The Best Baking Cookbooks, According to Pastry Chefs and Professional Bakers

Before he became the executive pastry chef at Del Posto and won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2013, Brooks Headley had a career as a drummer in a bunch of hard-core and punk bands, so his cookbook is as much memoir as it is recipe book. But the recipes aren’t an afterthought. They’re “fun, experimental but not inaccessible, and full of flavor, including some unexpectedly delicious sweet and savory combinations,” says Agatha Kulaga, of Ovenly. She adds, “This book is for bakers that like to break the rules a little.”

Gramercy Tavern’s Miro Uskokovic calls it “funny and edgy,” a book that could be read cover-to-cover, while also enjoying his recipes for sweet-pea cake and fried artichoke with ricotta gelato. Natasha Pickowicz, from Café Altro Paradiso and Flora Bar, puts the appeal of this cookbook most simply: “Brooks is the wittiest and most hilarious food writer alive, so I dive into his book over and over again not just for the superlative recipes (perfect carrot cake and perfect yogurt sorbet, hello!), but for his insane anecdotes and wry sense of humor.”

Several of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s books were named by the members of our panel as favorites. Erin Patinkin of Ovenly likes The Pie and Pastry Bible, calling it “a cookbook that one can actually use; it is extremely informative, well-organized, and straightforward.” Uskokovic owns and loves all of Beranbaum’s works, admitting that “it was hard to pick one, as all are fantastic.” But he recommends The Baking Bible for a more general overview of baking and pastry craft, with its incredibly specific recipes. “You know she tested these recipes time and time again, and it’s written in such detail that anyone will be able to execute them.” Dianna Daoheung of Black Seed Bagels also likes The Baking Bible, calling it, “a great book to reference, particularly for the classics.”

Daoheung likes Tartine Bread because it’s “a really beautiful book in general, with lots of bread science,” but she cops to being a fan of any book from the team at San Francisco’s Tartine. For a more general baking cookbook, Margarita Manzke of République recommends their first title Tartine, which includes their now-classic recipes for banana-cream pie, brioche bread pudding, and any number of cakes — along with more complicated recipes like croissants, which is why it’s better suited for those who already have a basic understanding of baking. But Manzke admits, “I will never get tired of reading this book. Such a classic. Great photography and recipes.”

If your goal is to become a “master cake maker,” says Kulaga, then you have to get Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible. “Not only is it an encyclopedia for all types of cakes, but Beranbaum provides techniques and recipes that will turn any novice into a cake artist. For those on a quest to find the perfect vanilla cake, I have three words for you: white velvet cake.” Alison Pray of Standard Baking Co. discovered this book in the late 1980s, when it first came out, “and I still rely on it today to check ingredient ratios or explore new recipes.”

Jessica Weiss of Marta calls this book, “my favorite bread book of all time,” calling author Jeffrey Hamelman “one of the most talented bread bakers around. He takes the very deep world of bread-baking (which is a beast) and distills it down into an amazingly approachable volume.” Pray gives this book as a gift to new bakers, but still references it in her own bakery.

If you’re only going to buy one book about bread, both Pray and Zachary Golper of Bien Cuit recommend this one: The Taste of Bread, a translation of the French cookbook Le Goût du Pain, by legendary baker Raymond Calvel. Calvel “was the inspiration and mentor of Didier Rosada, who essentially brought great bread-baking to the United States and beyond, changing the country as a whole,” explains Golper. He adds, “The book gives a clear voice to the movement that has taken place over the last 30 years.” Pray credits this book for helping her “crack the code to French bread-baking secrets,” noting that “when James MacGuire’s translated version was published, I was finally able to read it cover to cover, and feel now like it’s part of the foundation of our baking knowledge.”

If you’re looking to take you bread-making to the next level, Pray, Golper, and Manzke all recommend Michel Suas’s Advanced Bread and Pastry. This one is definitely a textbook, but it’s “a great book for the serious baker and professionals,” says Manzke. Pray and her team “refer to his book constantly for bread and pastry technique and formulas,” and Golper credits this book for “changing the face of artisan baking in the U.S. like no other ever did.”

For gluten-free recipes, Uskokovic recommends the James Beard Award–winning Flavor Flours. “It’s an amazing book that explores alternative flours like oat, corn, sorghum, and teff,” he explains. “These flours are not just better for your health, but your taste buds as well. They add another layer of flavor to your baked goods and also lend an interesting texture and color.” Patinkin also likes this book because author Alice Medrich “guides her readers through flavor, texture, ingredients pairing, and use. It’s a great book for both gluten-free bakers and anyone who wants to experiment with nontraditional flours.”

“Claudia Fleming paved the way for pastry in New York City,” explains Umber Ahmad of Mah-Ze-Dahr. “Her pastries and book structure focus on ingredients — spices, fruits, chocolate. She delves deep into the psyche of an ingredient and creates a divine experience with each one.” It’s full of simple, seasonal recipes “that never disappoint,” Ovenly’s Kulaga says. “These perfect desserts will make you feel like you are the most accomplished pastry chef in the world without ever having to go to culinary school.”