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  • Baking and the Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 Recipes

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Helen Goh
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Baking and the Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 Recipes

by Helen Goh (Author) Format: Hardcover

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James Beard Book Award winner: Baking and Desserts

In her hotly anticipated debut solo cookbook, Yotam Ottolenghi pastry chef and recipe developer Helen Goh draws on her rich multicultural heritage to deliver more than 100 of her favorite recipes.

No one knows the “why” or “how” of baking better than Helen Goh, recipe developer with Yotam Ottolenghi for more than a decade and co-author of New York Times bestselling books Sweet and Comfort.

With the debut of her first solo cookbook, Goh shares her distinctive approach to baking informed by her multicultural heritage with 100 delicious desserts of all kinds as well as savory bakes.

Drawing on her upbringing in Malaysia and Australia, her acclaimed work with Ottolenghi where she specialized in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors, and even her active psychotherapy practice, Goh not only shares her favorite baking recipes, but also reflections on life, sharing how baking can bring us together and add meaning and joy to both significant and everyday moments.

With recipes like Chocolate Tahini Cake with Sesame Brittle, Plum and Pistachio Bars, and Pandan and Coconut Chiffon Cake, and more shareable treats that offer both tried-and-true and creative flavors, this book is a celebration of community and pleasure through baking. Goh’s Champagne and Blackcurrant Celebration Cake is perfect for a graduation party or New Year’s Eve, and a batch of Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes or Red Plum, Almond, and Lime Baby Cakes for a charity bake sale could be small but powerful building blocks of connection and solidarity.

All of her desserts are impressively sweet ways to celebrate milestones reached and connect with family and friends. After your sweet tooth has been satisfied, there are more than 15 savory baking dishes, from a Puttanesca Galette with Lemon Ricotta to Potato, Garlic, and Rosemary Focaccia.

With inventive flavor combinations that showcase Goh’s creativity, a wealth of time-tested bakes, and her philosophies on living and baking well, Baking and the Meaning of Life is a one-of-kind companion bakers will return to again and again to spread joy, one cookie, cake, or cheese puff at a time.

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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harry N. Abrams
  4. Publication date
    October 21, 2025
  5. Dimensions
    7.8 x 1.2 x 10.15 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1419787624
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1419787621
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From the brand

From the Publisher

Baking and the Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 recipes
A celebration of community and pleasure through baking from pastry chef Helen Goh
"Helen in her absolute element. It really doesn't get any better." —Yotam Ottolenghi
Chocolate mousse, Focaccia, and a Dutch Baby Pancake
A recipe that speaks to me in one way might speak to you in another." —Helen Goh

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I love how Helen weaves a sweet lesson into every delicious bake, giving us a book to return to often and to treasure always.”―Dorie Greenspan, author of Dorie’s Anytime Cakes

“This book, written by a master baker, goes beyond baking to an invaluable realm of human connection. The reader is gifted not only with original, wonderful, and accessible recipes, but also with a deep dive into the life of an extraordinary chef.”―Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Cake Bible, The Baking Bible, and many more

“The unsung hero of your favorite Ottolenghi recipes takes the pen! Helen Goh knows the secret to brilliant baked goods: A story, a technique, a flavor combo, and a ratio produce something so much greater than the sum of its parts—simple, delicious, unadulterated JOY."―Christina Tosi, chef/founder, Milk Bar

“You’ll come for the cakes (and stay for the shortbread), but what lingers is something more profound: an invitation to find joy, connection, and meaning in the act of baking.”―Nik Sharma, author of The Flavor Equation and Veg-table, editor at America's Test Kitchen

“I have rarely leafed through a book and wanted so much to get into the kitchen!”―Diana Henry, author of From the Oven to the Table, How to Eat a Peach, and many more

“This book is a must in every kitchen for Helen’s fabulous baking recipes. Learning the meaning of life is just a delicious bonus!”―Jake Cohen, New York Times bestselling author of Jew-ish and I Could Nosh

“Helen Goh is one of the most talented bakers and recipe developers in the world and she has not only created simply delicious bakes on these pages, but she has also put to words why baking is so essential.”

―Zoë François, New York Times bestselling author of Zoë Bakes Cookies

“These are highly personal recipes from one of the world’s top pastry chefs, and they’re meant to be shared with the loved ones in your own life.”

―Los Angeles Times

A Favorite Cookbook of the Year

―NPR, Real Simple, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post

About the Author

Helen Goh is the author of Baking and the Meaning of Life, the 2026 James Beard Book Award winner in the Baking and Desserts category. She was born in Malaysia and migrated to Australia at age ten. After studying psychology, she combined psychotherapy practice with a cooking career, becoming head pastry chef at a landmark Melbourne restaurant before moving to London and joining Yotam Ottolenghi's team. Co-author with Ottolenghi of Sweet and Comfort, she has developed recipes with him for more than 10 years, drawing on Asian, Western, and Middle Eastern influences. Helen is a food columnist whose recipes appear in the The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, and The Observer. She lives in London.

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About the author

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Helen Goh

Helen Goh

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Helen is an acclaimed baking columnist and cookbook writer who is renowned for her innovative recipes drawing on Asian, Western and Middle Eastern traditions. After working as chief pastry recipe developer for the Ottolenghi group, she co-authored her first book with YOTAM OTTOLENGHI, the best-selling SWEET, which was short-listed for the prestigious James Beard Award. Her second book with Yotam, COMFORT, is released in October 2024. Helen is currently working on her first solo book, BAKING AND THE MEANING OF LIFE, which will be published in 2025.

Born in Malaysia, Helen began her cooking career in Australia, where she worked in a number of well known Melbourne eateries, before moving to the UK. She is also a trained psychologist and lives in London with her husband and two sons.

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