Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats [A Baking Book]

I read through this book in an afternoon, and, while I haven't tried the recipes yet (I will, trust me), there's a lot to like about this book.First is, I've struggled with weight all my life. While I've got something going now that seems to be working well, there's that difficulty passing up sweets. Sigh. The idea, though, that you're allowed a small sweet a couple times a day... seems to have solved that problem. The result is that after a couple weeks of embracing the idea of fika, I can look at a tub of malted milk balls and think, no, I really don't want that, not right now; I'll have one or two at my coffee break, and not think about them all day like I used to. (Oh, yeah, and I'm making coffee again. Shoveled the dust off my coffee maker, and, wow, I'm enjoying that, too.)Second is, the recipes leave me wanting more. The authors talk about another book, Seven Kinds of Cookies (sorry, I don't speak Swedish, so I can't remember the Swedish title), and I thought, this must be a remarkable book. I poked around, found the English translation (sadly, it doesn't have the Swedish names, but you can't have everything) Swedish Cakes and Cookies, and bought that right here on Amazon. Another book where everything looks quite yummy.Third, there's the knobby Swedish rolling pin. OK, bought one of those, too. And another textured pin from a Lithuanian outfit, again right here on Amazon. Knowing me, I'll probably end up buying the rest of the Lithuanian pins eventually.So... once the weather cools a bit (heat index has been running over 100F this week), I'll turn the oven on and make a stab at some of these gorgeous cookies. All around, a bad influence, but one I'm glad to have.

I have purchased this book for myself and a friend and both of us LOVE it! We have tried many of the cookies, tortes, and cakes and all have been delicious! Follow the instructions exactly as written and everything will turn out great. I love the simplicity of ingredients and the fact that I didn't have to fully re-stock my kitchen in order to make any of the recipes. A basic background knowledge of baking and the science involved will also help tremendously, though I wouldn't consider most of the recipes 'advanced' by any means. Although, it does not include 'photographs' of the bakes, the whimsical illustrations were sufficient enough in my opinion to demonstrate techniques used to shape/mix/assemble the ingredients. The history of fika was also fascinating to read about, making this not only a great collections of recipes, but a good read on it's own, as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to branch out beyond traditional American bakes and is looking for a new taste and feel to appreciate. :)

This book is fun to read and fun to use some of the recipes.

Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break by Anna Brones is a great addition to the cookbook collection. The Scandinavians know how to celebrate and take a break with coffee and homemade fika or baked goods to go with coffee or tea. Book starts out answering the question, "What is fika?" It also shows Swedish words inspired by fika. It gives a list of Swedish ingredients and alternatives, and baking tools. The history of Swedish coffee is an interesting chapter. Swedes top the list of global coffee consumers. The the recipes follow for coffee gatherings —from cinnamon buns to cardamon cake. The most iconic Swedish recipes are given for the traditional fika. Book is well-illustrated and recipes are diagramed where needed. There are a bunch of summer recipes, all sound delicious. Celebrating more than everyday has recipes for Name Day, Fat Tuesday, Midsummer, Birthdays, Jul, or Christmas Season. A recipe or Swedish Rye Bread is also given. Index included. Wonderful book for those who love Scandinavian cooking.

The book contains lots of recipes for Swedish sweets and breads and is very informative.

Has what I was looking for

Loved this book, the recipes are actually super good

The recipes are straightforward but sound delicious, and I love the backstories that the authors include and the history of fika. I made mandelkaka med björnbär today and it turned out amazing! I can't wait to try more of the recipes! As a new baker, the way a recipe is written out is important to me, and I feel like the writing in this book is easy to understand.While I would love real pictures of the recipes, I find myself the illustrations to be cute and they are helpful too. For example, when I made the mandelkaka med björnbär today, the picture showed me how the blackberries sink into the cake, so I knew to expect that.Overall, this is a great addition to my growing collection of cookbooks!

The perfect book for those who miss Sweden and its incredible desserts!!

I wanted a book for fika as a small reminder of my time spent living in Sweden, so I got this book.I personally felt it was very simple and written as the target audience are children. there ar eno pictures of the baked goods only drawings of them. But all in all is a good collection of recipes.

für meine Schwiegertochter, die mit meinem Sohn für zwei Jahre nach Stockholm gezogen ist. Und sie liebt es... Sie hat bereits etliche Rezepte nachgebacken und erzählte mir, dass sie für den Rest ihres Lebens (sie ist 28) FIKA (=schwedische Kaffeepause mit einem Stück süßen Gebäck) machen wird.

行事と本格を求めるならこちらがオススメ。日本語バージョンは、日本人が書いているので日本人から見た観点がいい。本当は、2種持って比べると面白いのだけど、高いのよ、お値段が。

This book is absolutely gorgeous. If you're not even planning on baking but like Scandinavian culture, it would be worth having around for the interesting little essays and gorgeous illustrations. On the recipe side, I've only made two things, but they were absolutely delicious. Most of the recipes are not quick, the authors encourage doing things properly, with good ingredients and slow methods. But they are all things that could be made in an hour or two by anyone, without special tools or any skills not covered by the book. Highly recommend.