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Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Mon Sep 17, 2012 5:04 pm
by Rahsaan
Does anyone here buy/read baking cookbooks?
I'm looking for a birthday gift for my cousin and she likes to bake so I thought this might be a good idea. She's a pretty competent baker and is probably advanced compared to the general population although far from obsessed like most of us around here.
So she doesn't need one of those comprehensive basic books, but I thought it might be fun to get her something with a unique focus. Any ideas?
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Mon Sep 17, 2012 5:20 pm
by Mark Lipton
Rahsaan wrote:Does anyone here buy/read baking cookbooks?
I'm looking for a birthday gift for my cousin and she likes to bake so I thought this might be a good idea. She's a pretty competent baker and is probably advanced compared to the general population although far from obsessed like most of us around here.
So she doesn't need one of those comprehensive basic books, but I thought it might be fun to get her something with a unique focus. Any ideas?
If she's into bread making (or if you'd
like her to be), how about Jeffrey Hamelman's
Bread? If you're looking more for patisserie-type baking, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Mark Lipton
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:57 pm
by Carl Eppig
A World of Breads, Dolores Casella
The Complete Book of Breads, Bernard Clayton Jr.
Complete Book of Pastry (Sweet & Savory), Clayton
The Art of Fine Baking, Paula Peck
Favorite Breads from Rose Lane Farm, Ada Lou Roberts
Breads and Coffee Cakes (With Homemade Starters), Roberts
Simca’s Cuisine, Simone Beck
All are available online.
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:29 pm
by Robin Garr
If she really wants to geek out on Euro-style breads, the Peter Reinhart books are a cut above the rest: The Bread Baker's Apprentice and Artisan Breads Every Day.
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:55 pm
by Jeff Grossman
Does no one have a book of viennoiserie?
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:17 pm
by Mike Filigenzi
For non-bread books, my wife, who is both an accomplished baker and a cookbook collector, recommended the following:
For general baking:
- Anything by Nick Malghieri
- "Baking For All Occasions" or "The Simple Art of Baking", by Flo Braker
For a French take on it: "Paris Sweets", by Dorie Greenspan
For some really creative stuff that is a little more difficult but will get the creative juices flowing:
- "The Sweet Spot", by Pichet Ong
- "The Last Course", by Claudia Fleming
I had to stop her at this point and pull her away from the cookbook stacks...
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:56 am
by Rahsaan
Thanks. Lots of good options here!
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:24 pm
by Jenise
You say she's fairly advanced, so I'm thinking she might love SPICED, an Anthony Bourdain-like book about the real life of a pastry chef. I haven't read it yet myself but after reading a review of it a few years ago I bought it. (The reading queue isn't going down as fast as it used to.)
http://www.amazon.com/Spiced-Pastry-Stories-After-HoursExploits-Kitchen/dp/B0042P59VO/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Thu Sep 20, 2012 8:27 pm
by Jenise
Re: Baking cookbooks?
Posted:
Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:08 am
by Rahsaan
Thanks. That actually could have been a good choice, but I already sent the "Paris Sweets" mentioned above because it connects to France and my cousin - like most people - has such fond memories of all her trips to Paris.
Thanks again to everyone. Such great help!