Congratulations to Katarina Cermelj for her 2025 James Beard Foundation Book Award nomination in the Baking and Desserts category! The Book Awards are open to cookbooks and other nonfiction food- or beverage-related books that were published in the U.S. in 2024.
The Elements of Baking is the definitive guide to making any recipe gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan or even gluten-free vegan. Armed with a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, Katarina Cermelj lays out the science behind baking and the ingredients that make it work, so you can easily adapt your baking to your diet and lifestyle, and still make sure it tastes spectacular.
With an abundance of mouth-watering recipes together with actual quantitative rules that you can use to convert any recipe into whatever version you fancy, The Elements of Baking will transform the way you think about ingredients. It will be a constant companion in the kitchen and the book you refer to every time you want to bake.
“Many of us avoid gluten, dairy or eggs, and most of us know others who do: this brilliant book is the one to reach for when you want to bake considerately. Katarina’s recipes are delicious, foolproof and you’d simply not know that they are ‘without’ in any way.” – Mark Diacono, author of Spice: A Cook’s Companion
“Kat is the master of free-from recipes! Too often free-from recipes might look appealing but they often turn out to be a fail for bakers at home. Kat’s recipes are tried and tested, and as a baker with little experience in this area, I know I can trust her to deliver a great recipe that’s easy to follow and looks just as good as the stunning photography!” – Matt Adlard, author of Bake it Better
“The Elements of Baking contains everything I love about a good baking book: detailed methods, beautiful photographs, delicious recipes, and just enough of the science behind them to make anyone feel like an expert. The Elements of Baking practically and beautifully shares a wonderful message – baking is truly for everyone.” – Erin Jeanne McDowell, author of The Book of Pie and host of Happy Baking
