We are going to review one of the most treasured books we have. We stumbled upon this title by accident and were so happy we did. It lead us down a great path of understanding and development. It has been the very foundation of a lot of our understanding and skills.
“On Baking” was produced by Sarah R. Labensky, Priscilla A. Martel and Eddy Van Damme. The title went on to win the 2004 Gourmand World Cookbook Award, which was for “Best Book For Food Professionals In The World”. The book had a lot of chefs and hospitality instructors working on it and even got sent on to be 
reviewed for accuracy by many more. Pearson is the publisher of this book, they have a website where it can be purchased digitally, but you will have to use their library app to read it. This app provides a lot of handy study features. Alternatively, it can be brought from a range of different sellers. It is a pretty pricy book, but well worth it for the content you receive. For us here in Australia it is $183.90 from Amazon for the hardcover book. It does pay to shop around because currently on Booktopia it is $463.50.
“On Baking” has many chapters, covering a range of different productions. Each chapter first explains all the theories relevant to the chapter before providing you with recipes, to further consolidate your reading.
For example, the cookie chapter explains different methods of cookie production and their differences.
Then gives you recipes For example, icebox cookies are cookie dough that is then frozen and cut into shapes. Then baked from frozen this helps them keep their shape as the butter takes longer to start melting (Spreading).
Gaining an understanding of the process and what is occurring at different stages helps you develop the skills to identify problems and rectify them. So you will not just follow a recipe and re-create it.
“On Baking” covers the following topics:
-Quick Bread
-Artisan Bread and Yeast bread
-Enriched Yeast Bread
-Laminated Doughs
-Cookies and Brownies
-Pies and Tarts
-Pastry and Dessert Components
-Cakes and Icings
-Custards, Creams and Sauces
-Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts
-Healthful and Special-needs Baking
-Tortes and Specialty Cakes
-Pettits Fours and Confections
-Plated Desserts
-Chocolate and Sugar Work
Our personal favourite chapter is Artisan Breads and Yeast Breads. This explains the differences between yeast and how to use the different types. Breaks down in detail the production stages of bread baking.
Each stage then goes into the science and why you are doing this. It is wonderful to truly get immersed in the art of baking bread, this is one of the most wonderful skills to learn and will have you producing great bread at home.
Think of this as a flex, to show off at your next dinner party. The chapter then goes on and explains different shaping techniques for the different styles of bread that can be produced. Doesn’t stop there and even goes into toppings you can use for your bread, and the bastes and their purposes. Which is depending on the final product you are trying to produce.
Another amazing technique, which we will break down ourselves in a future blog is pre-ferments and their uses. This is an incredible extra step you can take that drastically affects the end product. One we use all the time, even in our 16-hour pizza dough.
The depth of flavour is on another level. But that is for another time.
Within “On Baking” the yields are purposefully kept small, this is to aid in the learning stages. Which will keep wastage down while practising. When scaling up it is important to think about what you are multiplying. I have seen it so many times. Someone takes a Panna Cotta recipe and multiplies it to produce a certain number of covers, just to end up with a great-tasting bouncy ball. So to reiterate, it is crucial to learn the theory behind the desserts you are producing.
This is a true treasure of a book, one that should be in everyone’s cookery toolbox. Especially if you are a serious home baker or a chef.
Another wonderful overlooked section of the book is the detailed glossary, which gives you a definition for all those difficult-to-pronounce “French” words. So not only are you learning how to cook these wonderful products but also speak the lingo.
If not for anything else, then to get that confused look from someone when you explain the process using the said lingo.
As a Military chef, I don’t get much time in the sweets section but am still required to produce sweets, bread, morning teas and so on. “On Baking” has helped further develop my baking skills.
Using the knowledge gained from this title, I can now comfortably produce a variety of sweets with different production methods.
At Cams Cookery a lot of our baking recipes stem from “On Baking”. We have made minor tweaks to suit our cooking style and personality. As always recipes are a great guideline, they are there for us to build off and develop our own.
Through lots of trial and error. The theory present in this book makes the process more approachable because it explains the recipe and each component. That way you can make adjustments without jeopardising the result.
Often with dessert recipes, they are not easily adjusted without resulting in a less-than-desirable result. They are heavily based on science.
In conclusion, this book is amazing and gets top marks from us here at Cams Cookery. It will aid you in your dessert endeavours and elevate your understanding of the art. For us, it has helped us develop a greater respect for the trade. The title covers so many different topics and has a lot to teach. If you are willing “On Baking” will keep you immersed in the world of baking for a long time. It is quite often the book I reach for when going to work, in case the chance I am put into Dessert production. To me, it is as crucial as my “Shun” chef knife. Without it, I feel a little lost and it may take me a little longer to design my workflow plan and what I am going to produce that day.
The only regret we have is not adding this to our collection earlier. So if you have the funds spare and are serious about baking then definitely pick this one up. On the same note, if you are happy to get a recipe and just re-create it, this book is nice to have but you can probably pass on it for now. (Maybe mention it to a significant other around your birthday) you won’t be disappointed.