The Best Baking Cookbooks

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My all time favorite and best baking cookbooks for all skill levels.

This past year I have been on a journey to bake more from scratch. I thought I would share what I have learned over this year and my favorite baking cookbooks.

In 2020 everyone seems to have jumped on the baking band wagon from bread to a sour dough starter then cookies, pizza dough and pies. I think I have made them all. I started buying cook books for fun and reading them on the weekends with my morning coffee.

The Best Baking Books

There is just something about having an actual book in my messy hands when I am baking I love. I know this coming from a blogger seems crazy but I prefer to have a recipe in front of me when I am baking something for the first time or that is technical.

Often I will spend Sunday mornings making dough or par baking pie crust. Finding that even though I enjoyed the finished result I loved the process. It taught me patience and that everything might not come out perfect the first time. Which is a hard lesson for a perfectionist but I am working on that.

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I have found so much joy in baking this year. Endless porch drop offs and baking for my parents. My nephews now fondly call Jenuine Home’s bread “quarantine bread.” I am not sure we will ever be able to refer to it as something else.

Baking has helped me focus my energy into something. Rather that just being home and watching TV. I’m forever thankful for the lessons I’ve learned this year. I am not even sure I knew the difference between all purpose flour and bread flour or par baking and blind baking a pie. I even bought pie weights! That’s how serious I take my pie crusts now!

Here are 6 of the best baking books I have favorited so far!

The Best Baking Cookbooks

The best baking cooking books for all skill levels. From learning to make pies, bread and the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

The Book on Pie: Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies

This book is the holy grail for pies! If you are looking to perfect your pie crust this is for you. After 30 years I finally have a flaky perfect pie crust. Emily even encouraged me to buy pie weights. I will never bake a pie without them again!

Magnolia Table, Volume 2: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering

While this book is not exclusively for baking one of my favorite recipes this past year is in here, French silk pie. I have made this pie over a dozen times and each time is as good as the last. Also noteworthy is the cinnamon bread.

100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen, with Classic Cookies, Novel Treats, Brownies, Bars, and More

If you like cookies then this is a must. Sarah Kieffer's pan bang cookies will change how you make cookies for the rest of your life! I am determined to bake my way through this book one cookie at a time.

Pastry Love: A Baker's Journal of Favorite Recipes

While this cookbook has been on my wishlist for years I finally felt I was at the skill level to take it on. Joanne's base recipe for brioche as well as the apple cider sticky buns will blow your mind. Her recipes take time and will test your skills but they are always worth it in the end.

The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

My love for Cheryl is deep rooted. I used to live in Savannah, GA and spent at least one day a week doing classwork from the Back in the Day Bakery. When I go back to Savannah her bakery is always my first stop. There are too many favorite recipes to even name but the one that transports me right back to her bakery is the cherry pie bars.

Back in the Day Bakery Made with Love: More than 100 Recipes and Make-It-Yourself Projects to Create and Share

If you've been to Back in the Day Bakery the you know that star brownies are often the star of the show! I was excited to make them from home. Why had I ever made brownies from brownie mix before?! Also Cheryl knows her way around buttercream. If you are looking for the best buttercream frosting recipe it's in this book!

Noteable Baking Books I want to buy next.

While I do own a lot of baking cookbooks there are still a lot out there that I want to buy. These have come highly recommended to me by friends and fellow baking enthusiasts.