Nadiya Bakes

by Nadiya Hussain

The host of the beloved Netflix series Time to Eat and Nadiya Bakes and winner of The Great British Baking Show returns to her true love, baking, with more than 100 delicious, Americanized recipes for sweet treats.

When Nadiya Hussain, the UK's national treasure, began cooking, she headed straight to the oven--which, in her home, wasn't used for baking, but rather for storing frying pans! One day, her new husband asked her to bake him a cake and then... she was hooked! Baking soon became a part of her daily life.

In her newest cookbook, based on her Netflix show and BBC series Nadiya Bakes, Nadiya shares more than 100 simple and achievable recipes for cakes, cookies, breads, tarts, and puddings that will become staples in your home. From Raspberry Amaretti Biscuits and Key Lime Cupcakes to Cheat's Sourdough and Spiced Squash Strudel, Nadiya has created an ultimate baking resource for just about every baked good that will entice beginner bakers and experienced pastry makers alike.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Drink, Foodie

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2021

About the author

Nadiya Hussain is a British baker, columnist, author and television presenter. The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters is her debut novel.

Hussain was born to a British Bangladeshi family in Luton, where she grew up. She developed her interest in cooking while at school and largely self-educated herself in cooking by reading recipe books and watching instructional videos on YouTube. She married and moved to Leeds, where she began studying for an Open University degree. In 2015 she appeared on the BBC's The Great British Bake Off and won the contest. She was subsequently invited to produce a cake for the 90th birthday celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II and to present her own BBC documentary, The Chronicles of Nadiya.

Hussain is a columnist for The Times Magazine and Essentials magazine, has signed publishing deals with Penguin Random House, Hodder Children's Books, and Harlequin. She is also a regular reporter for The One Show and a guest panellist on Loose Women. Hussain was named by Debrett's as one of the 500 most influential people in the UK in 2016. Hussain was on BBC News' 100 Women list in 2016.

Reviews

[Denver Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadiya Hussain rose to fame on season six of The Great British Baking Show, and her cookbook Nadiya Bakes beautifully exemplifies why she won! The recipes are broken down by type—tarts & pies, celebration bakes, and savory bakes, for example—and (I love this!) most recipes are limited to one page and include a modest list of ingredients. What caught my eye? The Turmeric and Ginger Diamonds studded with pine nuts and sesame seeds, Onion Pretzels, Potato Rosti Quiche, and the dinner party–worthy Seekh Kebab Toad in the Hole! Over 100 recipes included. If you enjoy Nadiya’s Netflix shows, you’ll definitely want to give Nadiya Bakes a look!

[Claire Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely book and great recipes. Nadiya is such a lovely personality and her warmth really comes through. Some of the recipes are pretty off the wall - Scotch cream eggs!!! But I’m looking forward to trying them out. Would have given a higher rating but only complaint is there are not enough photographs. I want to see a bake that I’m attempting and too many of these recipes don’t have that. The photography is beautiful but there is not enough of it.

[Elinore (elinore_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadiya is lovely and I love her recipes, my only issue is there is not enough photos. I believe a cook book should include a photo for each recipe.

[Jennifer Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why yes I do READ cookbooks! I love all the little notes and descriptions cookbook writers add at the beginning of their recipes. I first fell in love with Nadiya's bubbly personality on The Great British Baking show. Her two short series on Netflix are awesome, especially the series of the same title..."Nadiya Bakes". When I watched it several months ago I would go looking for the recipes online and only find them listed in British measurements which don't convert to American measurements as easy as I would have liked. Baking being one of those things that you can't just "wing it" with your measurements I was afraid nothing would turn out right if I tried to convert it and not have it just right. Then I found the book!!! All the recipes give BOTH forms of measurement, and the recipe notes read like your sitting having a cup of chai in Nadiya's kitchen while she lets you watch her bake something yummy!! I will now be going back to re-watch the series and then make these recipes myself! YAY!

[Amy Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nadiya has such a wonderful spirit, and her personality really comes through in the introductions for the recipes. This is not a collection of the 'same old, same old' type of baking recipes---everything is a new spin on an old favorite (Blueberry and Lavender Scone Pizza) or something brand-new that I'd never seen before (Scotch cream eggs!). The book includes recipes for bakes ranging from cakes to savory things such as Pepperoni Pull Apart Bread. As someone who loves to bake but is not super into sweets, I appreciate the non-sugary inclusions. As other reviewers have mentioned, while the included photography is beautiful, there are recipes that have multiple photos while others have none. For beginner bakers especially, knowing what your end product should look like is a big help, so knocking off a star for not having a picture to go with each recipe.

