The Best Baking Cookbooks

Flour Water Salt Yeast: Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza

Bread and Butter

Learn to make delicious breads with this must-have book.

Best For Savory Lovers

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Learn to make delicious bread, pizza, and more with this world-class cookbook. Created by baker Ken Forkish, it’s the ideal option for beginners and expert bakers alike. Whether you’re looking for a quick recipe for pizza dough by dinner time or want a days-long method to make crusty sourdough, this book has it all, making it a must-have staple for aspiring at-home bakers to level-up their bread-making.

Pros:

• The book has an education section along with recipes for a holistic approach to bread-making
• It includes recipes suitable for beginners along with recipes for those who are more advanced
• Wide variety of recipes that take different amounts of time, allowing you to pick and choose based on your own timeline

Cons:

• The book doesn’t have a lot of images
• A few of the recipes are quite complicated and may be difficult for beginner bakers

Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence

Sweet Talk

Perfect for those with a sweet tooth, this cookbook has over 100 inspiring and decadent recipes.

Best for Your Sweet Tooth

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Created by Bon Appetit star Claire Saffitz, this cookbook offers modern spins on classic recipes from brownies to apple pie. Each of the recipes has step-by-step instructions, so it’s easy to follow, and also has troubleshooting steps if something starts to go wrong. That way, you can course-correct as you go along to help ensure your recipes turn out as sweet as can be.

Pros:

• Along with recipes, the book has a section that covers baking fundamentals that’s perfect for beginners
• The photography is beautiful and shows exactly what to expect when using each recipe
• Each recipe has difficulty levels listed, making it easy to pick and choose based on your experience

Cons:

• The font is light-colored and small, which can make it harder to read
• Not all recipes are contained on one page, which requires turning pages back and forth while baking

100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen

One Smart Cookie

Level-up all of your favorites with this kitchen staple that's a hit for the whole family.

Best for Baking with Kids

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If you’re a cookie addict, this is the cookbook for you. Dedicated exclusively to cookies and bars, it’s a comprehensive anthology of all of your favorite recipes. With chapters separated by flavors like “Chocolatey” and “Fruity,” it’s an easy way to satisfy your cravings. With a range of recipes from chocolate chip cookies to blondies and brownies to palmiers, this book likely has a recipe for any sweet treat you can dream up.

Pros:

• Along with classics like chocolate chip cookies and brownies, the book has recipes for more modern interpretations as well for added variety
• The photos in the book are beautiful and help guide you while you’re baking
• Most of the recipes can be made with pantry staples, so you might already have everything you need on hand

Cons:

• Most of the cookies end up on the thinner side, which might not be everyone’s preference
• There are more bar and brownie recipes than cookie recipes

Beginner’s Baking Bible: 130+ Recipes and Techniques for New Bakers

Back to Basics

Get the foundation you need to bake anything with this guide.

Best for Beginners

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Perfect for those who are just dipping their toe into baking, this book breaks everything down for even the most novice bakers. With helpful tips to help guide you through preparation, ingredient substitutions, and troubleshooting, you’ll be able to make cookies, cakes, breads, and brownies in no time. Pick and choose from nearly 150 decadent recipes to get started.

Pros:

• The book includes delicious recipes and teaches you foundational baking skills
• Pick and choose from cupcakes, brownies, cookies, cakes, and more to satisfy your sweet tooth
• It includes tips and illustrations to help you craft the recipe at home

Cons:

• The recipes use volume-based measurements instead of weights, which can lead to inconsistent results
• With over 100 sweet recipes and under 25 savory recipes, the book skews heavily towards desserts

The Big Book of Gluten-Free Baking: A Sweet and Savory Cookbook

Gluten-Free Goodness

This gluten-free book is the ideal option for those with dietary restrictions.

Best Gluten-Free

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Just because you’re gluten-free, it shouldn’t mean you can’t indulge in yummy baked goods like everyone else. Instead of looking on longingly while friends or family dig into your favorite treats, now you can join in thanks to this book. With over 100 recipes and a comprehensive guide to the intricacies of gluten-free baking, it gives you all the tools you need to succeed. Pick and choose from savory recipes like garlic butter breadsticks or sweet options like s’mores cookies and classic carrot cake — this book gives you all the classics you know and love without the gluten you can do without.

Pros:

• Along with being gluten-free, the recipes also include dairy substitutions for those who are dairy intolerant
• The books has a compilation of sweet and savory recipes for added variety
• Each recipe has easy-to-follow instructions to make baking more accessible, even for beginners

Cons:

• Most recipes call for a specialized blend of flour that you’ll need to make beforehand, which adds an extra step
• The recipes call for measurements in grams, which requires a food scale

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between “baking” and “cooking”?

While almost any food can be baked, baking is typically a term used to refer to making bread-based items or desserts like cupcakes, cakes, and cookies.

Why do bakers weigh ingredients?

Using measuring spoons or cups can be imprecise depending on how much you pack the ingredients or how you level off the top. As a result, there can be a lot of variation in the quantity of the ingredient added. Weighing ingredients, on the other hand, gives you a more precise measurement for more consistent results.