Product Description

One of the most respected cookbooks in the industry—the 2002 IACP Cookbook Award Winner for Best Technical/Reference—Professional Baking brings aspiring pastry chefs and serious home bakers the combined talent of Wayne Gisslen and the prizewinning Le Corden Bleu in one volume. The revised Fourth Edition offers complete instruction in every facet of the baker’s craft, offering more than 750 recipes—including 150 from Le Cordon Bleu—for everything from cakes, pies, pastries, and cookies to artisan breads.

Page after page of clear instruction, the hallmark of all Gisslen culinary books, will help you master the basics—such as pâte brisée and puff pastry—and confidently hone techniques for making spectacular desserts using spun sugar and other decorative work. More than 500 color photographs illustrate ingredients and procedures as well as dozens of stunning breads and finished desserts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #391087 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 736 pages

From the Inside Flap
Looking to raise your baking to the next level? Start with the book the professionals use—Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Baking. Named the IACP Cookbook Award Winner for Best Technical/Reference in 2002, Professional Baking is considered the cornerstone of a baker or pastry chef’s education. Now updated in a new Fourth Edition, this complete baker’s companion  will provide everything you need to know to master the craft and art of making breads, pastries, cakes, pies, mousses, and more, and help you learn and practice sugar work and cake decorating skills.

The book gives clear, detailed information on selecting the proper ingredients, mixing and baking techniques, makeup and assembly, presentation, and more. Reflecting current trends in the field, this edition includes new chapters on artisan bread baking equipment as well as new material on plating techniques for restaurant-style desserts. More than 500 color photographs, including 175 new to this edition, illustrate ingredients and step-by-step techniques as well as dozens of finished dishes.

Inside you’ll find an encyclopedia array of 750 classic and creative recipes to explore, including 150 from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, that range from basic crêpes and puff pastry to intriguing variations on the familiar, such as Sachertorte and Peach Napoleon.

Throughout, the fresh, easy-to-use format makes it easy to find key information at a glance. You’ll also learn not only what techniques work, but also why they work—and how to get the best results every time.

For anyone interested in creating consistently high-quality products with the artistry of a true professional, Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Baking is the place to begin.

About the Author
WAYNE GISSLEN is the author of the best-selling series of culinary books that includes Professional Cooking, Advanced Professional Cooking, and The Chef’s Art: Secrets of Four-Star Cooking at Home, all published by Wiley. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he has written and worked extensively in the field of culinary arts, with experience as a restaurant chef, test kitchen supervisor, and food and beverage consultant.

J. GERARD SMITH is a freelance photographer and photo illustrator who has collaborated with Wayne Gisslen since 1980. Educated at Pratt Institute, he specializes in food, travel, and commercial photography. His work has appeared in the Time, Newsweek, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, and more than 100 books.

Customer Reviews

Professional Baking Book
I am taking a culinary baking class and this is the required text. I find that this book is full of great hints, techniques, and recipes. I would recommend this to anyone who has any interest in baking.

Professional Baking, Trade Version (Professional Baking)
The book is very helpfull, and as starting baker I find there lots of useful information, and study new subjects. The only thing that I find missig in it is storage technics - how to store and preserve different grosseries and baked goods.

Wonderful for the beginner (a self-study course)
I purchased a previous edition in '99 from a used bookstore. Looked like an excellent book although I was a bit put off by the measurements (oh boy, not measurements AGAIN! I hate math) Up until then, I'd only used a measuring cup, and not very well at that. I was not a culinary student. So I read a bit of it, got discouraged and put it down. But I've held on to it over the years. Besides I wasn't serious about baking, just the usual sweet potato pie or peach cobbler (my standard southern fare). Recently I decided to step it up a bit, dusted the book off and opened it up. WOW, what I've been missing all these years. I've read the chapters, studied the calculations and formulas, and purchased a scale, oven thermometer, regular thermometer, mixer, and a few other things. Because of all the baking I've been doing lately, I began to sell my goods. Business has been great. My pumpking pie is the best my customers have tasted. And when my cookies spread or are crunchy or soft, it's because I've controlled the recipe and the baking process. The recipes are perfect, spot on, and when I replicate the instructions in the beginning of the chapter, I get consistent results. Many times my customers say they don't eat sweets, because they are too sweet, but I have not had this problem here. There are a few techniques I wish I had an instructor to demonstrate to me, but for the most part, I've been doing quite well through trial and error. I'm working on chocolate now.

I recommend this book to anyone who understands or who wants to understand that the kitchen is a science lab. Makes me wish I'd paid more attention in math while I was in school!!. Good luck!