Must-Read Baking Books To Become A Professional Baker

Baking is known as one of the most popular hobbies and professions. If baking is your newfound passion, you should turn to some of the best baking books of all time. Most of these books are written by experts with several years of experience. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced baker, there is something for everyone here!

Baking Books For Beginners

1. Mary Berry’s Baking Bible

Mary Berry is an English food writer and television presenter. Her first book, The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook, was published in 1970. She has published over seventy cookery books since then. In addition, she has been a judge on the BBC One (originally BBC Two) television program The Great British Bake Off since its launch in 2010.

Mary Berry has brought together her most mouth-watering baking recipes, from classic cakes to tempting muffins, bread, and many more delicious treats in this baking book. This book is filled with 250 recipes with easy-to-follow instructions and photographs. This book is the most comprehensive baking book for beginners to learn professional cake making.

2. How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lucy Lawson, daughter of former Conservative cabinet minister Nigel Lawson and the late Vanessa Salmon, socialite, and heir to the Lyons Corner House empire, is an English food writer and television cook. She was voted for the author of the year at the 2001 British Book Awards.

Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess is a book about baking, but not a baking book. Talking about this book, Nigella said, "Everyone seems to think it's hard to make a cake, but it doesn't take more than 25 minutes to make and bake a tray of muffins or a sponge layer cake, and the returns are high: you feel disproportionately good about yourself afterwards." So whether you're looking for a simple sponge cake or simple recipes for baking with kids, this book has it all. It is all about comfort cooking. The book is filled with easy-to-make recipes and amazing photographs.

3. The Big Book of Treats by Pooja Dhingra

Pooja Dhingra, also known as Macaron Queen, is an Indian pastry chef and businesswoman. She opened India's first macaron store and is the founder of the Le15 brand of patisseries and packaged foods, which she founded in Mumbai in 2010.

The Big Book of Treats is one of the best baking books in India and Pooja's gift to Indian home bakers. In this book, Pooja Dhingra shares the know-hows of baking cookies, cupcakes, brownies, celebration cakes, and more. The recipes are easy-to-follow and engaging.

4. Basic Baking by Lora Brody

Lora Brody is an author, spokesperson, lecturer, cooking instructor, and business owner who has written 22 books, many of which are bestsellers. Most of her books are considered the best baking books of all time. Her recipes have appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Boston Globe, and the Los Angeles Times. 

This book covers baking basics, including cookies, cakes, biscuits, bars, and pies. This book carries 101 easy recipes with basic techniques such as measuring flour, separating eggs, and melting chocolate. It guides you to become a professional baker.

5. The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Rose Levy Beranbaum is an American baker, cookbook author, and blogger. She is also known as Diva Of Desserts. She is the award-winning author of 12 cookbooks which includes The Baking Bible.

The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum was published in 2014. In 2015 it won the International Association of Culinary Professionals Best Baking Book. This book covers the tiniest details with exclusive recipes for cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, candies, pastries, bread, and more from the woman who's been called "the most meticulous cook who ever lived."

6. The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit

Niki Segnit discovered that she loved cooking in her early twenties. Her background is in marketing. She has specialized in food and drink, and she has worked with many famous brands of confectionery, snacks, baby foods, condiments, dairy products, hard liquors, and soft drinks.

The Flavour Thesaurus was Niki Segnit's first book which won the André Simon Award for best food book, the Guild of Food Writers Award for the best first book, and was shortlisted for the Galaxy National Book Awards. It has been translated into thirteen languages. This book examined what goes with pair by pair and is divided into flavor themes, including Meaty, Cheesy, Woodland, and Floral Fruity.

7. Everyone Can Bake by Dominique Ansel

Dominique Ansel is a French-American pastry chef and owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City. He is known for his invention of the Cronut and a croissant-doughnut hybrid.

In this book, Ansel shares his go-to recipes with easy-to-follow instructions and kitchen tips for the first time. This book is a baking book for beginners and experienced home bakers alike. 

8. Professional Baking By Wayne Gisslen

Wayne Gisslen is the IACP award-winning author of the bestselling series of culinary books, including Professional Cooking, Advanced Professional Cooking, Professional Baking, and The Chef's Art.

This book has eight editions. In this newly published edition, Wayne shares an introduction to baking practices, selection of ingredients, and proper mixing and baking techniques. In addition, this edition has updated baker's percentages of each ingredient and instruction of the formulas with new materials and recipes.

Baking Books For Professional Bakers

1. The Pastry Chef's Guide by Ravneet Gill

Ravneet Gill is a British pastry chef, Author of The Pastry Chef's Guide, activist, and television presenter. Ravneet is now a new judge on Channel 4's Junior Bake Off alongside Liam Charles and host Harry Hill.

