2024 the best baking books review

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The latest and most comprehensive baking book yet from best-selling author and “diva of desserts” Rose Levy Beranbaum and winner of the 2015 IACP Cookbook Award for Baking

Legendary baker Rose Levy Beranbaum is back with her most extensive “bible” yet. With all-new recipes for the best cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, candies, pastries, breads, and more, this magnum opus draws from Rose’s passion and expertise in every category of baking. As is to be expected from the woman who’s been called “the most meticulous cook who ever lived,” each sumptuous recipe is truly foolproof—with detail-oriented instructions that eliminate guesswork, “plan-aheads,” ingenious tips, and highlights for success. From simple everyday crowd-pleasers (Coffee Crumb Cake Muffins, Gingersnaps, Gooseberry Crisp) to show-stopping stunners (Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Tart, Mango Bango Cheesecake, White Christmas Peppermint Cake) to bakery-style pastries developed for the home kitchen (the famous French Kouign Amann), every recipe proves that delicious perfection is within reach for any baker.

From the Publisher

Luxury Oatmeal Cookies from The Baking Bible

Makes thirty-six 3-inch cookies

What makes this cookie really special is that instead of adding rolled oats and nuts to the dough, I make my own granola. The oats and nuts get tossed with just enough brown sugar and maple syrup to sweeten them lightly and then they are baked at a very low temperature to crisp and infuse them with the sweetener and fully bring out their flavor. The granola recipe, a gift from my multi-talented friend and fellow cookbook author Caitlin Williams Freeman of San Francisco MOMA and Blue Bottle Coffee, also contains cinnamon and vanilla, and any left over is excellent sprinkled over yogurt. These cookies are crisp and chewy and soften slightly on storage.

Oven Temperature | 225°F/107°C for the granola; 375°F/190°C for the cookies

Baking Time | 20 to 22 minutes for the granola; 12 to 15 minutes for the cookies for each of three batches

Special Equipment | One 17¼ by 12¼ by 1 inch half sheet pan | Two 15 by 12 inch cookie sheets, no preparation needed or lined with parchment

Granola (makes about 5 cups)

Preheat the oven | Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 225°F/107°C.

Make the granola | In a large bowl, toss together the oats, walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour on the maple syrup, oil, and vanilla and toss to coat the oat mixture thoroughly. Spread the mixture evenly on the half sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the pan halfway around after the first 10 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. You will need 4 cups/14.8 ounces/420 grams of granola for the cookie dough.

Raise the oven temperature to 375°F/190°C.

Granola Ingredients 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown Muscovado sugar, or dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup 3 tablespoons canola or safflower oil, at room temperature 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Cookie Dough

Make the cookie dough | In a large bowl, toss together the granola, raisins, and chocolate chips. Store any extra granola, in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 3 months.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another small bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs and vanilla.

Food processor method | In a food processor, process the brown sugar and granulated sugar until blended. Cut the butter into a few pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

With the motor off, add the egg mixture. Process just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture. Pulse just until all of the flour disappears.

Stand mixer method | In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, on low speed, beat the brown sugar and granulated sugar until blended. Add the butter and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on, add the egg mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until all of the flour disappears.

Combine the cookie dough and granola and chill | With a wooden spatula or your hands, mix the dough into the granola until evenly incorporated. The dough will be sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Divide the dough into thirds, about 17.8 ounces/504 grams each. Wrap 2 of the pieces in plastic wrap and refrigerate them while rolling the first piece.

Roll the dough into balls | Scoop out 12 pieces of dough (2 level tablespoons/1.5 ounces/42 grams each). Roll each piece of dough between the palms of your floured hands into a 1¾ inch ball. Set the dough balls a minimum of 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet and press them down to about 2 inches wide by ¾ inch high.

Bake the cookie | Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheet halfway around. Continue baking for 6 to 9 minutes. The cookies should be brown around the edges, just begin to brown on the tops, and still feel slightly soft when pressed lightly with a fingertip.

