Professional Baking Hardcover – 7 Mar. 2008

I was pointed to this book by a reviewer of another title 'Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts'. Having bought both books I would agree that this is the better. Now in it's 5th edition this is really comprehensive but still covers basics. The author's style is very readable and he gives you a very clear understanding of what you are trying to achieve and why you should do it this way. Recipes cover everything you will ever want to bake and are very easy to follow. I have also used the Roux brothers books. For my money Gisslen is a much better teacher.You do need to appreciate that this is American with American terminology though there is a useful glassary. Also this is aimed at the professional baker so quantities in recipes are large. Bakers percentages are always given and you need to use these to work out appropriate quantities if you are just a home baker like me.

I am an enthusiastic, if occasionally undisciplined, amateur cook. I own over 200 cookery books, and bake most days. My approach has usually been more art than science. This book however, has been just what I needed at this stage: it has made me aware of the discipline of food and cooking, the importance of not measuring your ingredients in glugs and handfulls. The recipes and techniques are, as the title suggests, written for professionals, but amateurs like me clearly benefit too. It is no coffee table tome, and doesn't make cosy bedtime reading either (it's a little clinical for that), but it does get you thinking about what you are actually expecting from your ingredients and equipment. I am making it sound dull, but it is far from it: the recipes are fabulous and wide-ranging. I could easily dispense with at least half my other books on the back of this.

Wayne writes exceptionally well, and both this volume and his "Professional Cooking" are the only two cook books you'll ever really need. They are not true "cook books", they are text books for chefs and bakers, but as such if you take the time to work through and understand the content you will have an excellent knowledge base for anything you do in the kitchen.It would be nice to see metric measurements treated as mainstream rather than strange and European, but all in all it is a well written book that should be on the shelf of anyone who wants to bake and understand what they're doing.

It is exactly what I needed. I recommend it to all those who want to learn. If you are looking for a simple recipe book this is not yours, but if you are looking for a book that teaches you, this is the best one I have seen so far.

As a young self taught baker, this book helped me a lot. Easy to follow technical explanations, and really nice recipes, I've tested some recipes and no adjustments were necessary.I absolutely recommend it!

...this would be it. In the seventh edition small recipes are given in grams, making this perfectly useable by the home baker. I, too, was led to this book by a reviewer of another book (Rose Levy Beranbaum's Heavenly Cakes), and this one is far more useful. It is a textbook: Gisslen is aiming to teach beginners how to bake in very general as well as specific terms. So you not only get hundreds of recipes for breads, cakes, and tarts, you also learn the basics of baking, including how to make sourdough starter. I've been baking for years, but have learned a lot in the first few days of using the book. Well written and well illustrated.

but I am disappointed with it. It is not my 'go to' book but there are some excellent tips and ideas to be had. My disappointment is in the lack of photographs and the feel of the book is 'cheap' although this certainly wasn'reflected in the price. I have a lot of better books which look great and provide lots more inspiration.