Find Made. by Lia cookbook in local shops & major retailers

You’ve likely heard of Holter (née Weber) as the 2014 winner of TLC’s “Next Great Baker” – or maybe you’ve woken up at sunrise just to snag a coveted pastry from her Florissant storefront. Published by St. Louis’ Reedy Press, “Made. by Lia: Everyday Craft Baking” introduces her story and her muses before delving into recipes for scones, muffins, cakes and more. She promises the recipes are accessible, especially those inspired by baking together with her family.

“My goal is to make it approachable for families,” Holter says. “I know [the recipes] are good, go-to staples, and I think it’s important to have those in your home so you can be like, ‘Oh, I know I have a good muffin recipe,’ or ‘I have a birthday cake recipe that I want to use every year.’ … We’ve tested, tasted and perfected these recipes for two years.”

The writing process began when AB Mauri North America, a food company headquartered in St. Louis, approached Holter with the book idea. She’d been connected with AB Mauri and its vice president of marketing, Rick Oleshak, from her time as their brand ambassador almost a decade ago, and Fleischmann’s Yeast from that same company was already a staple in her kitchen.

“I needed something to present out there that’s a little more public in terms of what Fleischmann’s Yeast is good for and what’s relevant in terms of baking, because the styles are different now than 80 years ago,” Oleshak says of the cookbook’s starting point. “When you go see what [Holter is] doing—when she has cinnamon rolls selling out in 10 minutes – she’s doing something right.”

Holter knew the cookbook would feature Fleischmann’s Yeast as a frequent ingredient and become a promotional tool for the company, but she didn’t quite expect it to blossom into such a prolific personal project that resonates with thousands of other families. At her first public book event, more than 500 people showed up to St. Louis County Library’s Clark Family Branch for her presentation, recipe tasting and book signing.

Meredith Hopping, who coordinates the branch’s author series and events center, observed how that conversation engaged longtime and ardent followers of the Made. by Lia bakery, as well as those who had never heard of Holter or her brand. “It was, I think, a testament to her impact,” Hopping says. “The signing line was so long.”

The library received calls days later from people raving about Holter’s chocolate chip cookie recipe, which had been sampled at the library event. Hopping admits that she’s excited to try baking the cookies herself, and she’s appreciative of the book’s smudge-proof pages for the inevitable thumbing-through with messy fingers. “I really [love] her attention to detail,” she says of Holter. “You could tell she put just as much care into the creation and cultivation of her cookbook as she does with every single recipe.”

More than 1,000 copies sold through Holter’s website alone in the first month; the book is stocked at the bakery and numerous local shops, plus major retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart.

Throughout the challenges of balancing her roles of mother, wife, friend, business owner and author, Holter clung to her faith and believed that the tediousness of testing teaspoons and double-checking every “tsp.” versus “tbsp.” would be worthwhile. “Thanks be to God for the courage to live boldly and to share the talents He gave me with others,” she writes in the acknowledgments page. “To all of my new followers out there reading my story for the first time, I am excited my recipes have found their way into your home, and I look forward to sharing my love of baking with you!”

Made. by Lia, 610 Rue St. Francois St., Florissant, 314-551-2383, madebylia.com