How to Bake Everything: Simple Recipes for the Best Baking: A Baking Recipe Cookbook (How to Cook Everything Series 7)

I hardly have words. Mark Bittman just writes really useful cookbooks with really good recipes to make really good food that can be simple or even a bit fancy but that's never stuffy and never too taxing to prepare, assuming you're interested in cooking real food that doesn't come from cans. I'm a capable cook, not a chef, and I nearly always have every ingredient he calls for already in my kitchen or can find it easily in the local supermarket (read: wallet-busting trip to Whole Foods not required). His approach is straightforward, and he offers many variations. There are immensely helpful lists and charts. These are books for the nuts and bolts of cooking and baking with some extra gears for entertaining company. Satisfying and delicious food. Enough writing to be an enjoyable read but not too much. I began with "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" and did not hesitate to purchase "How to Bake Everything." I'm sure I'll add "How to Cook Everything" eventually. I haven't had much time with "Baking" yet, but clearly it offers content similar in quality and variety to "Vegetarian." I've noticed a little overlap--pizza dough, for example--but not much, only where needed. I own three editions of Joy of Cooking and have always been a die-hard fan of them for basic recipes and techniques, as well as for elaborate holiday things and whatnot, but I've hardly looked at them in recent years. Mark Bittman cooks the way I'm cooking these days--more simply, more directly. That said, I will note that occasionally Mr. Bittman does seem to assume a certain basic level of cooking knowledge, or perhaps he seeks a willingness to trust. Some nervous, beginning cooks expecting a description of each bubble in the boiling pot might be left wondering at times, but I would encourage them to muster some courage and forge ahead to see where Mr. BIttman leads them. Those with just a little time in the kitchen, enough time to become curious, and more experienced cooks will have a grand journey. These are, after all, "How to" books, and the author certainly does deliver. Highly recommended.

This is a cook book for people like me, who can't help tweaking recipes. Mark Bittman, like in his other books, has recipes with multitude suggestions for personalizing the baked goodies. This was the Bittman weekend at my house. Here are the recipes I've tried, with my thoughts on the final items. Banana Bread. Easy recipe, no problems. I gave the bread 4.5/5. It was a bit too sweet for my taste (maybe the bananas were extra sugary?), but I am biased. I've used an awesome recipe for years that contains sour cream, and Bittman's recipe doesn't. His was a bit firmer than mine, but then again, that's a matter of preference. Pumpkin pie. That's 2 recipes, the flaky crust (good -- though I might've gotten carried away and over processed it a bit, but it held up fine). The pie could have used more spices, but the texture and mouth-feel were excellent. Definitely beats store bought! Popovers. I got six giant ones baked in a large size popover pan (recipe for 12 small). Excellent! And then for the holy grail. Brownies. I've spent my life searching for the perfect one...This might be it. He uses cocoa, not chocolate, but I did add the bonus chocolate chunks, one of the optional tweaks he recommended. Soft, fudgy, chocolatey, gooey.... next attempt will be with Valrohna instead of Hershey's, and I'll know for sure if I the search is over! I agree with the reviewers who commented on the lack of measurements in weights. I was miffed when a recipe read to use a "stick" of butter, and I had Plugra brand, that's 8 oz, while the usual stick in the US is 4oz, one of four in the package. I played safe and used 4oz of it, and the recipe worked. I suspect the lack of weight measurements may be a carry-over from his cooking books, but baking needs to be more exact, and the oversight is almost inexcusable. So, I'm with the other reviewers on that, and am knocking off a star. However, I'm discovering that I prefer the format and style of this book more so than my previous go-to all-purpose baking tome, the King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion, which has been relegated to the Goodwill pile. It's easier for me to riff off a "master" recipe than to pore through ten similar recipes (e.g. Muffins with variations vs. pages of different muffins that are all essentially the same basic recipe). This may be preferable to those of us who are somewhat experienced bakers, might be harder for brand new ones. For this, though, I'm giving 3/4 of a star back. Final verdict: 4.75 stars. I have a few more recipes planned for this week. If there is a significant change to my rating, I will update the review. One last disclaimer: I paid for this book, wasn't given any freebies, and I don't know Mr Bittman!

Absolutely terrific book. Simple recipes for everything you've always wanted to try. Finally found the brownie recipe I've been looking for. Highest recommendation.

Love the recipes, but wish there were pictures.

I love to bake and cook and I own many cookbooks, most of which I've either received as gifts or I purchased at thrift stores. I read cookbooks like other people read novels. But I have a small budget and a small home, so I'm a heavy user of our local library where I check out new cookbooks as they're released and borrow them again when I feel it's necessary. Very, very few cookbooks ever make it onto my wish list or into my cart. I borrowed How To Bake Everything from the library as soon as it came out and after I spent less than an hour going through it, I set the book down and went to my laptop and immediately ordered the book from Amazon! I have been baking for decades and I find the wealth of knowledge contained in this cookbook invaluable. Whether you're just starting out learning how to bake, or have been baking for years, you'll find much useful information.

I LOVE Mark Bittman's books. I have the How to Cook Everything, the Basics and LOVE IT as well. This baking book has wonderful insights into alternatives to avoiding gluten and is very easy to follow. I love baking with the recipes in this book.

Found this book at the library and decided I would like my own copy. Looked it up on Amazon and there was a used copy available at a very reasonable price. I certainly didn't need it to be a new copy being it will probably be slightly abused and exposed to kitchen elements. But it came in great condition, as described, with no creases or writing. The spine was in great condition as well as all of the pages. I am so pleased with this purchase. I would gladly purchase from this vendor again. Thank you

I'm a professional baker and because I own a few of Mark Bittman''s cookbooks I thought I'd get this one a try as well. It arrived today and it's another winner by Bittman. It's very detailed and thorough. This is great for bakers of all levels. It breaks down ingredients, equipment and techniques wonderfully. It has a lot of basic recipes with different variations. This book is a great learning tool, however you don't get pictures of food in this book other than illustrations when showing you how to do a action. I'm purchasing two more, one for each of my daughters to have.