Novice here

[Meidda]

Greetings

I'm retired and want to learn how to bake desserts. Any suggestions how to begin?

Thanks
Meidda

 

[Steelman]

You Tube is our best teacher.
This is the right space to begin!

Allrecipes | Recipes, How-Tos, Videos and More

Everyday recipes with ratings and reviews by home cooks like you. Find easy dinner ideas, healthy recipes, plus helpful cooking tips and techniques.

www.allrecipes.com

 

[EdwardGuerra]

welcome to the forum!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Greetings

I'm retired and want to learn how to bake desserts. Any suggestions how to begin?

Thanks
Meidda

Learn the science of baking. Paula Figoni’s How Baking Works is used in culinary programs, but is an invaluable guide in explaining the fundamentals of baking science to home bakers. It's not a cookbook; instead, it offers an in-depth description of baking ingredients and the science of how each ingredient works in baking. An free earlier edition of this book may still be available online in PDF form.

Learn baker’s percentages and buy a food scale. Baking is science, the chemical reaction of all the ingredients to time and temperature. To achieve great results and consistently reproduce those results requires baking by weight, not volume. And the only way to scale a recipe up/down is by using weight.


Books that teach the correct baking methods:


The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More: A Baking Book by Maurizio Leo. This is a bread book for home bakers that uses professional methods and techniques for consistent results. It is one of the best bread books in print.


On Baking A Textbook On Baking And Pastry Fundamentals Sarah R. Labensky, Priscilla Martel, Eddy Van Damme. This is a culinary textbook, but is user-friendly enough for the home baker. Since it’s a textbook it’s quite expensive. However, you should still be able to find a free earlier edition in PDF form online.


Baking and Pastry: Mastering The Art And Craft by Culinary Institute of America (CIA). While this textbook isn’t as user-friendly for home bakers, it contains a significant catalog of recipes. Anything you would want to bake is included in this book. I don’t know if a free PDF version has ever been available online. But Google to find out.