martin Luther, and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, and introduces the lesser-known—but equally important—individuals who relied on sourdough bread for sustenance: ancient Roman bakers, medieval housewives, Gold Rush miners, and the many, many others who have produced daily sourdough bread in anonymity.

Each chapter of Sourdough Culture is accompanied by a selection from Pallant’s own favorite recipes, which span millennia and traverse continents, and highlight an array of approaches, traditions, and methods to sourdough bread baking. Sourdough Culture is a rich, informative, and engaging read, especially for bakers—whether skilled or just beginners. More importantly, it tells the important and dynamic story of the bread that has fed the world.

An updated and expanded edition of the bestselling Holiday Cookies, featuring additional recipes from the last decade of contest winners.

For nearly four decades, the Chicago Tribune has run its annual Holiday Cookie Contest, asking readers to submit recipes that are both unique and meaningful to them. Each recipe is accompanied by a brief description or story explaining why the cookie is special to the reader and their family. The Chicago Tribune's award-winning food writers and editors carefully consider these essays, select the finalists, and then publish winning recipes.

Holiday Cookies, 2nd Edition is an updated and expanded collection of the best holiday cookies as curated from nearly four decades worth of reader submissions, including 28 new recipes from the winners in 2014 to 2022. These delicious recipes represent an eclectic mix of traditional and modern recipes from diverse cultural backgrounds and skill levels, such as Tropical Nuevo Latino Cookies, Dorie's Dark and Stormies, and Grandma Grump's Peanut Butter Drizzles.

Complete with full-color photography and helpful baking tips, this gorgeous compilation brings the warmth and expertise of a cross-generational baking community home for the holidays. From cookie classics to twists on old standards, Holiday Cookies provides the home baker with a plethora of possibilities for any holiday party.

Craft beer is the new seasonal ingredient.

From Jacquelyn Dodd—the woman behind the award-winning website The Beeroness—comes Lush, a celebration of fruit, vegetables, and craft beer. After all, beer is as seasonal as produce; its ingredients come from the soil and are harvested at peak freshness, just like the offerings at your local farmers’ market. It’s no surprise that the flavors of seasonal craft beers pair perfectly with the food we’re eating at the moment.

This cookbook features 80 creative, produce-forward recipes—all of which are made with seasonal craft beer. From Gochujang ISA Shakshuka to Grilled Apricot Saison Shortcakes to Doppelbock Rutabaga Mash, make no mistake: this isn’t your drunk uncle’s beer chili.

Whether your Saturdays are spent at the farmers’ market or your favorite local craft brewery (or both!), Dodd’s creative use of produce and beer opens the door to deliciously complex flavors that evolve with the seasons.