Bouchon Bakery (Thomas Keller Library)

I bought this book for my wife as she loves baking but I thought this book might help her take her baking to `the next level'. She is a very competent baker but not especially refined, having seen the Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas she was inspired... and hence this book seemed perfect for her. Some quick things to note about the book (which I've tried to explain in more depth below): -It's a BIG book. Not too practical for the kitchen worktop -Each recipe is richly illustrated with lovely photos, really helps you know what you're working towards -Lots of information / recipe stories to read through should you want to -Perfect for passionate and confident bakers / Thomas Keller fans, perhaps not for beginners or those looking for a quick and easy baking book -All recipes have precise measurements in grams, but also American equivalents available too if using cups (although they do tell you to throw your measuring cups away!) -There are notes on the majority of recipes for `professionals' Firstly it's worth noting this book's size: it is very large and not especially practical if you wanted to use this in the kitchen and are limited on space. The book is also fairly text heavy in places, with a lot of information but my wife is very passionate about food so has devoured this information with glee. It gives a lot of context not only to the recipes but also Thomas Keller's development and training as a baker, and passes some tips on along the way. Well worth the investment of time in reading I think if you want to get the most from this book. I have uploaded a couple of images of typical recipe pages but in general they all have accompanying photos and are laid out in a very practical, easy to follow way. The images are so inspirational although they almost put my wife off doing some of them, thinking she wouldn't be able to achieve the same results. My wife's favourite recipe by far is for the TKOs, we didn't have the special coco powder but the results were so very tasty, and if you like OREOs you will adore these. All in all I would recommend this book for those with a real passion for baking / are fans of Thomas Keller and his Bouchon Bakery, perhaps not for those are looking for some basic bakery recipes.

I have to admit that Thomas Keller is one of my favorite authors, so my review will be a little biased as Bouchon is one my most loved and used cookbooks from my substantial collection. What I particularly appreciate from Keller is his combination of engaging prose that precedes most recipes and chapters, his attention to detail that ensures perfect results every time, and his genuine love for cooking and sharing his knowledge that never comes off as pretentious or unattainable. Bouchon Bakery is no different, and I can tell from my first read-though that this will be one of my favorite baking books. Keller's co-authors, Sebastien Rouxel and Matthew McDonald, have contributed a great selection of recipes and tips. Rouxel is the executive pastry chef and McDonald is the head baker. The recipes run the gamut from all-American cookies, cakes, and muffins, to French classics including choux pastry, laminated doughs, and macarons. There is also a chapter on bread and a final chapter on candy and confections. The cookbook includes 150 recipes indepth pastries and breads. Some like the Pear Feuilletes, made with homemade puff pastry, are geared to the more skilled baker. But there are plenty of others such as the Chocolate Chunk and Chip Cookies that novice bakers will embrace. And despite there being measurements in the book, As The Chef himself quoted "throw out your measuring cups! Always use a kitchen scale." He bemoans that their publisher made them keep the measuring cups in it. He explains that the result of reducing the bakery's large recipes meant exact measurements, like 154 grams. Don't round it to 150 grams. That way, if the recipe is doubled, it is still correct. If you start rounding the recipes, you'll be 20 or 30 grams over or under when you scale the recipe up or down. And as we know with the Chemistry behind baking is Precision. It's all about understanding precision in the bakery What I especially like is the combination of old and new, simple and advanced. The vast majority of recipes call for your basic baking ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, butter. However, there is at least one (Peppermint Patties) that uses tramoline, fondax, and invertase. You don't have to be super into molecular gastronomy to see the fun in trying new things once in awhile! Of course, coming from professionals, these recipes and techniques can seem....a bit testing....from time to time. If your goal is turning out perfect and perfectly uniform pastries that would be right at home on the shelves of Bouchon bakery or in the bread basket of the French Laundry, you can do that. I may make most of these recipes exactly as prescribed, but I doubt you will be piping cream puffs into silicon molds and topping with special baking cookies. All in all, I'm looking forward to cooking my way through this book. Though maybe not as much as my better half, friends, and colleagues are! Well worth the purchase price as are all Keller's publications, Hope you enjoy a busy cooking festive season.

It takes pride of place on my book shelf in the kitchen It's informative and enlightening on the processes of baking both for pleasure of if you want to apply it to a more commercial application. All the recipes are advised to use a kitchen aid artisan as that's what they have been tested with. But I don't own one and I 've still gotten very good results from using a hand mixer or just plain elbow grease. Pictures are beautiful and add to the quality of information presented especially with how to fold battards correctly etc.. It's worth the money and the first recipe of pecan sandies which is like a shortbread with pecans only using icing sugar instead of caster sugar, will have you salivating so much, that you will make them before anything else. And they will forever be a staple of your cookie jar as they only take 5 mins to knock up. The other recipes are equally delightful although they do advocate have digital scales which can be zero'd. I had mechanical scales but went a brought a digital one as it is important to get the correct weights to ensure the best results. Treat yourself and buy it.

