The Bake-Off

Table of Contents

 

 

“A warm, winning story about the complications of sisterhood—and the unexpected rewards.”

—Sarah Pekkanen, author of
Skipping a Beat

 

“Two estranged sisters about as likely to bond as water and oil. A fun book with more twists and turns than a three-layer marble cake.”

—Susan Miller, 2000 Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist and winner of
Nabisco's 1999 “Build a Better S'Mores” contest

 

“Wonderful! Kendrick manages to cook up a tender, touching, and very funny story about the complicated relationship of two sisters torn apart by their own stubbornness and brought back together by love and pastry. With a fresh plot and richly layered characters,
The Bake-Off
is a winner.”

—Ellen Meister, author of
The Other Life

 

 

 

 

“Kendrick deftly blends exceptionally clever writing, subtly nuanced characters, and a generous dash of romance into a flawlessly written story about the importance of female friendships and second chances.”

—
Chicago Tribune

 

“Smart and fun, this is my favorite book this year.”

—Jane Porter, author of
She's Gone Country

 

“A touching and humorous look at love, loss, and literature.”

—
Booklist

 

“Extremely engaging . . . [Kendrick's] characters were easy to fall in love with.”

—Night Owl Reviews

 

“Kendrick is an undeniably practiced hand at depicting female bonds.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“A funny, charming story about the power of female friendship, and a must-read for all English majors, past and present.”

—Kim Gruenenfelder, author of
Misery Loves Cabernet

 

 

 

 

“In the exceptionally entertaining and wonderfully original
The Pre-nup
, Kendrick writes with a wicked sense of humor and great wisdom about the power of friendship, the importance of true love, and the very real satisfaction of romantic revenge done right.”

—
Chicago Tribune

 

“The three female leads all captivate.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“[A] highly entertaining story.”

—Fresh Fiction

 

“[Kendrick's] heroines are easy to like.”

—
Booklist

 

“Clever, wise, and wonderful,
The Pre-nup
is Beth Kendrick at her best.”

—Jane Porter

 

“Witty, juicy, and lots of fun! Say ‘I do' to
The Pre-nup
.”

—Susan Mallery,
New York Times
bestselling
author of
The Best of Friends

 

“A smart, funny spin on happily-ever-after!”

—Beth Harbison,
New York Times
bestselling
author of
Secrets of a Shoe Addict

 

 

 

 

“A fun and funny look at marriage, commitment, and figuring out what your next best step is . . . whether it be down the aisle or not.”

—Alison Pace, author of
City Dog

 

“Very funny.”

—Carole Matthews, author of
The Chocolate Lovers' Club

 

 

 

 

“Wickedly clever.”

—
Booklist

 

“Kendrick gives chick lit clichés an adroit turn.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Kendrick's keen sense of humor and pitch-perfect gift for dialogue are excellent accessories to this fun and frothy tale.”

—
Chicago Tribune

 

 

 

 

 

NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

First published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, May 2011

Copyright © Beth Macias, 2011

All rights reserved

 

REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Kendrick, Beth.

The bake-off/Beth Kendrick.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-51472-6

1. Sisters—Fiction. 2. Baking—Fiction. 3. Family secrets—Fiction. 4. Domestic fiction. I. Title.

PS3611.E535B35 2011

813'.6—dc22 2010053454

 

 

 

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

 

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

 

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.

ANNOTATED BY AMY BIALEK NICHOLS

SUGGESTED SOUND TRACK: Beastie Boys'
Licensed to III
, B-52s'
Cosmic Thing

Watch a few hours of the Food Network and/or
Top Chef
. Say to yourself, “How hard can this really be? It's just
pie
.”

 

Have a glass of wine and give yourself a pep talk. Then get to work on the crust.

 

First, cut the butter into small cubes and store in the refrigerator. The key to light, flaky piecrust is to keep the butter as cold as possible throughout the prep and rolling process. Whenever the dough starts to get warm and difficult to handle, pop it back in the fridge—or even the freezer—for a few minutes.