Italian Home Baking (Gino D’Acampo) Hardcover – Illustrated, 27 Oct. 2011

Loved Gino's Fantastico and Buonissimo and ordered this one to indulge in my love of baking. Of course, Gino does not disappoint and provides you with plenty of easy recipes for all your Italian favourites. The recipes are awesome and mostly hassle-free; most breads can be baked in the afternoon and be ready in the evening. Some of the recipes will need a bit of planning as they require Italian products like limoncello, cooked grains, ricotta, Taleggio cheese, fennel seeds, etc and you won't be able to make them from store cupboard ingredients - this goes especially for cakes.But once you get your shopping done you're well on your way to baking wonderful Italian goodies, a lot of them with a new and original twist. Love the fact that Gino goes booze-mad with most sweet recipes! There's kirsch, limoncello, orange liqueur, amaretto, rum, Marsala, and Grand Marnier to double the pleasure of those sweet desserts.Just to give you a taste of this wonderful baking book, here's what you can find just in the Bread section:CiabattaCiabatta with olives and rosemaryItalian style cottage loafSpicy loaf with chilli and cayenne pepperRustic loaf with olivesRustic north Italian breadTuscan style breadRosemary focacciaFocaccia with tomato, anchovies, capersFocaccia with pancetta and onionsStuffed focaccia with olives, spinach, mozzarellaStuffed focccia with cheesesSemolina breadRolled focaccia with mozzarella and basilFour cheese rustic loafRye breadFarmhouse loaf with fennel seedsLigurian loaf with potatoes and rosemarySchiacciata with rosemarySchiacciata with garlic and parsleyPumpkin and sunflower seed breadBread with semolina and sesame seedsBarley flatbread with lemon zestFlatbread with oreganoFlat ciabatta with garlic and parsleyFlat baguette with olives and thymeBread rolls with olive oilBreakfast rollsGorgonzola and walnut rollsStuffed buns with Taleggio and cheddarFolded bread with pestoRolled bread with cheese and hamPanini with black pepper toppingFolded bread with semi dried tomatoesFlat rolls with mint and onion toppingRoasted vegetable and ricotta rollssweet soft butter rollssweet snail shaped rollsMilk bread rollsPumpkin and walnut breadI've only had the book for a couple of weeks and have made loads of the recipes in the Breads section. Everything's been fabulous. His banana and hazelnut bread in the Cakes section is absolutely wonderful too. Some of the other sweet treats I loved were the sweet rice cake with limoncello (using risotto rice) and the upside down orange sponge with caramelised oranges... amazing! Can't really find many faults in this book.The only bit that I found just a tiny bit annoying was his use of some ready made ingredients: sweet shortcrust pastry (honestly Gino, in a baking book!!), shop-bought gnocchi, and cooked grains (which can be bought in Italian delis... not all of us in a small village in Devon have this pleasure and it would have been nice to know what goes into this so I can make it myself). But this isn't a big issue - the book is still so lovely and full of fabulous baking ideas that I just have to give it 5 stars. Great job Gino!

I bake 2- 3 times a week. We don't buy bread or cakes from the shop. It's all home made. I use advanced methods and learned to fit them around my busy life. But sometimes I want to come home from work and make something just cos it happenes I have couple of hours at hand. I don't always feel like planing in advance. This is where this book comes in. The recipes are quick and simple and don't need making things in advance. I can whip up a batch of lovely rolls in just under 2 hours. And maybe the ciabatta is not like it should look like on the picture in this book, it should have those big holes and so on. For proper ciabatta I have other books and it takes much more work to make. And maybe this is not traditional time consuming italian baking, and the recipes are simplyfied and done up to suit every amatuer baker in UK. This book is for fast, fool proof recipes for people who don't have much time but would love to bake their own bread and cakes. Like Gino always say " minimum effort, maximum satisfaction". I would recomend it for those who only had started their baking adventure but also for the advanced home bakers like me who look for something simple but still delicious. All in all great book.

This has some great ideas and so far things I've tried have gone well :-) The focaccia was lovely, as is the orange cake. The baked pasta dishes are great too, we quite often adapt them by putting veg in but it is great for dinner ideas. There are still lots of things I'd like to make from this book!

An enjoyable read that shows lots of recipes that will be practical to make and enjoy dare I say it easily.Some of the ingredienst whilst they may be available easily aren't likely to be in your cupboards.This means that if you are like me you are likely to fancy making it but turn the page until you find something you have items for in your cupboard.All in all Gino makes you want to make these cakes, biscuits, breads and that is the whole idea of a book of this nature.I got this at a great price £ 3.30 delivered - as cheap as many magazines nowadays therefore it is a bargain to add to the collection.It gets 5 stars as it can't be expected to be any better for the price.

Filled with delicious traditional Italian baked goods recipes and lovely coloured photos. High quality presentation and a pleasure to use.

The recipes are as it says on the cover, irresistable. Page after page of very tempting recipes, many I have not see elsewhere. The book is very well laid out, with good illustrations and simple to follow instructions. The price on Amazon was 50% cheaper than in the shops - a bargain. I purchased this book for my Italian friend - it is so good I have put one on my own birthday list.

I make bread and so far have worked my way through his italian breads and as a complete italophile - I have to say they come out as good as breads that I have bought in Italy - very good recipes and easy to follow - with some subtle adaptations to accommodate what is available in the UK.

i just got my copy of this great book. it has already impressed me much with the variety of recipes and great photos. recipes are very well explained. can't wait to try them out. really, very pleased.i was only a bit surprised to see no mention to SUGAR in the pizza recipes. i have always added sugar to my pizzas, bread, and also to the calzones i baked this past sunday.