Ravneet's first cookbook was released in April 2020, entitled 'The Pastry Chef's Guide: The Secret to successful baking every time. This book aims at chefs and home bakers who fear baking by explaining the principles of patisserie, which ingredients you need to know, how to line your tins, what equipment you need oven temperatures, and variables to watch out for structured chapters.

2. In The Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley

Regan Daley is a writer, cookbook author, and former pastry chef. Her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Country Home, and Gourmet.

In The Sweet Kitchen is a 704-page reference book chosen as the best cookbook of the year in 2000 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. In addition, it was selected as the best book in its category (Bread, Other Baking and Sweets). In this book, she explains the baking process and "how" & "why" things work. She provides information that every home baker should know to create delicious recipes in their kitchens. It is one of the best baking books of all time that any passionate baker should own.

3. Baked to Perfection: Delicious Gluten-free Recipes with a Pinch of Science by Katarina Cermelj

Katarina Cermelj has a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Oxford. She is a food writer, recipe developer, photographer, and blogger. After cutting out gluten from her diet, she experimented with gluten-free baking, and in 2016 set up her hugely popular baking blog, The Loopy Whisk, sharing her gluten-free recipes.

Baked to Perfection is a cookbook that provides detailed information on gluten-free baking, starting from the basics of gluten-free baking, including flours, mixes, and how they behave. In addition, this book covers recipes of cakes, brownies, cookies, pastry, and bread with the best techniques, expert tips, and valuable scientific explanations.

4. Zoe Bakes Cakes by Zoe Francois

Zoe Francois is an author and a chef. While being an author, she is also known for her blog, Zoe Bakes. This blog helps home cooks to overcome the fear of baking and teaches people some tasty treats.

Zoe Bakes Cakes is a cookbook that teaches you how to bake cakes. The recipes include Coconut-Candy Bar Cake, Chocolate Devil's Food Cake, and many more. It also has step-by-step photo guides that help the baker understand baking basics more clearly. If professional baking is on your mind, this book is for you.

5. Nadiya Bakes By Nadiya Hussain

Nadiya Hussain won the sixth series of BBC's `The Great British Bake Off' in 2015. She has several Netflix and BBC shows and cookbooks to her name.

Nadiya Bakes is based on her Netflix show and BBC series, where she shares more than 100 simple recipes for cakes, cookies, bread, tarts, and puddings. This book is not just for beginners but for experienced chefs as well. The exclusive recipes make it one of the best baking books for beginners.

6. Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish

After a twenty-year career in Silicon Valley, Ken Forkish decided to leave the tech industry and become a baker. He moved to Portland, Oregon, and opened Ken's Artisan Bakery in 2001. In 2006 he opened Ken's Artisan Pizza, and in 2013 he opened Trifecta Tavern. His first book- Flour Water Salt Yeast, won a James Beard award and an IACP.

Whether you're a beginner or a professional baker, Flour Water Salt Yeast has a recipe that suits your skill level. This book is not only a collection of recipes for amazing bread and pizza; it offers a complete baking education with an in-depth explanation of the tools and techniques used to make artisan bread and pizza.

Learning is an ongoing process for a baker, whether a beginner or a professional baker. Numerous skills and techniques emerge over time. The best way to learn about the latest baking trends is through research and a good read. These baking books are the guide that will give you the confidence to bake with ease. Hopefully, this blog helped to choose some great books for you.

REFERENCES

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/6983124

https://books.google.com/books/about/Mary_Berry_s_Baking_Bible.html?id=O2E7ulXsBnIC&source=kp_book_description

https://www.nigella.com/books/how-to-be-a-domestic-goddess

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/how-to-be-a-domestic-goddess-baking-and-the-art-of-comfort-cooking_nigella-lawson/265302/

https://www.kmart.com.au/product/how-to-be-a-domestic-goddess-by-nigella-lawson---book/3310349

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21852128-the-big-book-of-treats

https://penguin.co.in/book/the-big-book-of-treats/

https://books.google.com/books/about/Big_Book_of_Treats.html?id=JajzAgAAQBAJ

https://cyrusdalalphotography.com/portfolio-item/the-big-book-of-treats-by-pooja-dhingra-food-photography/

http://www.ahomemakersdiary.com/2014/07/the-big-book-of-treats-book-launch-by.html

https://www.readersdigest.in/better-living/story-are-you-a-baking-beginner-these-5-books-can-guide-you-126041

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8487890-the-flavour-thesaurus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flavour_Thesaurus

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/49489760

https://books.google.com/books/about/Everyone_Can_Bake.html?id=mazMDwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53007231-the-pastry-chef-s-guide

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Pastry_Chef_s_Guide.html?id=I0YmEAAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description

https://books.google.com/books/about/Zo%C3%AB_Bakes_Cakes.html?id=YY7sDwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nadiya-bakes-nadiya-hussain/1139444216

https://kensartisan.com/flour-water-salt-yeast