Beginner's Baking Bible

by Heather Perine

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Beginner's Baking Bible is a tutorial and recipe guide for baking aimed at less experienced bakers by Heather Perine. Released 24th Dec 2019 by Callisto on their Rockridge Press imprint, it's 140 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

The introductory material and first section define the concepts used throughout the book, explaining the techniques, materials, tools, and equipment necessary for successful baking. The author presupposes no previous familiarity with the terms and writes in a supportive and encouraging manner.

The second part of the book contains the recipes and tutorials grouped thematically: cookies, brownies/bars, pies/tarts/galettes/tarts, quick breads/muffins, cakes/cupcakes, breads/biscuits/crackers, and finally frostings and glazes.

The recipes follow the same format throughout. A short description with a header containing extra info labels such as 'nut free', 'dairy free', 'gluten free', etc is followed by a sidebar which contains info about the prep method and yields. Recipe ingredients are listed in a sidebar bullet point list with measurements in US standard measures. (There is a measurement conversion table included at the back of the book, but it's a hassle not to have them included). The cooking instructions (listed in sequential order) are easy to follow and efficiently written. There is no nutrient info listed (but these are desserts, so it's not critical).

My only quibbles with the book (and it's almost universal with the newer crop of cookery and lifestyle books the last year) is that there are very few photos of finished dishes and recipe preparation. None of the recipes are extremely complex, so the omission isn't terribly crippling and there are -some- illustrations. The photos which are included are clear and appealing and are in color (see cover photo for an example).

I received both an eARC and physical copy of this beautifully presented book and I was very impressed with the heft and printing quality of the physical copy and found no errors in either format.

The lack of photos was problematic, but the breadth and appeal of the included recipes compensates to a degree.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.