Baked to Perfection

Cermelj’s debut cookbook applies her Oxford chemistry training to the challenge of gluten-free baking. The book opens with a detailed primer on how different flours and starches behave, then moves through 100 recipes covering everything from crusty bread and cinnamon rolls to layered cakes, brownies, rough puff pastry, and delicate patisserie.

Why Start Here

This is Cermelj’s foundational work, the book where she lays out her complete approach to gluten-free baking. The science explanations are clear and practical: you learn why psyllium husk works in bread but not in cake, how the ratio of starch to protein flour affects texture, and what makes certain commercial flour blends more reliable than others. That understanding means you can adapt any recipe, not just follow the ones in the book.

The range of recipes is impressive for a first book. Cermelj covers breads, pastries, cakes, cookies, and everything in between, each recipe tested to the point where the results genuinely rival wheat-based versions. The instructions are detailed enough for complete beginners but never condescending.

What to Expect

A 384-page hardcover with full-color photography throughout. Winner of the Fortnum and Mason Debut Cookery Book Award 2022. The tone is warm and encouraging, with the science woven naturally into the recipes rather than presented as a separate textbook section. Expect to invest in a few specialty flours, but the book guides you through exactly what to buy and why.