Baking with Fortitude

A one-of-a-kind, handsomely-designed four-color guide to artisan baking, featuring modern approaches to old-fashioned methods.

Some of Dee Rettali's recipes require patience and care, others can be made instantly-but all are love letters to the craft of baking. Dee walks us through how to bake with the fruits, spices, and herbs we have around us, loading our bakes with natural flavor and sparing ourselves piles of sugar and artificial flavors. Then, sharing two exciting new techniques that form the essence of craft baking, Dee teaches readers how to bake with a starter and, secondly, to ferment the batter itself. There's no extra effort involved-just time-as you watch the cake rise and develop a rich, deeply complex flavor and texture similar to sourdough bread. Whether you eat it like a traditional cake or slice it up and eat it like bread, these cakes will be delicious longer than any cake you've ever made.

Featuring cakes like Chocolate and Chili Sugar Olive Oil, Rhubarb and Lemon, Moroccan Honey with Cinnamon, and Walnut Butter Cake with Honey, these 90 recipes are sure to delight and surprise. Mouthwatering and unique, Baking with Fortitude is every baker's newest obsession.

"I love Dee Rettali's baking – she is obsessed with flavour. A bold and beautiful book" -Diana Henry

“This isn't just another book about baking; it's a whole new way of approaching it” —Sunday Telegraph

“A world away from your average sugar-laden creations. Instead, [Rettali] harnesses flavour-building processes such as using sourdough starters, fermenting batters before baking, steeping fruit and making herb infusions. Among her many stand-out bakes are turmeric custard and roast pear brioche buns, Spanish fermented butter cake with fizzy apricots, and ras el hanout and black treacle cake, scattered with chilli flakes” —Waitrose Weekend

“A thoughtful collection of hearty loaf cake recipes that put a modern spin on traditional artisanal baking … For bakers that prefer a deeper taste, that process requires patience … Still, the recipes themselves are simple to execute ... Those willing to wait will be greatly rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly

“Typical sweet bakes not your style? Dee Rettali of London's Fortitude Bakehouse uses sourdough starters and fermented batters to create buns and cakes with intensified flavours. Emphasising the craft of baking, her recipes rely on herbs, spices, and fruit for character, and many can be made in straightforward fashion before you try the fermented version.” —Delicious Magazine