the *best* books for budding bakers and pastry chefs
are probably not the ones you're currently inclined to reach for
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hey hi what’s up!
I’m getting asked all the time what cookbooks line the shelves of my kitchen library or what I’d recommend the avid home baker add to their arsenal. While I do have an extensive collection of books, honestly as of late, I do have BIG conflicting thoughts and feelings about cookbooks. Mostly, that I think there are too many out there, that we probably don’t need anymore, that everything lives in a bit of an echo chamber and is derivative, yada yada yada. Even these thoughts ON cookbooks aren’t original or new, I know a lot of people who feel this way. This change in the way I look/think about cookbooks, comes from the bit of experience I had when I was toying with the idea of writing a book. The research I did into the process, the few chats I had with agents. The conversations I’ve had with friends who went and are going through the process of writing a book and how their opinions on doing so change.
But, at the same time, these thoughts don’t stop me from buying cookbook after cookbook, more so now in an attempt to show support to people I admire. Personally, I’m not buying cookbooks because I plan on baking anything from them but more so because I appreciate the *art* of it. The food styling, the formatting, the storytelling and the inspiration you can gather. In that way though, once again just for me personally, it kinda just feels like a cookbook is a (very expensive and time intensive to produce) merch line at this point… sometimes.
So, what does it mean when a conflicted cookbook “hater” actually recommends a book to you? Well, that it’s good, worth having and *might* just teach you something. It also means, it’s probably not what you’re thinking when you ask for a cookbook recommendation, it’s probably some sort of reference book like a massive culinary school text book or a hoity toity for chefs by chefs indie magazine. Ultimately, I want you to be able to find your own voice in food and I think these are books that will help.
So, What makes a cookbook worth it?
To me, a cookbook is worth it when you don’t have to bake from it to learn from it. If, I can casually read it like a bedtime story and learn about a new technique or ingredient then, for me- it’s worth it.
I think my main objective is to get you to learn to think freely in the kitchen while you’re baking. I think most cookbooks teach you how to repeat and regurgitate things- which is fine and part of the learning process. But, I want you to understand what you’re doing so you can learn how to make changes to recipes on the fly and have them still turn out how you want them to!
The Flavor Bible by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen A. Page
I will literally recommend this book to anyone who will listen. Especially because something I’m asked even more often than what books i’d recommend is how I come up with flavors. This is it baby. I would say this book is responsible for 70% of the flavor pairings I’ve come up with. It’s list upon list of flavors and what pairs with what. Great if you find a new ingredient and you’re not sure what to pair it with.
The Pastry Chef’s Little Black Book by Michael Zebrowski and Michael Mignano
First of all, this book I fear is out of print and hard to track down physical copies of. I was able to find a link for the ebook version which is still available. My copy of the book has been through the ringer as it’s been by my side in every kitchen I’ve worked in, the spine of the book in shambles. This book is definitely more for the intermediate/ advanced crowd. It’s nearly 500 well tested recipes written for chefs by chefs. Most of the recipes have larger yields like 3k of pastry cream or 6 sheets of wedding chiffon cake and the instructions are straight forward, no BS and technical. The recipes serve as a great jumping off point for adapting/developing your own recipes and piecing together menu items
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Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
I feel like so many of the people I’ve spoken who are in camp “I want to write a book” say the same thing- “but, like I want to write the SALT FAT ACID HEAT of baking books”. Here’s the way I look at it. SALT FAT ACID HEAT IS the SFAH of baking books. While the amount of baking recipes is small (but mighty) everything you learn in the first 60% of the book is crucial to how to bake. Properly seasoning your food isn’t reserved for savory only- I say as I sit eating a slice of severely underwhelming olive oil cake that would benefit WILDLY from a decent hit of salt, to bring the FAT in the cake to life. This book also introduced me to my two favorite summertime ingredients, peach leaves and noyaux. For that, i’ll be forever grateful.
Ratio by Michael Ruhlman
This one’s for all the girlies who ask me “but, how do you know what amounts of ingredients to add when developing?”. This book is how. It’ goes over the basic ratios bakers follow to well, bake (and there’s some savory stuff in there too) It also shows you the ratios in action and how adding, changing and swapping ingredients changes the final outcome.
