Baking with Julia: Sift, Knead, Flute, Flour, and Savor...

by Julia Child, Dorie Greenspan

Nothing promises pleasure more readily than the words "freshly baked." And nothing says magnum opus as definitively as Baking with Julia, which offers the dedicated home cook, whether a novice or seasoned veteran, a unique distillation of the baker's art.

Baking with Julia is not only a book full of glorious recipes but also one that continues Julia's teaching tradition. Here, basic techniques come alive and are made easily comprehensible in recipes that demonstrate the myriad ways of raising dough, glazing cakes, and decorating crusts. This is the resource you'll turn to again and again for all your baking needs. With Baking with Julia in your cookbook library, you can become a master baker.

And there's no better time to be baking than now. Quality baking today is more varied, more exciting, and simply more authentic than ever before. Baking with Julia celebrates this tremendous range with enticing recipes that marry sophisticated European techniques to American tastes and ingredients. With creative flair, napoleons are layered with tropical fruits, pumpkin and cranberries are kneaded into bread doughs, and a tart is topped with sweet stewed onions. Along the way, step-by-step photographs demonstrate the basic building blocks of the pastry and bread baker's repertoire, and from this firm foundation fancy takes flight.

Baking with Julia presents an extraordinary assemblage of talent, knowledge, and artistry from the new generation of bakers whose vision is so much a part of this book. The list of contributors reads like a Who's Who of today's master bakers, including Flo Braker, Steve Sullivan, Marcel Desaulniers, Nick Malgieri, Alice Medrich, Nancy Silverton, Martha Stewart, and a host of bright new talents such as Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.

With nearly two hundred recipes, and half as many pages of tantalizing full-color photographs, this incomparable kitchen companion goes far beyond what most cookbooks offer. More than fifty pages of illustrated reference sections define basic terms and techniques, and explain the hows and whys of batters and doughs to take you effortlessly through the essential techniques. If you've never made flaky pie crust, your first no-fail experience is at hand. If you've never baked bread, that most satisfying and sensual pleasure awaits the turn of a page. With recipes for breads, pastries, cookies, and cakes—from chocolate to cheesecake, from miniature gems to multi-tiered masterpieces—this cookbook is a total immersion experience in the wonder of home baking.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Foodie, Reference, Culinary

512 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Julia Carolyn Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for having brought French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

Reviews

[Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never reviewed a cookbook before but I just have to share my love of this wonderful book. It calls itself an "all-purpose how-to baking book" in Julia Child's introduction and I think you could teach yourself to bake with it if you'd never taken a class or watched anyone else bake. The flaky pie dough recipe (with instructions for making it by hand or with a mixer) is the messiest page in my copy, but oh, the delicious whole wheat bread, the challah, the walnut bread (this one's complicated and I've only made it once), and the buttermilk scones and blueberry muffins...wow.

"There is an ineffable lightness about these muffins. Served while still warm, the texture is melt-on-your-tongue light; only the plump blueberries seem substantial. The next day, when they have settled down, literally, they are more conventionally muffiny and a different kind of wonderful."

All the recipes have clearly written instructions with drawings and photos exactly where you need them to understand. There are two color photo sections with gorgeous pictures of some of the finished products.

I live in Phoenix so I only have a short baking window every year when heating up the house by using the oven is a good thing, not a bad thing. But every November or December I pull this book out of the cookbook cupboard and luxuriate in the magic of flour and leavening.

[tiasreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a much-loved book in my collection- so loved that I'm on my third copy! (Due to a series of unfortunate events to the first two.) I always love the clear, detailed instructions given when Dorie Greenspan writes a cookbook. I never feel lost when trying something new from this book, wondering is this right? or should it look this way? Dorie tells you exactly what's what. The book provides some beautiful baking foundations, like the Flaky Pie Crust. Then it builds on those basics and expands your culinary horizons with more challenging fare. I never thought to have such delicious bagels outside New York, but they turned out amazing! Two notes for anyone thinking of getting this book: 1) Many of the recipes cannot be easily done without a stand mixer. And 2) This book was not written by Julia Child herself, she was only a collaborator and the host of the companion TV series on PBS. (Which rocked!) If you keep these two things in mind, you will not be disappointed by adding this book to your shelves.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

In the name of full disclosure, I have loved Julia Child since I was little and my mother and I would watch Cooking with Julia and The Frugal Gourmet on PBS. My mother gave be a battered copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking & The Joy of Cooking when I grew up and fled the nest. I like to cook. That being said, I’ve never been much of a baker. I borrowed this book after my son asked me how bread is made so that we could make bread together, thinking it would be returning to the library soon after. I never in a million years thought I would end up making my way through almost every recipe in the starter breads section, and yet I have. I can’t wait to get into the other sections. This book is wonderful! An entire baking education! Factual, informative and easy to use- I love the indexes. There’s a recipe for gingerbread that has espresso and black pepper in it that the family decimated over the holidays. There’s another for croissants I’m working my way up to. The biggest surprise for me is that I have found baking the bread almost as satisfying as eating the bread! It has become and easy part of our weekend rituals that everyone in my house loves.
– Alexis S.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great one. Everything I have made from it (at least half the recipes) has been fabulous. I like it, though, when cookbooks explain WHY you're doing what you're doing instead of simply assuming that "this is just the way you always do it" since I like to manipulate recipes and make them my own. That is harder to do with this book, but it is still fabulous.

