Understanding Baking

This book is exactly what I was looking for. I set out to find a book that would give me an understanding of the science involved in baking, and this book did just that. I devoured the book (which is now riddled with highlighted sentences, underlined concepts and handwritten margin notes)and am now able to modify and manipulate existing recipes to achieve my desired results, as well as write my own recipes! An indispensable addition to the library of any serious baker. If you've ever found yourself wondering why egg whites whip better in a copper bowl, or why the meringue on your lemon pie gets runny (and other such questions), this book has the answers for you.

I am a cake designer by trade and I'm getting ready to teach my first college level course and this is the book that I will be using for my students. The reason for this is simple: value for money with a clear understanding of baking principles. Most professional tomes like the Gisslen or Friberg book will set you back 50-75 dollars a book. You can have both of Amendola's books for the cost of just one. Sure, they might not have all the pretty pictures, but why go out and spend hundreds of dollars that you don't need to. And to set the record straight, I completely disagree with the person who complained that the books were boring and too scientific. The act of baking is not an art - it's all about science and if you think that's boring then you shouldn't be baking. A good baker and cake designer will know and understand why cakes are made the way they are, otherwise, he or she will not have the knowledge needed to overcome the problems and issues that every baker will face at some point in his or her career, whether professional or home baker. If you're a home baker and you want a less "science-driven" book then I'd suggest The Baker's Dozen. If you love cake and really want to understand what it's all about then you can't beat Joseph Amendola - he is a master.

Understanding Baking gives the student baker all the baking science he or she will actually ever need in day to day operations. This new edition has a much friendlier tone and eliminates a great of the repetition and overly arcane or dated material that existed in the previous editions. Theory and concepts are related to actual products much more clearly. Rees/Amendola lucidly and concisely explain the chemistry of ingredient interaction, baking physics and supply useful ingredient definitions. The reference tables and troubleshooting guides are helpful and clear. The new information on wild yeast starter/artisan bread is timely and interesting as is the discussion of trans and cis fats. Any pastry chef can tell you that the most complicated presentations begin with a good grounding in the basics. From there, it's up to you. Industrial baking, which this edition, for the most part, sidesteps, is now so specialized, automated and artificially preserved you need an whole set of encyclopedias to understand the processes that are usually performed by a machine. On the other hand, with this book and it's companion volume, The Baker's Manual (also recently revised with many, many appealing new formulas), you could start a fine little pastry shop. It impowers you to be the best baker you can be.

This book is great because it covers the fundamentals of baking. I believe that fundamentals are important as they serve as a starting point for pastry chefs. I appreciate the fact that they've included all aspects of baking - from the simplest of information for the beginners to the complex stuff for the professionals.

I received this book when I started culinary school and by far it is the book I use the most when I have questions about baking. It throughly explains the baking process, the ingredients, and science behind it all. If you ever wanted to know anything about baking, this is the book to get.