Baking Basics and Beyond: Learn These Simple Techniques and Bake Like a Pro (Paperback)

~ Pat Sinclair (Author)
Key Phrases: pressing dough lightly, dough right side, simmering water until chocolate melts, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Custard Sauce (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With the demise of Home Ec classes, many adults have no baking experience at all, relying on dreary store-bought baked goods and artificial mixes to satisfy their cravings. Baking Basics and Beyond allows even absolute novices to prepare a wide array of delicious, healthy breads, cakes, cookies, pies, and more. In a warm, reassuring manner, Pat Sinclair leads beginning bakers step-by-step through each recipe, thoroughly explaining each technique and direction. After learning a basic technique, additional recipes provide further practice and more elaborate results. The book contains more than 100 recipes, from old favorites like icebox cookies, cornbread, and brownies to updated classics, including Butterscotch Cashew Blondies, Chai Latte Custards, and Savory Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding. Throughout, explanations and precise tips, based on Sinclair’s years of baking experience, make readers feel as though there is a friendly teacher in the kitchen, peering over their shoulders, and guiding them toward perfect results, every time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Surrey Books (September 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157284082X
• ISBN-13: 978-1572840829
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #867,685 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb resource for beginners...and beyond., August 14, 2007

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Baking Basics tells you everything you ever wanted to know about baking-and then some. The first section has a list of pans, equipment and ingredients commonly used in baking. Ingredients are listed separately and some information is given for each ingredient such as the types of yeasts and how to successfully use them, the chocolates and how to melt them. Most of the ingredients are staples that you will already have in your cupboards; however, should there be an unusual ingredient a suggested substitution is given such as almond extract for Amaretto liqueur. More is told about ingredients as they are being used. At the end of the recipe are Baker's Notes and/or Secrets to Success, which give extra hints, techniques or substitutions.

At the beginning of each section are more easy-to-follow directions and guidance to help increase your success. Each recipe has step-by-step, clear and understandable directions. The recipes are familiar foods such as cinnamon-coated snickerdoodles, tangy, luscious lemon meringue pie and basic pizza. A few not so familiar but deceptively easy include Tourtiere, the French Canadian meat pie. I recommend the Savory Chicken Cobbler, a cross between a chicken pot pie and chicken and dumplings. This dish is light and easy, using a rotisserie chicken and frozen mixed vegetables. Make_ certain you have several people to share the 4-6 servings, or you will eat it all.

The Beyond part of the cookbook is "embellishments that transform a cake from basic to deluxe." Simple-to-do frostings, sauces, glazes and garnishes that add something special to desserts, taking them from so-so to spectacular.

Calorie count and nutritional values are not in the recipes, however, while you are tasting a piece of warm, fresh-from-the-oven, Grammy's apple pie or Mississippi Mud Cake, calories are not uppermost in your mind.

If you are a beginning cook, this cookbook would be the perfect place to start. Mrs. Sinclair takes your hand and leads you through, telling you what you need to know to complete a successful and delicious food. You can be tossing out scones and popovers like a trained chef. Do not go to your kitchen without this cookbook.

Armchair Interviews says: What time is dinner?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tasty (and easy) recipies, October 31, 2007

By	LauraE - See all my reviews

We've made quite a few recipes in this book, and they've all been very good. The pumpkin pie is particularly tasty - with pecans on top! A great book for someone who is learning how to bake.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, "doable" collection of recipes, July 1, 2007

By	M. Kruse (Chicago) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Several years ago I met Pat Sinclair at a food conference. She told
me she was writing a book on baking techniques along with recipes.

I recently bought Pat Sinclair's new baking book. As soon as I opened
the box, I thumbed through the book and realized that this was a cookbook
in which nearly every recipe sounds good. The recipes are all very
"doable," yet, many have an interesting twist. For example, in addition to a good, basic biscuit recipe, Pat's also has a biscuit recipe calling for Asiago cheese and cracked peppercorns. Similarly, she not only includes a wonderful vanilla bean pound cake, but also one with new twist--Chocolate Amaretto Pound Cake.
The book also contains good, basic information and practical tips
throughout. I look forward to spending a lot of time in the kitchen
with this wonderful collection of recipes and will probably give a copy to my son, too.