With Love & Butter: Favorite Recipes from Holly B's Bakery on Lopez Island: An Island Cookbook and Memoir

I grew up eating Holly B's baked goods. Her cinnimon rolls, croissants, scones, fresh berry and fruit danishes fueled many bike rides around Lopez Island. Many years ago I called her to get her poppyseed custard torte recipe to make for a friend's birthday. She happily shared it, and a short while later, came out with this book. Now all her delicious recipes can be easily replicated at home, to the delight of my friends and family. Nothing beats a trip to the bakery in person, but the resulting delicious treats baked from this book are a decent consolation. The book's voice is so friendly and the recipes are very easy to follow. I make her basic bread (the foundation of the cinnimon rolls) and her muffins and quick breads the most. I haven't made the scones because the recipe is for a bulk load of dough (for a 2x or 3x batch)--as if it hadn't been adjusted for the home baker. (However, she does mention that the dough is freezable). Her croissants are another favorite from the bakery, but I have yet to try the book's recipe. One of these days. Thanks, Holly for sharing your bakery story and your delicious recipes.

I obtained a signed copy of Holly's book at her bakery. We had the pizza while we were there. WOW. For some crazy reason I decided to try to make it. IT WORKED! Holly gives detailed and fun recipes. Instead of "adding" ingredients, you might find yourself "dumping" them and you will learn that sifting is for sissies. The stories and anecdotes in the book are delightful, and before I returned from my ferry trip home, I felt like I had made a new friend. Even if you didn't use any of the recipes, the book is worth it! I was afraid of biga. What the heck IS biga? Well, I am now a biga maker. I was afraid of yeast dough. But, Holly walked me through it and it was EASY. You just gotta promise to go back and visit the bakery in the future. That's a small "price" to pay!!! Kathleen

Fantastic bakery cookbook from Holly B's on Lopez Island (in the San Juans). Holly's recipes turn the sublime into the religious, and her bakery is God's gift to Lopez Island. If you can get your hands on this buy it (Holly sells it at her bakery as well), your waistline is the only thing that will regret it. It doesn't get any better than this.