Hidde de Brabander releases new baking book: The Art of Baking

Laatst bijgewerkt op: 04/06/2026

With his new book The Art of BakingHidde de Brabander wants to teach home bakers to look again at technique and basic preparations. Instead of dozens of individual recipes, the book focuses on one foundation: cookie batter. From that technique, he shows how to make more than forty classic pastry creations, from madeleines and financiers to brownies, macarons and carrot cake.

KoffieTcacao spoke to Hidde about craftsmanship, taste experience, tradition and why, according to him, a brownie especially should not be fluffy.

Back to basics

Whereas many modern baking books are mostly about quick recipes and handy tricks, Hidde deliberately takes a different approach. According to him, good baking only occurs when you understand what you are doing.

The book combines step-by-step photography with clear explanations and practical techniques. In doing so, it targets not only experienced home bakers, but also precisely those who want to better understand why a recipe works.

This focus on technique runs as a thread through the book. Some preparations stand completely on their own, such as madeleines or financiers, while others serve as the basis for more complex pastries.

“That makes it diverse, but also so important,” Hidde says of cookie batter.

Greater attention to balance and texture

During our conversation, Hidde explains that, according to him, patisserie is increasingly shifting from purely sweet to more tension, contrast and balance. A development that is also visible within specialty coffee, tea and chocolate.

“Sweet is obviously the most beautiful base flavor, but it can be flat,” he says. “You need balance, and especially dynamics and character.”

In this, he says, not only taste but also texture and mouthfeel play a major role.
“Texture and mouthfeel are certainly important, but even more so: our awareness, perception and imagination. That’s where taste is really formed.”

“A brownie is supposed to be sticky.”

According to Hidde, well-known classics, in particular, are often underestimated. A brownie seems simple, but according to him, it goes wrong remarkably often at home. “These are very often made airy and therefore too dry,” he says. “A real brownie shouldn’t be made airy, but sticky, creamy and rammed with chocolate.”

He also believes foodpairing plays an interesting role within patisserie. For example, he lists long fingers as the perfect base for tiramisu paired with a strong coffee, while a Biscuit Savoie lends itself better to sophisticated teas. “Experimenting in this is perhaps the most fun,” he says.

Tradition as the foundation

The foreword to The Art of Baking was written by Cees Holtkamp. According to Hidde, that symbolizes exactly what the book is about: the importance of craftsmanship and tradition. “You can only build something beautiful if you have a good foundation,” he says. “No young dog can flourish without realizing from what soil he sprung.”

Hidde built that foundation himself at the top of Dutch patisserie. He worked, among others, at De Librije, Parkheuvel, Huize van Wely and Patisserie de Rouw. Today he is manager of the Ice Cream Center and the Patisserie Academie.

Premium: the full interview with Hidde de Brabander

For Premium members, we will soon publish the full interview with Hidde de Brabander. In it we talk further about:

• why technology is more important than recipes
• the similarities between patisserie, coffee and tea
• taste experience, texture and mouthfeel
• the role of tradition within modern patisserie
• common mistakes made by home bakers
• foodpairing with coffee and tea

In addition, we will share several recipes from The Art of Baking on KoffieTcacao in the coming period.