The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook

A GOOD COOK BOOK CLUB MAIN SELECTION!

VOTED BY BOTH FOOD & WINE AND PEOPLE MAGAZINES AS ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF 2003

From Christmas cookies and pancakes to chocolate cake and sandwich bread, The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion will be there to guide home bakers every step of the way.

Every kitchen comes equipped with a fundamental, dependable cookbook classic such as Joy of Cooking or Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook. Now bakers have a modern classic of their own. From leavening, mixing, proofing, and kneading, through shaping and baking, the experts at King Arthur Flour lead you through hundreds of easy and foolproof recipes.

With wisdom and humor they help you explore and master every area of baking—from tricky yeast breads and sourdoughs, to trendy flatbreads and crackers, to family favorites such as pancakes and waffles. They also present fried doughs, quick breads, batter breads, biscuits, quiches, cobblers and crisps, cookies, cakes, brownies, pies, tarts, and pastries. These more than 450 recipes are enhanced with sidebars that share baking secrets and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. Techniques are further explained with easy-to-follow sequences of illustrations from culinary illustrator Laura Hartman Maestro. Finally, each recipe is accompanied by a detailed nutritional analysis.

The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion is the definitive kitchen resource. It explains just about everything you want to know about baking. You'll get a complete overview of all of the essential baking ingredients and how and why they behave as they do—flours, sweeteners, leavens, fats, and more. You'll find information on substitutions and variations, as well as troubleshooting advice from the pros at King Arthur. You'll also find an extensive photographic guide to all the tools of the trade—from mixing bowls to a Danish dough whisk.

Exhaustive in scope, authoritative in style, and offering clear, practical, and encouraging instruction, The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion is the one book you'll turn to every time you bake. Like your set of measuring cups and favorite wooden spoon, it will become an essential kitchen resource. No kitchen in America should be without a copy.

King Arthur Flour is the largest single educator of bakers in the world. More than one million students have gone through King Arthur's seminars, hands-on classes, and online courses. Recognized as the home baking authority by nationally recognized food writers, cookbook authors, chefs, food personalities, restaurant owners, and home bakers.

KingArthurFlour.com receives more than 8 million hits each month; more than 77,000 people participate in King Arthur's online Baking Circle message boards; thousands of consumers subscribe to King Arthur Flour's newsletter, The Baking Sheet. These recipes have been created by the many experienced bakers at King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont, and are the final result of decades of development and adjustment. Every recipe has been thoughtfully created, then rigorously tested and retested in King Arthur Flour's kitchens.

PRAISE FOR THE KING ARTHUR FLOUR BAKER'S COMPANION

"Move over, Fannie Farmer."
—Saveur magazine

"I doubt there is a better, more up-to-date baking primer.”
—Florence Fabricant, New York Times

“With the confident guidance of the experienced and oh-so knowledgeable King Arthur team, baking becomes more of a satisfying accomplishment to relish and share. Everything you need is in this volume, from classic yeasted wonders and savory treats, to the perfect cakes, pies, quick breads and (my favorite!) donuts. The authoritative section on ingredient information and product information alone is worth the price of the book!”
—Rick Bayless, award-winning cookbook author and television host

“No home baker should be without The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. It's the bible of baking from apple turnovers to white bread. And it is loaded with useful information about ingredients and equipment to help make home baking a sheer joy.”
—Mary Ann Esposito, host of “Ciao Italia” and author of What You Knead and Ciao Italia in Tuscany

“Finally, a practical, straightforward baking guide for home cooks who aspire not only to create great baked goods but to understand the how's and why's of great baked goods. It's no surprise that such a useful tome would come from King Arthur Flour, a company whose catalogue alone is more useful than most food magazines.”
—Alton Brown, host of “Good Eats” and author of I'm Just Here For The Food

“The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion is not only a great technique and recipe collection, but it truly captures the spirit of a lively, ever-growing tribe I've been encountering across the nation—the home baker community. This book is their voice.”
—Peter Reinhart, author of the James Beard Award-winning and IACP Cookbook of the Year The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza

“Bakers of the world, rejoice! The book you've longed for has finally hit the shelves, and the products of your ovens will take wing and soar to new heights. P.J. Hamel, Brinna Sands, and the team of bakers at King Arthur—everyone's favorite flour company—have created a baker's companion that belongs open on the kitchen counter of every home baker in the country.”
—Lora Brody, author of Basic Baking and Bread Machine Baking: Perfect Every Time

“Speaking with the folks at King Arthur is like visiting with a neighbor—they listen and they care.”
—Chris Kimball, Cooks Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen

$35.00 (Can. $52.50)
0-88150-581-1
September 2003
8 x 10, 640 pages, hardcover, color insert, 150 black & white illustrations, glossary, resources, index