Thank you to Edelweiss for the digital ARC.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love most (if not all) of these recipes. Theres one I found that I have been looking for since I was a little kid so thank you, thank you Nadiya. It's like my childhood food's brought to adult level. Yess!!

[Sati Marie Frost]

I don’t like to rate cookbooks until I’ve made at least a handful of the recipes in them, but I can say that, before making anything, I bookmarked at least thirty or forty recipes in this one that I want to try if I’m ever well enough to do new things in the kitchen again. (I had to stop writing updates for all the ones I liked, there were so many.) I’ll come back and update this review if I ever start cooking again. Anyone who enjoys British-Asian fusion cuisine might want to check this one out.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book of recipes by Nadiya. I want to make nearly every recipe. There’s just about a bit of everything for everyone. I love the style of the book itself and the photography is something special.
I say a cookbook has my whole heart when they include a version of any of my favorites. This one absolutely has my whole heart what with strawberry rice pudding fool, earl grey sticky toffee pudding, saag paneer spanakopita!

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really yummy-looking recipes in here - I'm excited to give them a try!

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her. I don’t think anything she writes/ creates can be anything less than 5 stars.

[Ambur Taft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to eat every single recipe! Lovely pictures and she makes all the delights seem fairly easy to complete. I borrowed it from my local library and just ordered a copy for myself, it’s a must have.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough photos, very disappointing as so many large blank spaces on recipes with no photos. Such a waste. Puts you off trying the recipe. Otherwise looks great.

[Isabelle✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Need more pictures haha

[Lisa Clift · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best cook book I've had in ages. There are so many 'ordinary' bakes here with such great twists, adding freshness and interest. Instructions are clear, photography is gorgeous, and Nadiya herself is like a ray of sunshine. Just glorious.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Nadiya's cooking program. She makes cooking fun and educational. I borrowed this copy from the library. It is an excellent cookbook, but over and above my skills!!!! I am an average baker. The recipes are detailed and photos are beautiful!!!!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadiya was one of my favorite bakers on GBBO and I've really loved her series on Netflix. So I was very excited to dig into this cookbook and it did not disappoint.

All of her recipes come with little stories or anecdotes that connect you to the recipe. She also has a way of making each recipe seem easy to make rather than a feat to be accomplished. So many of her recipes are unique and I can't wait to try them.

[Dainey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sometimes, you've got to throw all the chocolate at it!"

I watch the show, and Nadiya truly is a woman after my own heart. She bakes with cheer and joy, recipes everyone is capable of making, and when tasting the end result, has that very infectious delight of "I made this and it's so good!".

There are recipes for all occasions from midnight munchies to celebrations cakes, with twists and festive flairs, turning sweet and savoury on their heads. As a Scandinavian expat living in the UK, I know how very little it can take for recipes to be deemed too weird and foreign, so I can comfortably state that this book is for people who want to try new things, indulgent things, over the top things, or just a new angle on a beloved favourite. It's not for readers looking for their eleventy-billionth recipe for a Victoria sponge.

The equipment and techniques used are super accessible for all levels of skill and experience (alas, the only way to get good at baking is to first be bad at it, a lot), straightforward instructions and no ambiguous wording, so everyone can be comfortable attempting the recipes. The pepperoni pull apart bread has become a staple of indulgent movie nights in this household!

I want to give this book 5 stars, but alas, it's a whole book and not just a collection of recipes, and one star gets knocked off due to photography / lay out. Some recipes have several pages of pictures devoted to them, some don't have any. I'm not one to demand super fancy presentation, feast for your eyes type, but surely every recipe should have an image to entice, and to demonstrate what you should end up with.

[Marian Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummy recipes, lovely photos - more per recipe than one would ever expect - and her cute personality shines through, but I might also sometimes wish for pared down language in the instructions - or two versions of each recipe like Rick Bayless sortof does.