Toothache Mag by Chefs
This is another for chefs by chef publication. While having any issue of the mag on hand is great and informative- I highly recommend the first issue, which like the pastry chef’s little black book is also out of print and hard to come by. Fret not- digital copies of the mag are still available. The issues are an even mix of savory and pastry recipes. From the first issue I learned all about different creamy desserts I had never heard of and the percentages that make them work.
Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly
I recently pick-up a copy of this book and I shouldn’t have waited this long. First, the layout and design of the book is gorgina. It’s packed with tons of beautiful recipes and even more information. I also love that the flavor swaps/upgrades Sohla calls out for recipes are fun and inventive- like a mango saffron pavlova. Great option for someone who wants something from this list that’s just as recipe forward as it is text heavy!
SIFT by Nicola Lamb
OK OK, this book is stunning to start. A large chunk of this book is informative to the elements of great baking. Diagrams on the different parts of grains, deep dives on gluten, the role of sugar in baking- which is way more than just for sweetness, a break down on eggs, etc etc. This might actually be the SFAH of baking books. It’s jam packed with information for you to better understand baking. The recipes are also, so beautiful and thoughful- broken down into things that’ll day an afternoon, a day and a weekend to prepare.
Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz
I mean by now we all know and love this book. There isn’t really much more I think I could sway you into picking up a copy. Recipe forward unlike most of the other books on this list. With the best recipe matrix I’ve ever seen that shows the recipes in the book on a chart of time vs difficulty so you can really lock in on what you’re able to commit to.
Baking and Pastry by the CIA
Honestly, any baking and pastry culinary school text book is worth having. Can they run you $70+ yeah (you can find second hand copies of these books online thought for sure). These books and recipe and information heavy- making them worth the price IMO. They’re also like required culinary school text for a reason. You’ll learn a lot and have a lexicon of tried and true base recipes in your back pocket.
Baking Science by Dika Levy Frances
This book is all on the science of ingredients and how they work together to make baked goods work. Explaining things like why it’s best to pour cold syrup over hot cakes for maximum saturation. Also, teaching you a bit on how to develop recipes of your own. To teaching new techniques- my fave being making caramelized milk to add to cake.
I will say though, when it comes to curating your own kitchen library or deciding what books you want to buy, choose ones that actually speak to you. Not just ones that some internet rando is telling you are worth it. I think it’s a good idea to actually go into a book store, to actually pick-up and flip through a physical copy of the book. Read some of the recipes, the intros and the headnotes, if a majority of what you flip through resonates, then it might be worth it to buy it. Even better, go to your local library, most have a decent and even up to date selection of cookbooks- at least in San Diego and Los Angeles, I can’t speak for all public libraries. *Most* branches will even let you suggest titles for the library to carry. Or use an app like Libby to check them out virtually. This way you can actually determine whether a book is right for you before buying.
I do wanna know- what baking books do you absolutely love and find yourself coming back to time and time again?
Sift by Nicola Lamb and The Pastry Chef's Guide by Ravneet Gill are my bibles!! I also really love the Beatrix Bakes books from the Australian pastry chef Natalie Paull but more for inspiration than specific recipes. I also loved Claire Saffitzs' books. More Than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz is on my Christmas list and I've heard really good things.
I feel like Tartine revisited (purchased pre union-busting!) is the book that changed the way I bake! It got me excited about baking beyond simple cookies and loaf cakes and into layer cake, viennoiserie, etc. those recipes felt like a stretch but a manageable one and the outcomes were always tasty enough to justify the effort (their cranberry upside down cake is still my favourite holiday treat, I think).
Current ones I'm loving are SIFT (such a banger! I made the focaccia this weekend and it turned out so well) and More than Cake which is pretty recipe-heavy but genuinely inspiring in its flavour combos. I really want to pick up The Flavour Bible--I've heard such good things. Perhaps I'll seek it out this weekend. Great writeup!