Baking Advice

I got this email from a friend today and (with permission) I am reprinting it here:

Hey,

My sister has decided that she wants to start baking and could use some bake books for Christmas. My sister is a horror in the kitchen and you know my track record in that department. I know you bake alot and hoped you could suggest a couple of books. And some equipment.

OK, baking is equal parts luck and science. If you are a beginner I am going to make it really easy for you. Please note that what I am about to suggest will draw the ire of every baker I know, but I am suggesting this for a reason.

Go out and get your sister a copy of The Cake Mix DOctor. Serious bakers will consider this a sacrilege, but the recipes are idiot proof. She'll try a couple and then, once her confidence as a baker skyrockets she can move on to more serious books. I've made alot of the recipes in that book as last minute cakes or even coffee cake for the office and I have never gotten anything less than a rave review.

For the more serious baker I'd suggest The Pie and Pastry Bible or The Complete Book of Baking. Both are easy to follow and contain alot of workable recipes.

Once she goes pro I have a couple of others I'd recommend, but let's just begin with the starter kit.

As for equipment. Until she graduates to a something other than The Cake Mix Doctor I'd just stick with a plain old hand mixer, (2) 10" round pans (and, yes, you will need 2 pans for layer cakes. You can NOT bake the layers at different times because your leavening will fall flat), a 12 cup tube pan and perhaps a loaf pan. Baking can be a serious investment. I have this mixer; it was a gift, but it was ridiculously expensive. And worth every penny. I have a pan for every occassion.

Be patient. Learning to bake takes time. And alot of practice.

What I am reading: Sometimes I think I need to throw a copyright on my emails.What I am listening to: a-ha - The Living Daylights. a-ha used to be my favorite band when I was in Junior High. Their posters covered the walls in my room and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I was gonna marry Morten Harket.