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.
my physical copy of the US version of SIFT arrives today and im so exctied! I haven't had a chance to read through The Pastry Chef's Guide by Ravneet- i'll def have to pick up a copy of it since so many people seem to recommend it! More than cake is a great book! you'll love it :)
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!
oh I do enjoy the tartine books- I think they are what really started the push for home bakers to start pushing their own boundaries in terms of flavors/ingredients. i'll have to try to cranberry upside down cake recipe!
More than cake is also such a great book- I love the way Natasha formatted the layer cake section! I think you'll love the flavor bible hope you get your hands on it soon!
I’m currently obsessed with Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz. I’ve been using it to craft my baking hobbies before heading to my actual corporate job and looking forward to nibble on my bakings after work. It brings me more joy than my actual job
Incredible list, Kassie. What I would give for a copy of the pastry chef's little black book. Also Sohla's book was life-changing for me. I waited so long to get it, thinking I didn't need it because it's for beginners. How foolish of me. Thanks for sharing all your insight!
Start Here is definitely one of my favorite books. The banana bread and method of mixing the eggs and bananas to help them get that extra ripe banana bread flavor is an incredible tip. I want to get Ratios!
Thanks for this great post! I am going to check out Ratios.
I am a big Samin Nosrat fan. I am also loving Magnolia Kitchen Design by Bernadette Gee at the moment, for beautiful cake decoration without compromising on flavour.
The Pastry School by Julie Jones is a classic too. I could go on!!
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.
Came here to rec Beatrix Bakes and More Than Cake too! Those two have taught me so much.
Also a big fan of The Pastry Chef's Guide by Ravneet Gill
Loveeee the Beatrix Bakes books!!
my physical copy of the US version of SIFT arrives today and im so exctied! I haven't had a chance to read through The Pastry Chef's Guide by Ravneet- i'll def have to pick up a copy of it since so many people seem to recommend it! More than cake is a great book! you'll love it :)
Came to say the same thing.
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!
oh I do enjoy the tartine books- I think they are what really started the push for home bakers to start pushing their own boundaries in terms of flavors/ingredients. i'll have to try to cranberry upside down cake recipe!
More than cake is also such a great book- I love the way Natasha formatted the layer cake section! I think you'll love the flavor bible hope you get your hands on it soon!
I’m currently obsessed with Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz. I’ve been using it to craft my baking hobbies before heading to my actual corporate job and looking forward to nibble on my bakings after work. It brings me more joy than my actual job
I see a photo of Advanced Bread and Pastry (one of my favs!) in your post, but you didn’t list it.
I frequently turn to Dorrie Greenspan and Bouchon. For bread, Maggie Glezer books are top notch. The Cake Bible is a must for cake construction.
Is there any books that you feel are beneficial to learning about flours and knowing what flours to use at diff times ?
Incredible list, Kassie. What I would give for a copy of the pastry chef's little black book. Also Sohla's book was life-changing for me. I waited so long to get it, thinking I didn't need it because it's for beginners. How foolish of me. Thanks for sharing all your insight!
All of Lisa Yockelson's books, especially Baking by Flavor.
oooh i've never heard of Lisa Yockelson! But, a book called Baking by Flavor is always right up my alley! Gonna have to check it out :)
Start Here is definitely one of my favorite books. The banana bread and method of mixing the eggs and bananas to help them get that extra ripe banana bread flavor is an incredible tip. I want to get Ratios!
Thanks for this great post! I am going to check out Ratios.
I am a big Samin Nosrat fan. I am also loving Magnolia Kitchen Design by Bernadette Gee at the moment, for beautiful cake decoration without compromising on flavour.
The Pastry School by Julie Jones is a classic too. I could go on!!
Great list, I would recommend "Pastry Love" by Joanne Chang and "A New Way to Bake" by Philip Khoury.
Oh gosh yes, A New Way to Bake is a fantastic book. That triple chocolate cake recipe is amazing!
Apple crumble cake is so delicious!
Great Olive Oil Madelienes too, so moreish