Customer Reviews

Baking With Julia

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book as a gift for a friend because I already knew it had great tips and advice, even for experienced bakers. The book arrived quickly and in great condition.

I am skeptical of most of the cookbooks that are based on PBS TV cooking shows, plus some of Julia Child's early cookbooks had many recipes that were involved and difficult for the casual home cook to do. This book, however, is a reliable resource that you can depend on for baked goods in your home oven.

The most important feature of this book is that all of the recipes are written by professional bakers (of whom there are some 2 dozen or so, some you will recognize, all are seasoned bakers from various commercial settings), and the recipes are scaled-down versions of reliable production recipes. The instructions are exemplary in their detail and completeness. All things considered, this is also an excellent learning tool for the beginner. When I need to learn something new (such as rugelach or naan), this is one of the first books I reach for.

The first chapter has an extensive section on basic techniques and words that you do not usually get in even a good baking book. It has some basic recipes that must be mastered before you go on to the recipes in the rest of the book, like genoise or meringue. It also has chapters on bread (Daily; Artisanal, Flatbreads), breakfast goods and quick breads, cakes (Everyday, Showstoppers, Wedding Cake, Cookies), and pastries (Pies, Grand, Savory). It has a good selection of all the major categories you are likely to want to do at home.

I was just reading through the reviews of Baking with Julia, which I own and use, and I saw the person whose review appears above mine, who hates this book. But -- see, it didn't ring true to me, because I've made the cheesecake and I knew the recipe in this book isn't the one s/he quotes. So I double-checked it and I was right: there's no sweetened condensed milk in the cheesecake recipe in Baking with Julia. So I don't know what kind of axe this person has to grind. Because I really like this book. Innovation? Oh my god, there's this recipe for gingerbread that has espresso and black pepper in it. And there's a sage cake -- forget it, this isn't stuff I've found in any other baking book. My only complaint is that it's kind of hard -- like everything Julia does. You really challenge yourself every time you make anything in this book. But that's good. For me, anyway. I just wanted to add my two cents, as a member of Generation X (who can spell, I might add.

As other reviewers have said, this volume is one of the most frequently consulted books in my library of over 250 cookbooks. I began baking from it just because it was my latest book on baking. Then, I began toing to it when the results of baking recipies found in other books did not pan out as well as I expected. It was also directly responsible for my acquiring a heavy duty KitchenAid stand mixer, although I was able to quite successfully do recipes involving some heavy duty dough even without the mixer. But, the mixer did make it easier.

One of the primary lessons I learned from my comparing recipes in this book to other books is that these recipes are fully up to professional bakers' standards. No dumbing down here. My best evidence is when I tried making cinnamon buns using two other recipies and the results were simply inferior to what one could buy from Entenmens at the supermarket I then made the same product using the Child recipe and I produced definitely superior results.

Please be aware that these recipes were not developed by Julia Child and Julia Child did not write the book. This does not detract from the quality of the book, just the quality of the credit. The writer, Dorrie Greenspan, has done several other books on baking, all with a very high quality. Julia's collaborators, all major talents in baking, include such stars as Nick Malgieri, do nothing but increase the value of the volume.

This book is at it's best as an introduction to all the different types of baking for a person who has time to deal with the finer points of baking things like artisnal breads and sticky buns. Yes, a stand mixer is recommended.

I just want to say for the bad reviews in here, that I've made some things in here 2x, and one time they came out perfect, another not. Indeed, some of the techniques are so specific that if your oven temperature is 10 degrees off or the dough rises an extra 1/2 hour, it makes all the difference in the end result. Anyway, I love cookbooks where the chefs tell the truth and don't give bogus recipes -- this is one of them! I would make changes to suit my own taste of course, but this is a reliable book.

This is a wonderful book for impressing your guests with interesting recipes. However, I was hoping to find a good book with recipes for a variety of breads. This book has good explanations of techniques and ingredients. There are way too many "artisan" style breads like Bialys, Nan and Challah. Many recipes also use a starter. I prefer to grab ingredients off the shelf to make herb, wheat, foccacia, irish soda bread, etc. This book includes those also, but I'm afraid I paid too much for a book that didn't have many practical recipes. The sections other than breads were the same way... too time-consuming and complicated.

My husband gave me this cookbook three Christmases ago. While looking at the pictures in this book I thought my husband was out of his mind if he thought that I could ever make anything in this book. It took me about six months before I tried anything in it. The first recipe I tried was a total success, which inspired me to try another. The next recipe was even a better success. My confidence grew and grew and grew with each recipe I tried. I have friends now who ask me to cater their parties. This cookbook has become a springboard for new and extravagant recipes. For example, I have adapted the Tourte Milanese and made a great vegetarian dish.

My only complaint about this cookbook is the poor binding. My copy has fallen apart and all of the pages are falling out. There are some typos here and there and an occasional confusing sentence. The editor could have done a better job. But it is the most reliable cookbook I have. Everything I have made has gotten rave reviews from friends and family.

If you buy this cookbook, do invest in a heavy duty kitchenaid mixer. I quickly burned out a 4 1/2 quart ultra-power kitchenaid making the recipes in this book. I now use the 6 quart professional, but I'm sure a 5 quart heavy duty would do the job.

But you can't, you have to end up with an edible dessert from following these recipes and so far...NOTHING WORKS! Muffins refuse to come out of the pan, cakes don't cook all the way through and end up as glop...It's not my oven, because the desserts I've made from Pierre Herme's book have come out perfectly. Who'd ever think an Herme book would work better than a Julia Child book? I'm a little flummoxed since Ms. Greenspan was involved in both books. What gives?

Baking basic batters and doughs is the subject that is given the combination of expert skill and knowledge acquired in the culinary arts over years of experience. If you are an individual who thrives on instant gratification and does not want to take the time to learn the basic foundation techniques of quality baking then this book may not be for you. The book covers breads, cakes, and sweet and savory pastries. The instructions have carefully been written with great detail so even the novice baker can increase his or her skill level. Recipes range from the simple galette,which by the way is excellent, to a labor intensive but glorious wedding cake.A variety of techniques ranging from beginner level to accomplished baker allows anyone interested in baking to improve their skills. I have been working on my culinary skills for 30 years and own over 100 different cookbooks. This book ranks within the top 5 of my collection. It has allowed me to fine tune many classic techniques. My Brioche, biscotti,, biscuits, danish pastry and pecan sticky buns have been elevated to rival any quality baker. Culinary professionals like Flo Braker, Nancy Silverton, Marcel Desaulniers, and Marion Cunningham are just a few of the many talented and giving individuals who contribute to make this the qulaity book that it is.Dorie Greenspan's writing skills set this book apart from others in that it is the standard from which all quality instructional cookbooks should be compared. If you want to learn how the experts bake and not have to leave your own kitchen to do it, this is the book.

I got this book for my mom last Christmas, and I must say that I'm quite jealous of her! This book lays down the foundation for MANY beautiful and delicious pastries, cakes, breads, you name it! It makes baking "easy as pie!"