What to Bake & How to Bake It

Successful baking is all about sweating the details, and thanks to the excellent tutelage of Hornby (What to Cook & How to Cook It), even novices will be able to make beautiful and tasty creations from scratch. Hornby breaks down recipes with step-by-step photos such as creaming butter, whisking egg whites, and whipping cream that guide readers from beginning to end. She offers general tips such as measuring carefully and making sure ingredients are the right temperature, along with more specific recommendations to help master cakes, breads, and cookies without extensive decorating. She even starts with the basics including equipment, ingredients, and utensils needed. Individual recipes span numerous pages and include photos of measured ingredients, combined ingredients, prebaked batter or dough, and the finished product. She offers 50 appetizing recipes like golden citrus drizzle cake, skinny blueberry muffins, and chocolate profiteroles. More complicated confections such as jelly rolls, maple-pecan cinnamon rolls, and chocolate hazelnut logs are sufficiently detailed so as to seem almost simple. For those looking for expert instruction on making cakes, bread, pies and more, Hornby provides an ideal place to start. Color Photos (Sept.)