Lebanese Baking: More Than 100 Recipes for Sweet and Savory Baked Goods

While Middle Eastern cooking has earned growing attention in recent decades, the baking traditions of the region—particularly Lebanon—have been largely underrepresented. Lebanese Baking is a careful, detailed, and expansive answer to that gap.

Maureen Abood offers both classic and contemporary recipes: ma’amoul, fatayer, manakeesh, and knafeh in its many textures and uses, alongside modern expressions like za’atar croissants, chocolate pistachio knafeh bars, and baklawa cheesecake. Her approach reflects a lifetime of experience in Lebanese American kitchens and an openness to global influence—without losing sight of tradition.

Throughout the book, Abood provides the kind of technical insight that serious bakers will appreciate: step-by-step sequences, thoughtful variations for different diets, and clever solutions for streamlining complex preparations like baklawa or baking flatbreads without a dome oven.

It’s a book of sweets and savories, but also a book of methods, memory, and cultural storytelling—an essential addition for anyone interested in the full breadth of Lebanese food.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.