Bake!: Essential Techniques for Perfect Baking [Hardcover]

Nick Malgieri (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2010

After 30 years of teaching and 8 cookbooks, Nick Malgieri is finally writing the book he's meant to--a collection of 20 essential techniques, with 3 to 5 variations thereof-outlining the easiest way to learn the essentials of baking. The 20 chapters cover all the main techniques of fine baking, starting with simple pastry dough and moving through puff pastry and Danish pastry, all sorts of breads, quick breads, cakes, and cookies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Baking is a science" is a phrase that begins many baking books, but Malgieri (Modern Baker; Perfect Cakes) warns not to "buy into the fallacy" and claims that "Baking needn't be any more difficult than making a phone call." This approachable attitude makes this an ideal selection for beginning and intermediate bakers. In 20 chapters, basic recipes and techniques are introduced for each category including flaky pastry dough, butter cakes, and quick breads. Once home bakers master the main recipe, they can move on to variations. Recipes include numbered steps, extensive headnotes, serving and storage notes, and often step-by-step photographs. Sidebars with essential tips are placed throughout the book. Classics including New York cheesecake, tarte tatin, and an old-fashioned cornbread are offset with less familiar selections like the British Bakewell tart; ekmek, a Turkish flatbread, and a Russian punch cake. Though sweet Danish and French pastries take up their rightful number of pages, savory dishes including spinach and bacon tart; ground beef empanadas; and pizza alla campofranco are included. Comprehensive and fun.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

Lemon Ginger Bars
These are about as gingery as you can get, so consider yourself forewarned if you're not a ginger lover. Actually these bar cookies make a lot of converts to the pleasures of ginger, because they have a strong ginger flavor but, since they're made with dried ground ginger and crystallized ginger, they have little of the burning spiciness that fresh ginger can impart. Lemon zest in the bars and lemon juice in the glaze add a note of contrast.
Makes 24 bars
GINGER BARS
21/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon into a dry-measure cup and level off)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
LEMON GLAZE
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted after measuring
3 tablespoons lemon juice, strained before measuring
One 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan lined with buttered foil
1 Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 375˚F.
2 Mix the flour, sugar, ground ginger, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3 Melt the butter over medium heat and immediately add to the dry ingredients; use a large rubber spatula to stir to a smooth, shiny dough. Add the egg, crystallized ginger, honey, and lemon zest and beat vigorously to make a smooth dough.
4 Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and use the palm of your hand to press it evenly over the bottom of the pan.
5 Bake the bars until well risen, firm, and lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
6 While the bars are baking, use a small rubber spatula to beat the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice together. If it's too thick to spread, thin by adding 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until it's right.
7 As soon as the bars are baked, place a cutting board on the pan and use oven mitts to invert the hot bars to the board. Remove the pan and foil and replace with another board. Turn right side up and remove the top board. Immediately brush the lemon glaze on the bars so that it sets as the bars cool.
8 Use a ruler to mark, then cut 2-inch squares.
Serving: Arrange the bars on a platter; the icing is dry, so they can be stacked.
Storage: Keep the bars in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid between sheets of wax paper.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Kyle Books (September 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906868239
• ISBN-13: 978-1906868239
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NICK MALGIERI, former Executive Pastry Chef at Windows on the World and 1996 inductee into Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America, is currently director of the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education. The author of nine other cookbooks, including the James Beard winner How to Bake and the IACP/Julia Child Cookbook award-winner Chocolate, Nick's recipes have been published widely, including in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Food & Wine, Gourmet, and Bon Appetit. He is a contributing editor of Dessert Professional and writes a monthly column for Tribune Media Services. Nick has appeared on national morning shows and local television throughout the United States, as well Food Network and Martha Stewart. Visit him online at www.nickmalgieri.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nick Malgieri does it again!, September 16, 2010

By 

Shep Huntleigh (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bake!: Essential Techniques for Perfect Baking (Hardcover)

I have been waiting for this book to be published; it could not have come fast enough for me. Why? Because Malgieri's books are fun to read, his recipes always reliable. He must test his recipes really thoroughly because, as I've learned from his other books, they ALWAYS work for me. This time around, it's almost like he's holding my hand, showing me exactly what to do...and then, when I'm done, adding, "Once you do that, you can also make this slight alteration and make this dessert, too. And this one. And this one." I love it. It's like having a professional baking teacher at my side in my kitchen. All for under $20! Those of you unfamiliar with Malgieri's earlier books already know how wonderfully instructive he can be, how comfortably he walks you through each step. Those of you who don't know his books, what are you waiting for? He is the genuine article. Anyway, I've had the book for only two days now and have already tried the chocolate hazelnut tart (it's so easy just to stir the chopped nuts into the filling), his really simple focaccia, and a lemon pound cake. Each turned out just great. Of course. (One short closing note: Could an earlier, first-time reviewer--who posted a review well in advance of the book's publication date--have some sort of professional jealousy issue? Maybe a little axe to grind? Just a hunch.)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Baking Cookbook for Novice and Expert Bakers, October 2, 2010

By 

M. Hill (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bake!: Essential Techniques for Perfect Baking (Hardcover)

The book is beautifully photographed with not only pictures of the finished dishes, but plenty of photos of the steps required to prepare the recipes. The recipes range from sweet to savory. I prepared three recipes, Banana Coconut Crumb Cake, Devil's Food Bombe and Truffle Brownies, which were easily the fudgyiest brownies I've ever eaten. All three recipes turned out perfectly and there are many others I look forward to trying. Out of curiosity I did look at the Chocolate Hazelnut Tart recipe but it appears that the problem noted in another review was fixed before publication because there are detailed instructions on how to prepare the hazelnuts for the tart.

The book lays open flat on the countertop which is helpful when trying to prepare a recipe. Black ink and white pages are used for the text, which makes reading the recipes much easier than weird combinations often found in cookbooks, like pale pink pages with white printing. I do wish the font size for the recipes was a little larger, but that is a publisher decision, not the author. The book was put together thoughtfully with the needs of the user in mind and the reality that good cookbooks are kitchen tools rather than coffee table books.

Whether looking for an indulgent dessert, a great scone recipe, the best cookie recipe, cheesecake, artesian bread or pizza dough this cookbook has it all. The step-by-step instructions that run throughout this book make it a terrific volume for a new baker, and the complexity of the recipes also make it an invaluable addition to any experienced baker's library.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything one needs to bake a little or a lot, September 16, 2010

By 

Miriam Brickman (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bake!: Essential Techniques for Perfect Baking (Hardcover)

Just the book I need, to resume an old pleasure of mine. Things have changed through the years, and Nick has made everything seem so much clearer. Wonderful pictures, great tips and as always, the best recipes. Not just for "old" bakers, I find myself sending this book as shower gifts for people that have never baked before. It is good for all levels of cooking. I have my eye on a chocolate hazelnut pie as I write. I especially enjoy the tips. My family often made oil based cakes, but not until now have I had any tips on handling them.