Baking For Dummies

My husband received this from his mother as a gift one year. He's never used it, but I discovered its hidden powers when I was looking for a ginger snap recipe. Friends and family all love those cookies! The oatmeal cookies as well(the secret is CLOVES). I would recommend this book to anyone, not only because of the recipes, but also for the practical tips in the first part of the book. The recipes are great, but any recipe can be improved to your own tastes as the author encourages you to do. I'm eating some delicious pumpkin cheesecake right now. Was it hard to make? No! Getting this book does not mean you're an idiot.

I used to be a "complete idiot" when it comes to baking, not anymore, thanks to this book. It explains many of the "how" s and "why"s of baking that used to puzzle me. Now, I can bake confidently and I bake about twice a week. My friends think I am a great baker!This book is really great for a beginner. It gives you the foundation, the basic. But even now, after 3 years of baking, I still refer to this book when I try a new recipe and failed. You said "what about the recipes"? Oh, they are good for beginners. Basic and simple recipes that a novice baker won't be afraid to try. They have one of the easiest yellow cake recipe I have ever seen, and another one for chocolate cake. I have tried some recipes (about 10) from this book and they all worked beautifully and tasted great. The "Wonderful Pear Tart" had many of my friends asking for the recipe, the chocolate cake which I frosted with chocolate frosting also in this book had my friend asking me if I had bought the cake form a restaurent! And they also have a nice and moist "Banana bread" recipe.I recommend this book for absolute beginners. It is a good place to start.

Baking is easily the most mystifying and landmine fraught area of cooking for me. It is just plain difficult. BUT: _The Complete Idiot's Guide to Baking_ makes baking seem not only possible but fun. With patience and practice, you can bake. Unbelievable? I thought so, too. But, this book gives you the guts and sense of culinary adventure to try and try again.No fact is too simple to be presented in this book. And, that's a good thing because baking often goes catastrophically wrong because of one tiny, simple error. This book is very reassuring to a beginning baker. And, it not only gives the hows but also some very interesting whys of baking -- information of interest to even seasoned cooks.If you think that the scent of baking bread belongs only to great grandmas or bread machines, read this book. If you think warm, gooey, fresh cookies can only come out of a plastic wrapped tube, read this book. It will empower and educate you to bake.