[Kirsten Hinds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her cook book is beautiful with pictures for most of the recipes. The recipes are inventive and definitely not ones you’d find in just any baking book. There is a good mix of unique, complex recipes and simple, new spins on classics. However, the more complex recipes typically include 1 or more ingredients that are hard to get your hands on in the United States (they are probably more typical in Great Britain), and the simple recipes include candy bars or store bought cookies which I try to avoid eating by making homemade treats. I also don’t drink tea or coffee (for religious reasons) and don’t particularly like coconut or mangos. I know none of these things are her fault but they, unfortunately, rule out a large portion of her recipes for me.

[b0oked · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ventured to try 4 recipes from this cookbook. Though I do enjoy watching YouTube videos of Nadiya Hussain, I unfortunately did not enjoy this cookbook as much. I prefer clearly outlined steps. This reads a little like a narration. I like to be able to easily reference back to the step I'm at when I'm cooking. Of the four recipes I made, I would repeat two of them. I made two sweet dishes and two savory dishes. The savory dishes were more successful. The book is not bad, just not a book I would likely purchase.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummy recipes and lovely photos.
Nadiya's personality comes through in her introduction to each recipe and she is so warm and encouraging!
There are several really great recipes that I am anxious to try. Some are very different takes on some traditional recipes.
Can't wait to sample " money can't buy happiness brownies".
Good cook book!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nadiya is a warm, delightful personality. I loved watching her show. You want to be her friend and hang out at her house to taste everything she bakes. But I didn’t find much in this cookbook I’d actually want to make. We tried one savory bake (pakora) and it was just OK.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty cookbook with lots of colour photographs to show off the dishes and Nadiya. Each recipe has a little friendly description before the instructions. Unfortunately I am not likely make many of the recipes included...some are unusual, some are too complicated for me.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know, there’s not a whole lot I would make for myself out of this because I’m boring and don’t like many flavors. But I would pick a lot of this stuff for other people and the chef is just really delightful. It felt cozy just reading the book.

[Janeen Pizzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this (and her). Many of the recipes were friendly and approachable while a few were a little too much. Overall I love her and have been wanting to read this for a while. I love how she breaks up the chapters and especially love the one on the "one pan bake".

[Kim Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Nadiya and am really enjoying this TV series. Unfortunately, there is very little in the book that I’d want to cook. Glad I borrowed it from the library rather than buying it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really pretty, visually appealing book, written in a chatty style.

Some intriguing flavor combos and interesting takes on classic British recipes.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is adorable and I love her show. Well done cookbook, great photos, but no recipes that I was eager to make - too much random spice mixing for the sake of being original I guess?

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how weird some of these recipes are. I'm definitely going to try some.

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update Oct 6 -- I've now made three recipes - the chocolate caramel flan - OMG SWOONable deliciousness, magical baking, and easy. This is a crowd-pleaser. Teriyaki chicken noodles - again, super easy and my family loved it. Not a single leftover. And the seekh kebab toad in the hole. 10 out of 10 deliciousness. Again -- easy. Smells so good biking my family kept asking me what time I was serving dinner. The flavors - and everything about this dish - were unique. My children wanted the recipe. It is rare that the first three recipes I bake from a new cookbook are all hits worthy of making it into our regular rotation, but Nadiya Bakes scores a hattrick.


Nadiya Bakes is the best cookbook I've read and cooked from this year. I LOVE Nadiya. I found this British Bakeoff champion's latest show on Netflix and devoured it. Nadiya makes me smile. She inspires me to bake. So I bought her cookbook based on the show. What do I think?

- The illustrations are wonderful. Not all recipes have photos, but most do and they make my mouth water. The recipes without, well, I can imagine.
- Everyone can bake from these recipes - they are easy peasy, but also unique. Nadiya was known for her original flavors when she won Bakeoff, and the recipes here continue the tradition.
- there are sweets, "puds", and savory dishes. Some are more elaborate than others but they all can be made by pretty much any home cook.
- Occasionally there are British-specific ingredients (Golden syrup) but substitutes for the American kitchen are provided.

But most of all, I made Seekh Kebab Toad in the Hole last night for dinner and my son said it was a "10" and wanted the recipe. That NEVER happens. Tonight I am making Teriyaki Chicken Noodles.

When a cookbook these days provides new recipes that make it into our regular rotation, it's a winner. And this book wins big time. Watch the show. Buy the book. That's my recommendation.