Cool the cookies | Set the cookie sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 1 minute so that they will be firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Use a pancake turner to lift the cookies onto another wire rack. They will firm up as they cool and are most delicious when eaten slightly warm. While each batch of cookies is baking, shape the dough for the next batch.

Store | Airtight: room temperature, 2 weeks; refrigerated, 1 month; frozen, 3 months.

Note | Use your favorite chocolate. Recommendations are Ghirardelli bittersweet chips 60%, Scharffen Berger bittersweet chunks 61%, or Valrhona dark chocolate baking pearls 55%.

Highlights for Success

The dough must rest for a minimum of 30 minutes after mixing for the oats to soften and the moisture to distribute evenly. Without this resting period, the oats would be harder and the moisture in the dough would cause it to spread more.

Cookie Dough Ingredients 4 cups Granola (see above) 1-1/2 cups raisins 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, 55% to 63% cacao (see Note) 1-3/4 leveled cups bleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown Muscovado sugar, or dark brown sugar 2 tablesppons granulated sugar 2 sticks unsalted butter (65° to 75°F/ 19° to 23°C)

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvest; Illustrated edition (October 28, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1118338618
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1118338612
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 1.54 x 10 inches
Reviewer: Jahmela Davis
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Lovely, easy to read & great recipes
Review: Very easy to read great pictures recipes are easy to follow. I have an interest in baking. I have an interest in developing recipe. Great reference to.

Reviewer: Tyler Martinez
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great for Gifting!
Review: Bought this as a Christmas gift for someone that wanted to strengthen their baking skills! Paired it with a Christmas spatula and a pretty bow! Perfect!I did skim through it, and it was nicely printed and had a lot of tips, tricks, and recipes! Great hardcover addition to anyone’s kitchen!

Reviewer: DeeDiDee
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Can't Be Improved Upon
Review: My "verified purchase" states I have the Kindle edition of this book when, in fact, I actually have the hardback edition.I might have died and gone to Heaven. Dorie Greenspan and Rose Levy Beranbaum both released baking books this fall. Forget Christmas. I have everything I need to be happy for the rest of the year.The Baking Bible is a massive anthology of recipes to satisfy your baking needs. It runs the gamut from cakes to yeast breads and hits almost everything in between. This is an impressive collection of recipes that you will use for a long time. One of Rose's birthday cakes as well as her prosciutto loaf from her bread cookbook have been favorites in my home for over ten years now. The book will stay open to cook from, without the aid of a cookbook stand, from the first page to the last. The only downside to this (and it is my ONLY criticism of the book) is that this type of sewn binding is likely to cause you to have pages fall out later if you use the book often (and you will).The chapters are divided as follows: cakes; pies, tarts and other pastries; cookies and candy; and breads and yeast pastries. Each chapter is further subdivided into specific categories. For example, the cakes chapter is subdivided into butter and oil cakes, cupcakes, sponge cakes, and cheesecakes. The book opens with Rose's Golden Rules of Baking. Then each individual chapter has a lengthy introduction that helps the cook troubleshoot common baking problems and includes more "golden rules" for being a successful cake baker, pie baker, etc. If you know Rose's recipes, you know she is a stickler for weights, measurements, and following directions. Each recipe begins with a chart that clearly delineates measurements for volume and weight. In many instances there will not be a listing for volume as weight (which is included in ounces as well as grams) is more accurate.I am pleased to say that the book is as lovely as it is useful. There isn't a photograph for each recipe, but the photographs that are included are absolutely gorgeous. Most of the recipe is printed in black, but the headings are done in shades of burgundy that I didn't have any trouble reading. There are asides called "Highlights for Success" through many of the recipes that give you additional information to make your recipe a smash hit. I also add that the index is also problem free. It was done with a lot of thought in order to maximize usefulness.I would like to recommend this book to everyone, and for the most part, I do. I recommend to beginners with caution. I was a young bride with no cooking experience when I purchased The Cake Bible and The Bread Bible. I had no trouble because the author is so specific in her directions. However, novices should be able to follow multiple, detailed steps and use their five senses plus be able to make judgment calls regarding a recipe. If you are a moderate level or advanced baker, you will be pleased with this newest addition to the Beranbaum library and probably won't be able to put the book down for more than five minutes at the time.The ingredients and basic recipes section at the end of the book will demystify basics such as making chocolate curls, clarifying butter, and making ganache and whipped cream as well as lending Rose's personal insights on what ingredients to buy. I feel that this book is the home equivalent of a culinary school course in baking. You will love the appendix that lists quick and easy recipes as well as recipes that are flourless, mostly flourless, as well as lactose free. If you have egg issues, the author lists which recipes include only yolks or whites. She bends over backwards to make this book easy to use!But enough of my detailed book tour, you want to hear about recipes! I took a change of pace from the usual cakes and loaves for my initial foray into this impressive book and went with the French toast. It was magnificent, so good that I felt it didn't even need the additional suggested décor of powdered sugar or maple syrup.Don't hesitate to add this book to your library. If you are new to Rose Levy Beranbaum, know that if you follow her directions to the letter you will have baked goods that taste as though they couldn't possibly be made by human hands. The precise directions are absolutely worth it!

