Recommendation for Bread, Cake, or All in One Cookbook

[Laser]

I was curious if anyone knows of any books that would be helpful for someone like me who enjoys baking at home and one day would like to become a baker or maybe pastry chef. I'm looking for a book that would help me learn more about baking. I want to learn more about bread and cakes, or maybe an all-purpose book. I was reading some reviews on Amazon.com and found a few books, but they have so many to look at I was just wondering if anybody has one that they really liked. Thanks!

Nick

 

[jpmcgrew]

There are so many books out there but I have ythios idea there are a lot of sites to learn on for free here is one.baking911

 

[PieSusan]

Nick Malgieri's How to Bake comes to my mind. Or Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

 

[QUEEN-GUINEVERE]

There are so many books out there but I have ythios idea there are a lot of sites to learn on for free here is one.baking911

Baking 911 site is no longer free. She "upgraded" her website and now charges.

I have both Nick's "How to Bake" and "Cooking with Julia", and as a pastry chef, I don't feel either are for a "beginner".

I recently reviewed a new release from the CIA, their cookbook, "The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook". It is quite a large book, but has everything from appy's to desserts as well as breakfast items, brunch, drinks from breakfast to cocktails, etc. Quite a complete book. What held my interest in it, however, is that with each section, there are directions and the why's and why not's of how to make and what to expect, of each. For example, pancakes....there is an entire page that explains pancakes alone....what to do with the flour and why, then addresses the wet ingredients, then the combining of both, prepping the griddle, adding the batter to the griddle, etc., up to the time of eating them! Very complete, very clear and consise explanations. Then a nice collection of recipes for pancakes follows. The entire book is like this.

Oh, and PICTURES!!! Lots and lots of COLOR pictures!!! (Just counted, 24 pages of color pix per chapter!) You can probably preview the book on Amazon???

 

[Toots]

I'd go with Baking with Julia (Julia Child) or Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. If you live anywhere near a cooking school, sign up for classes. I've taken several at my local cooking school and picked up lots of tips and tricks.

 

[babetoo]

I was curious if anyone knows of any books that would be helpful for someone like me who enjoys baking at home and one day would like to become a baker or maybe pastry chef. I'm looking for a book that would help me learn more about baking. I want to learn more about bread and cakes, or maybe an all-purpose book. I was reading some reviews on Amazon.com and found a few books, but they have so many to look at I was just wondering if anybody has one that they really liked. Thanks!

Nick

martha stewart has one out that is very good. lots of pictures and detailed instruction. kinda expensive though

 

[PieSusan]

Laser said that they loved to bake, so I assumed that he/she wouldn't need a terribly basic book. However, I just purchased Nick Malgieri's new book for the home baker called, "The Modern Baker" and I read it tonight. It would be perfect for someone learning how to bake. In fact, JoeV might be interested to learn that there are bread recipes in the book that use shortcuts but he still said that when one uses rapid rise yeast one looses depth of flavor.

 

[gadzooks]

If you're thinking of turning pro at some point, I would recommend "The Cake Bible" and "The Pie And Pastry Bible," both by Rose Levy Beranbaum. She presses hard on precision, which means reliably consistent results. Killer recipes, too. She also did "The Bread Bible" and a book on Christmas cookies.

 

[Max Sutton]

King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion

Have you looked at a copy of KING ARTHUR FLOUR BAKER'S COMPANION (2003) ?