[Nicole Lundrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gorgeous! When I have time to make something fancy, this cookbook is my first choice. Recipes generally time-consuming, but there’s plenty of detailed instructions. And results are consistently fantastic.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bumped this up to 5 stars. It's a keeper and I plan to use it to death.

Beautifully presented book, instructions are clear and well written, pictures lovely, food selection great.

It is written towards home bakers, and in some cases suggests a progression of recipes...this is fabulous. The pie doughs go from "fool proof" to advanced.

The bakers tend to assume you use a stand mixer. I do not...so anything that needs kneading is done by hand.

Each recipe we've tried has been good, so far, but they've required a bit of tinkering. I'm not sure if this is just our preferences, or altitude, or both.

The 2 day bread is *wonderful* and now a regular feature on our household menu. Note: I use bread flour, not the all purpose flour the recipe calls for.

Bagel recipe: I skipped the "5 minutes off, 5 minutes with the oven door open" as you're supposed to be working in batches here and I had another batch ready to go in. The bagels were still delicious, the pepper gave them a little kick.

Pitas were great, though it took a few tries to get a real "puff" going. Onion Bialy's are next.

The brownies: make sure your oven is the correct temperature (ours runs 50-70 degrees cold...the thermostat must be sitting ON an element) and you use the correct size pan (9x9).

[Rebecca Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up just after my first son was born. I was still a baby in the mid-nineties, but full of an intense love for good food and a bit of baking hubris. Had I known better at the time, I would have looked at the index of recipes and run the other way. Glad I didn't... Turns out, though many of the recipes are advanced, they are presented in a way that made recipes for Finnish Pulla, Boca Negra and Mocha Brownie Cake with a memorable ganache possible, even in my inexperience. Based on the celebrated PBS series of the same name with a list of contributors to make any home baker swoon a bit, this is a jewel. It's the kind of cookbook you look through and try to invent excuses to make things from. Husband's got Friday off from work? Gosh! I guess I'll just have to make another Vanilla Chiffon Roll. Many recipes are not simple or casual, but they are reliable, delicious, and most importantly, fun.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baking with Julia was a PBS television series of the mid 1990's (many episodes now available on Youtube). This book is a selection of some of the recipes that were shared by guest bakers on the show. If you haven't seen the show - which I haven't - the book merely represents a curation of recipes that seemingly have nothing at all to do with Julia Child. A short description with some anecdotal information about why a particular recipe was chosen - either to demonstrate in the television series or to include in the book, it doesn't matter - would have provided some relatable context. A bit of information about the contributing author would help me to feel more engaged with the book as well. Without this information, or access to the accompanying series, the creators lost an opportunity to create a cookbook with longevity and relevance beyond the 1990's - and beyond the television series. I haven't tested out any of the recipes yet, and will return to this review once I have.

[G-- · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part of this gem --besides the touch of Julia --is the variety. While many baking books specialize in one kind of baking [cakes, breads, sweets, breakfast, and so on], this book has a wide variety of truly excellent recipes in a wide variety of styles. Of course that makes sense, since it is a compilation of the best recipes of many accomplished bakers. Everything I have made from this book has been truly excellent, and has introduced me to worthwhile authors. I especially have enjoyed the flatbreads and associated recipes from Alford/Duguid; the savory italian egg-pepper-spinach-cheese-meat torte; the plum cakes; and the Italian "X" cookies.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to bake more than cook and this book not only has a wonderful collection of various baked goods but is connected with one of, if not *the*, most fantastic cook/baker that has walked this earth. I bought the book a few years ago and it pretty much just sat with my other cookbooks. Recently, I have had the desire to do more baking and decided to use this book instead of just collect it and I have not been disappointed. I am finding also sorts of new or previously loved but didn't know how to make baked goods to try out. And the recipes are in total Julia style...easy to follow even when complicated or very detailed. The book is a gem just like Julia was and always will be.

[Kylie Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gingerbread Cake: 3 stars - not my favorite. although I think this is a personal taste issue. A very strong gingerbread. I didn't love it.

Savory Brioche Pockets 3 stars - with a different filling this would easily be a 4 star at least. I just didn't fall in love with potatoes wrapped in bread.

Ruffle Cake 4 stars - this might be a five if I try again. I took a few shortcuts this time because there were so many new elements that I've never done before. I'll report back once I try again!

