Expert Picks: The Best Baking Cookbooks for Technique

A Serious Eats editor and former pastry cook has compiled a list of the best baking cookbooks for various skill levels and interests. The selection prioritizes books that explain the science and technique behind baking, from sourdough to elegant desserts.

Foundational Science and Technique

For a deep understanding of baking science, Shirley Corriher's BakeWise is essential. The book uses over 200 recipes to explain common problems like deflated soufflés and broken custard. Corriher, a former biochemist, details why each solution works.

Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Baking Bible is another cornerstone for precise, careful tested recipes. The expert notes that following Beranbaum's concise directions yields bakery-quality layer cakes, cookies, and pies. Her flourless chocolate cake, the Double Damage Oblivion, is a standout for chocolate lovers.

Nicola Lamb's book Sift takes a methodical approach. Lamb explains how core ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, and fat interact in baked goods. The book is described as ideal for bakers who want to understand the 'why' behind each step.

Mastering Bread and Sourdough

Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread is a comprehensive guide to sourdough. The book provides detailed details on developing a starter, though recipes like the 38-page Basic Country Bread can be intimidating. The reward is crusty, flavorful loaves.

Maurizio Leo's The Perfect Loaf is a straightforward sourdough guide born from his blog. Every recipe includes a timeline for planning, alongside step-by-step photos and QR codes for instructional videos. The expert recommends it first to anyone wanting to improve their sourdough skills.

Ken Forkish's Flour Water Salt Yeast makes bread baking intuitive for novices. It demystifies fermentation science and terms like 'autolyse.' Most recipes use instant dried yeast, making them easier and faster than sourdough starters.

The two-volume set Modernist Bread by Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya is an exhaustive, though expensive, resource. It covers the complete history, science, and technique of bread baking for those dedicated to the craft.

Professional and Specialized Guides

The King Arthur Baking School Cookbook contains recipes taught at the company's Vermont school. It includes notes on the 'hows and whys' of baking, with recipes ranging from simple cookies to challenging croissants and macarons.

Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas is a textbook for culinary professionals. It uses graphs, charts, and illustrations to detail the science and chemistry of baking, suited for a rigorous approach.

For French pastry fundamentals, Jacquy Pfeiffer's The Art of French Pastry is recommended. It coaches readers through building blocks like choux pastry, puff dough, and buttercreams with detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips.

Melissa Weller's A Good Bake applies her chemical engineering background to pastry. Recipes are broken into sections, making complex projects like croissants and brioche feel achievable.

Approachable and Special Diet Baking

The Cook's Illustrated Baking Book offers educational, foolproof recipes for the casually interested baker. A critique is the lack of weight measurements, using only volume. Yet it includes invaluable tips, like blooming cocoa powder in hot water to intensify chocolate cake flavor.

For chocolate and confectionery, The Chocolate Bible by Christian Teubner provides a thorough understanding of sugars, fats, and chocolate techniques. It includes guides for making silky ganaches and shiny glazes.

Philip Khoury's A New Way to Bake is the expert's pick for plant-based pastries. It looks at the science of vegan baking with formula-like recipes for items like eggless quiche and olive oil butter croissants. Clear instructions make the creations feel doable at home.