linda48's review
5.0
An impressive book written by one of the premier bakers. Everything you wanted to know to bake breads, cakes, cookies, pies, pastries and candies. And more scientific knowledge about baking and ingredients than you ever thought possible to put into a cookbook. No gluten free information, though.
sarahc3319's review
3.0
I'm sure this is blasphemy, but I do not love this book. I appreciate it; there are some great-looking baked goods in here. But-- her super detail makes me crazy. I am frustrated by the sheer amount of effort put into figuring things down to the gram. Does my reaction make sense? Probably not, but it is what it is. Call it my own form of rebellion. Will I try many of these recipes, probably with outstanding results? You better believe it.
megfang315's review against another edition
2.0
I like how Beranbaum breaks everything down (for example, she'll tell you how to make the lemon curd, then turn that into mousseline or buttercream), but this makes the recipes seem very long-winded (this was probably exaggerated due to my viewing of this cookbook on an e-reader). And some of the cakes easily have 5/6 different parts; even the cookies seem time-consuming. I'm all for complicated recipes, but sometimes easy ones are nice, too.
I was intrigued by her flavor combos though. I love the idea of a prune caramel cream cake (I'm one of those people who actually likes prunes), and the mango cheesecake sounds divine.
I was intrigued by her flavor combos though. I love the idea of a prune caramel cream cake (I'm one of those people who actually likes prunes), and the mango cheesecake sounds divine.
bookwormmichelle's review against another edition
4.0
This is huge, comprehensive and thorough. And the results look stunning. Many of these are far too complex for me to make--several recipes involve three or four individual recipes, then combining them. But it was beautiful and lush and bakers ought to love it.
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