Sandwich bread 4 stars - I made this for Valentine's Day and it was delicious! I'm not much of a sandwich eater but my fiance and I loved this.

[Lori Selby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying to learn how to bake bread and started with the Bread Baker's Apprentice. Unfortunately I found Peter's books hard to follow and complicated. It jumped around too much and I found that frustrating while trying to bake at the same time.

Dorie's book is the opposite. While the recipes appear to be tricky, they are not. All the bases are covered. I felt like she was in the kitchen with me guiding me through every step.

I would highly recommend it for anyone trying to gain an understanding of baking. It's number one on my list do far on this subject.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the PBS series, this cookbook combines two of the best voices to have in your head - Julia Child and Dorie Greenspan - as well as all the bakers who joined her on the program. I have made simple recipes from here but where it excels is to help you through the complicated processes like laminate doughs, brioche, and wedding cakes. An essential baking cookbook.

[Jackie Gamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about "baking for dummies" - this book takes a reader through the basics! The good news is, it also respects a reader's intelligence. I've been baking/cooking my entire adult life, but haven't worked up the nerve for some of the more daunting projects like phyllo and croissants, but you know, I just might give it a whirl after all.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the PBS television show where Julia Child met with other well-known bakers to show techniques. Well-illustrated and covers both basics and special items. I should be baking something instead of typing! But the realities of life mean that this book does not live on the pantry shelf, but upstairs where I will retrieve it when I get ambition.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read, and the series on PBS is well worth watching--I love the one with her and the woman who owns Al FOrno's. The recipes are more the people she bakes with than hers, and you really cannot easily use the cookbook with out foreknowledge of the series--it is a strange assortment of recipes otherwise--but things I saw on the show worked when I used recipes in this book

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE. THIS. COOKBOOK!

Has all the recipes from the PBS series of the same name. I've made quite a few of the recipes, and they have come out quite well. My particular favorite is the recipe for Finnish pulla, a rich, cardamom-scented coffee bread. The recipe is much easier to handle than most of the other recipes I've come across for pulla, which are usually two or three times as big!

[Celeste Knoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have owned this book for about 15 years. I remember the PBS series that featured the recipes. If you get stuck anywhere in the book, you can still find the videos online. The Challah recipe is wonderful. I made the pita bread yesterday with hummus. Dorie Greenspan, who wrote the cookbook, also has a good baking book called Baking. I am making the cheesecake recipe out of it today.

[Maisy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a mainstay on my cookbook shelf, which is a pretty high rating in itself. I don't keep a lot of cook books around, since "just recipes" are easy enough to locate on the web. I've never made a recipe that has been less than wonderful, and the magazine look and feel, along with extra bits of narrative and nuance put up there with cookbooks my kids will inherit.

[Larry Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once you have this book, go onto to YouTube and bring up the series. You will find most (if not all) of the recipes are very simple for the home cook. Not only are there some great recipes here but there are also quite a few helpful hints... and of course when you're watching the videos, you get Julia's wonderful humorous comments.

[Bren Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite baking book but just know in advance Julia never does anything the easy way; she prefers the best and hardest way to make everything. Her pie crust alone is 3 pages of instructions and it is probably the best pie crust ever but it's very involved and tedious to follow the directions!
I still LOVE this book!

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bible for anything baking. EVERY recipe I have ever done from this (probably over 30) has been a standout and repeat. Love it. Julia knocks another one out of the park. The book also was well awarded (which tends to be a good sign of good cookery) like the James Beard award.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so obsessed with this cookbook when it first came out, as I loved watching cooking shows when I was younger (and still do nowadays) esp ones with Julia Child. The one recipe I've actually tried out of here was the French bread, which took me six hours to make but was amazing.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes. What is it about reading cook books? I love them! You can't help but be amazed and also drool after reading this book. The next question is do I dare try to make any of these things? I wish I could bake!

[Ninon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have one cook book for baking in your kitchen then this would be it. The descriptions are wonderful and very precise. With Julia you never have to figure out what she meant. This is a nice sized book with terrific images.

[Joye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched most of this series on my iPad and then read the book. I love especially the bread recipes and can't wait to try them. Julia makes you feel like you can cook anything even complicated in your own kitchen.

[Karen Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for anyone interested in learning how to bake. The blueberry nectarine pie is a must bake. If you've never tried homemade eclairs and cream puffs, the recipe at the beginning of the book is an great version for beginners.

[Ellyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love perusing this book and drooling over the recipes. However, I'm pretty much a baking failure- even with Julia's help. Maybe if she was next to me in the kitchen, telling me not to worry, no one will notice, just patch it...

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Julia Child cookbook....many ingredients, many steps. For those who love baking both sweet and savory, this is a fantastic book. I recommend that it be used by an intermediate or very experienced baker.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tasty, fun, professional recipes for the experienced baker.