Editing and decluttering my cookbook library while baking a lot of sourdough bread, Belgian waffles, and cinnamon rolls to die for.

Nearly three years in, I’m at least 70% of the way through my cookbook challenge to make at least two recipes from every cookbook that I own. My cookbook library now stands at 151 cookbooks, down from 219 when I began this project in 2018.

While I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking as of late, I have only decluttered 1 cookbook since my last post. Most of the cookbooks I’ve been using recently, I’ve decided to keep in my library for now.

Cookbooks I’m Keeping

KEEP: I made Nigella’s most delicious crepe recipe from her How To Eat cookbook. I gobbled these up. Yummy flavor and texture.

KEEP: I’m going to keep Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery cookbook. The pain de campagne, or French Sourdough recipe that I made was fine but not as scrumptious as some of my other sourdough recipes. However, this cookbook has many dessert recipes that I want to try.

I ordered this traditional Belgian waffle mix from The Waffle Pantry. You wouldn’t believe the wonderful smell that permeated throughout the house while I cooked these in my waffle iron. This is carnival food; sweet and aromatic. One of the best things I’ve ever eaten!

KEEP: The award-winning cookbook, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice continues to rack up rave reviews amongst bread bakers and deserves a place in any baker’s library. I made the Basic Sourdough recipe which yielded two heavenly loaves of bread.

I recently gave my china and dinnerware a long overdue edit and decluttered some that I never reach for, keeping my favorites. I love mixing patterns and colors.

KEEP: I baked some naan from The Bread Book. The dough was difficult to work with and I didn’t care for the end bake but this cookbook has a lot of international bread recipes that I want to try so I’ll keep it a while longer.

Southern Cookbook Delight

KEEP: Some of my most cherished cookbooks in my library are of the Southern variety. This one is no exception. I made the MOST delicious cinnamon roll recipe included in Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie. It was an involved process spanning a few days yet worth the effort and the wait.

The dough begins with having to make a potato yeast starter which needs to ferment for 24 hours before making the dough. I used vegetable shortening in place of lard.

The Everlasting Rolls recipe is used as the base dough in multiple recipes in this cookbook such as cinnamon rolls.

I used less sugar than the recipe called for and I’m glad I did. They were plenty sweet.

These cinnamon rolls were divine. Coating them with a little powdered sugar icing will make shine. I froze most of them and pulled them out for treats over several weeks. I even at them for breakfast.

Cookbooks I’m Decluttering

PASS: While Mexican food is my favorite cuisine, I have other cookbooks in this genre that I reach for more often. I decided to declutter this one and pass it on to someone who will get more use out it.

Let me know in the comments below if you have a favorite cookbook that you’ll keep forever.

My cookbook declutter series to date

Decluttering My Cookbook Collection

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