Pillsbury: The Complete Book of Baking

This books makes one of life's greatest joys even better! Don't be afraid of baking. Buy this book and fall in love with a new pastime. You will be so glad you did, and if you have a family, so will they.

About pages 82 to 207 missing. Part of the cookies desserts and all of the cakes. Why are books not being checked? So disappointing. It's a cookbook with recipes ripped out.

This cookbook, and Pillsbury, have never let me down. The book covers everything from cookies to cakes to fancy desserts to yeast breads and coffee cakes. I have had this book for at least ten years now, and I have found many of the recipes to be 'tried and true'. They are thoroughly tested so you get very consistent, yummy results, and now that I live at high altitude, I really appreciate the adjustments included for every recipe. That has helped me learn how to adjust other cookbooks' recipes for high altitude too. The glossy pages withstand the occasional batter spatter, and the pictures make you want to try all the recipes! Like others have mentioned, my book's binding gave out too and a good chunk of the pages have detached. Still, it remains my favorite baking book.

If, in your whole life, you only buy one cookbook for baking, buy this one. I have had this book for years and I love it. There is not one bad recipe. All the staples are there: breads, cookies, pies, cakes, glazes, you name it. There is even a section on terminology, equipment, and it explains things like why you shouldn't substitute butter for shortening and vice versa. The only gripe I have is that the binding isn't terrific - some of the pages have come loose over the years (but then again, I bent the spine so the book would lie flat on the counter). Hark ye bakers: the chocolate chip banana bread on page 380 is better than sex.

I like baking and have used this baking book for ten years, am on my second copy (first one the binding fell apart which annoyed me, but it's such a great book that I purchased it again). If you like picture cookbooks, lots of pictures in this book which covers everything from cookies, cakes, pies, breads, etc. Every recipe I have tried turns out wonderfully and if served to guests I always get compliments. I am so confident that all the recipes are excellent that I don't hesitate to try a new one to serve to guests or bring along to someone's house. I use the book to bake Christmas cookies - the basic holiday cookie recipes are better in this book than even the Joy of Cooking's Christmas Cookie cookbook which I thought was supposed to be a really great book. I don't even consider other books when baking anymore, this is it for me!

Like the other reviewers, I bought this book when it came out in 1993. Back then, I needed some different recipes for my Christmas cookie party. The Complete Book of Baking offers everything from the classic recipes such as Peanut Blossoms to the newer Cranberry and Orange Pinwheels. I've baked many different kinds of cookies as well as breads, using this cookbook, and all of them are easy to follow. It's a shame that this book is now out of stock because my husband has used it so much that the pages are starting to come loose. His favorite recipe is the praline pecan cheesecake, which he makes every year. Our families have bragged about his cheesecakes to every one of their friends. Yet not one of them has asked where he got the recipe.