The recipes are great and the tone is very professional which might put some people of but not me. The cookies look great and it's the kind of book that makes me want to cook better, to go further, to have beauty in the plate to accompany the taste. Thomas Keller is demanding with quality and taste and as a cook, I think it's important to have this kind of inspiration too. The technique is on the spot but the recipes are beautiful and delicious. It's not an easy format for a cook book but it's a beautiful one. Enjoy and don't be scared by the "neatness" of it!

You can not just take a French baking recipe, devised and tested with French ingredients, and use it "as is" with North-American ingredients. And vice-versa. Case in point, French macarons. The icing sugar here (Canada) is different from the icing sugar in France. I've been struggling for years to have my macarons turn out as great as they used to when I made them in France. Enter this book... The recipe is adapted to the addition of starch in Canadian (and USA) icing sugar. Hurray!!!! I've baked PERFECT macarons, finally, with Canadian icing sugar. There are lots of details for each recipe. But not so much or so badly delivered that one feels overwhelmed. However, this might not be a book for a complete beginner baker.

BOTTOM LINE: One of the best baking recipe books on the market! In fact, this is my go-to book for baking. To provide a fair review, I tried multiple recipes before rating this baking cookbook. MY FAVORITE THINGS: The main reason I purchased this book is because the recipes call for weighed (grams) ingredients. Volumes are also listed in the recipes for those who do not own a scale, but I HIGHLY recommend weighing your ingredients in order to achieve more accurate and consistent results, especially when baking. (Flour tends to settle so, if 10 people scooped out 1 cup of flour from their flour bin, there would be 10 different weights from each of those cups. This is one reason why measuring in volumes produces inconsistent results. If you love to cook but you don't have a scale, I recommend investing in one -- you won't regret it!) I also love that this book provides many extras, tips, and tricks to help you achieve better baking results, which in turn makes you a better baker. Don't overlook these tidbits because they provide a lot of wisdom that can be used in other recipes. BOOK: This book is pretty heavy (almost 6 pounds!) and full of excellent recipes. Some of the recipes I made from this cookbook include a few different breads, muffins, cookies, a couple different confections, and some cakes. All of the recipes that I have tried so far have been excellent. RECIPES: Each recipe is clearly written with detailed instructions. Although not all of the recipes have pictures, most of them do include excellent, professional photographs. There are even pictures of how to do some of the more complex steps. There are some recipes that are quick and some recipes that take time (good doughs take time to prepare, but it's mostly inactive time that allows you to do other things). Don't avoid some of the more time-consuming recipes -- these can be some of the best things you'll ever bake. I love to make the more time-consuming recipes for guests (which makes them think I'm some sort of baking genius even though I'm not, lol). One thing to note: all ingredients are measured in weights (grams), even common things like whole eggs. But don't let this deter you. In the beginning of the book it explains how to accurately weigh eggs (beaten) to use in the recipes. Sometimes this means you could have some leftover beaten egg, and if you're like me you don't like to waste anything. So, you could either: cook the leftover eggs and eat them; or, if there's not a lot left over, toss the rest in the recipe. I have not had any problems doing it this way. Another thing to note: a few of the recipes call for ingredients that may not sound familiar. I'm not a chef by any means so when I see ingredients such as crème fraîche, glucose, and diastatic malt powder, my mind immediately thinks "I can't make this recipe." However, I have learned that this doesn't have to be the case in the age of the Internet. For example: crème fraîche can be found in the dairy section at the grocery store or you can improvise and make it using cream and buttermilk (or sour cream); glucose is a clear liquid sugar like corn syrup; and diastatic malt powder can be purchased or it can easily be made in your own kitchen by sprouting some barley berries (seeds), drying them, then blending them into a fine powder. Lesson: never be afraid to try new and different things.

Love the recipes and detailing that the book has. I wouldnt suggest it for amateur bakers though as each dish is a mater piece by itself.

Ultimo nato della famiglia Keller, altro librone che si caratterizza per la bellezza, la perfezione formale e la bontà delle proposte, tutte centrate sui prodotti da forno. In questo è essenziale la collaborazione di Sebastien Rouxel (pasticcere) e Matthew McDonald (panettiere), sotto la supervisione di Thomas Keller; un aspetto, quello dei prodotti da forno, a cui il grande chef americano tiene in modo particolare, un "affetto" che il libro non tradisce, anzi esalta nel coniugare tradizione francese e statunitense. Pasticceria e pani con ricette molto curate, soprattutto nella descrizione dei procedimenti e delle tecniche di lavorazione: cookies, scones e muffin, brioche, croissants e lievitati, pani rustici e baguettes, confetteria e cioccolati - e in chiusura un capitolo di ricette base. Il punto forte del libro, a mio parere, è nella panetteria, con un passo-passo fotografico che segue una manualità altrimenti incomprensibile: si va dai pani francesi a rustici ai multicereali, fino ai muffin inglesi e ai pretzels. Non solo per professionisti.