cover image Ready, Set, Dough!: Incredibly Easy and Delicious Ways to Use Store-Bought Doughs

Ready, Set, Dough!: Incredibly Easy and Delicious Ways to Use Store-Bought Doughs

Melanie Barnard. Broadway Books, $17.95 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-7679-1424-6

Beleaguered by responsibilities around the house and workplace, many cooks have little time for activities like creating their own home-baked goodies. To help such cooks out, Barnard, co-author of Bon Appetit's""Every-Night Cooking"" column, simplifies baking by instructing readers to use store-bought dough as a foundation for any recipe. Sandy Pecan Cookies, for example, are easy to make when you only need to add four ingredients to the pre-made cookie dough. Although the majority of recipes are for desserts, the author also includes some bread ideas and a few main dishes. Barnard (Short & Sweet) explains that""instead of treating these store bought doughs as a finished product, I now look at them as the basic homemade product prepared without my usual flour-flying mess and mixer/beater cleanup."" While some bakers may consider using pre-made dough sacrilege, many busy cooks will appreciate Barnard's efforts to expand the quick baker's selection of tasty delights.