Reviewer: merryl dickson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The information is incredible.
Review: I love this book. It gives me step by step information on how to be successful. I've been reading this book since I received it a couple of hours ago. I feel like I know so much more about baking. Thank you for writing such an informative book.

Reviewer: Lasordi
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Successful recipe
Review: I recommend you to buy the book as most of the recipes in this book are successful

Reviewer: Rolando Rodriguez
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: another addition
Review: This is another addition to my updated cookbook instruction compilation. 40+ years ago when I started baking bread for our hippy café in Key West, I used the Joy of Cooking and got great results without knowing why, other than I followed directions faithfully. Now I can learn about the science that gave me such good results.

Reviewer: John
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I Give In, This is Great
Review: I'm a very reluctant fan of this book, which I bought several years ago and never used. As several other commenters state, there is little that is "basic" about this cookbook in terms of an introduction to baking. Instead, it outlines relatively advanced techniques and recipes that involve some skill. This year, however, I decided to make a panettone for Christmas instead of paying $30 for one that was cooked weeks or months ago. I tried one of the King Arthur recipes (confusingly, there are several) that yielded a boring, cakey texture with little flavor. I then used RLB's very involved recipe from this book that took 6 days to prepare. It was fantastic and worked at each stage precisely as she said it would. I also made the gingersnaps. Although they were not to my taste, they were exactly what she described them to be. I discovered that no matter how complicated the recipe, she does guide you through the steps with great clarity and precision. And there are many helpful hints throughout the book to guide beginners along the right paths of baking. There is also a comprehensive section on ingredients that qualifies the book as a "Bible." This includes more than you ever thought you could know about flours, chocolates, and sugars and is truly helpful in refining your baking skills. I bought her Cake Bible when it came out in the late 80's but never used it because I thought it was the most fussy, and slightly crazy, baking book I'd ever read. But I will now go back to that and try to explore the unique world of RLB.

Reviewer: rronbro
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Book
Review: My baking friend loves it.

Reviewer: Eleonora
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: It is one of the best books on home baking.Clear instructions, good pictures, great recipes.

Reviewer: Fabricio
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Livro muito bem diagramado. Quem acompanha o trabalho da Rose, precisar ter na coleção.

Reviewer: Georgi
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: It's all in one book 😊 easy to follow recipes and many variety of desserts 🎂

Reviewer: Sukhender Singh Shakya
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great book for baking

Reviewer: OJ Godoy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: It is an incredibke book with a lot of tasty and delicious desserts. The explanations are done with great detail and the photos that accompain them making the book so worthy!!!!