Book Description
One of the most respected cookbooks in the industry—the 2002 IACP Cookbook Award Winner for Best Technical/Reference—Professional Baking brings aspiring pastry chefs and serious home bakers the combined talent of Wayne Gisslen and the prizewinning Le Corden Bleu in one volume. The revised Fourth Edition offers complete instruction in every facet of the baker’s craft, offering more than 750 recipes—including 150 from Le Cordon Bleu—for everything from cakes, pies, pastries, and cookies to artisan breads.

Page after page of clear instruction, the hallmark of all Gisslen culinary books, will help you master the basics—such as pâte brisée and puff pastry—and confidently hone techniques for making spectacular desserts using spun sugar and other decorative work. More than 500 color photographs illustrate ingredients and procedures as well as dozens of stunning breads and finished desserts.

From the Inside Flap
Looking to raise your baking to the next level? Start with the book the professionals use—Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Baking. Named the IACP Cookbook Award Winner for Best Technical/Reference in 2002, Professional Baking is considered the cornerstone of a baker or pastry chef’s education. Now updated in a new Fourth Edition, this complete baker’s companion  will provide everything you need to know to master the craft and art of making breads, pastries, cakes, pies, mousses, and more, and help you learn and practice sugar work and cake decorating skills.

The book gives clear, detailed information on selecting the proper ingredients, mixing and baking techniques, makeup and assembly, presentation, and more. Reflecting current trends in the field, this edition includes new chapters on artisan bread baking equipment as well as new material on plating techniques for restaurant-style desserts. More than 500 color photographs, including 175 new to this edition, illustrate ingredients and step-by-step techniques as well as dozens of finished dishes.

Inside you’ll find an encyclopedia array of 750 classic and creative recipes to explore, including 150 from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, that range from basic crêpes and puff pastry to intriguing variations on the familiar, such as Sachertorte and Peach Napoleon.

Throughout, the fresh, easy-to-use format makes it easy to find key information at a glance. You’ll also learn not only what techniques work, but also why they work—and how to get the best results every time.

For anyone interested in creating consistently high-quality products with the artistry of a true professional, Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Baking is the place to begin.

From the Back Cover
One of the most respected cookbooks in the industry—the 2002 IACP Cookbook Award Winner for Best Technical/Reference—Professional Baking brings aspiring pastry chefs and serious home bakers the combined talent of Wayne Gisslen and the prizewinning Le Corden Bleu in one volume. The revised Fourth Edition offers complete instruction in every facet of the baker’s craft, offering more than 750 recipes—including 150 from Le Cordon Bleu—for everything from cakes, pies, pastries, and cookies to artisan breads.

Page after page of clear instruction, the hallmark of all Gisslen culinary books, will help you master the basics—such as pâte brisée and puff pastry—and confidently hone techniques for making spectacular desserts using spun sugar and other decorative work. More than 500 color photographs illustrate ingredients and procedures as well as dozens of stunning breads and finished desserts.

About the Author
WAYNE GISSLEN is the author of the best-selling series of culinary books that includes Professional Cooking, Advanced Professional Cooking, and The Chef’s Art: Secrets of Four-Star Cooking at Home, all published by Wiley. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he has written and worked extensively in the field of culinary arts, with experience as a restaurant chef, test kitchen supervisor, and food and beverage consultant.

J. GERARD SMITH is a freelance photographer and photo illustrator who has collaborated with Wayne Gisslen since 1980. Educated at Pratt Institute, he specializes in food, travel, and commercial photography. His work has appeared in the Time, Newsweek, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, and more than 100 books.

ANNOTATION

This is an illustrated text on the theory and practice of professional baking, with more than 400 recipes for quality bakery and dessert products.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Now, the "baker's bible" has been revised and expanded! Wayne Gisslen, the author of the acclaimed Professional Cooking, has updated his classic guide for serious cooks who want to bring their baking skills up to the professional level, and bakers who want to give their goods that little something "extra." Professional Baking, Second Edition now offers step-by-step instructions for everything from breads and pastries to souffles and frozen desserts. It stresses theory as much as technique because once bakers know why they're doing something they are free to elaborate and improvise on the principle. Wayne Gisslen guides you through each separate stage in the creation of these mouthwatering delights. He provides you with an ideal sourcebook for bakery owners and aspiring pastry chefs, because the arrangement of subjects in the book reflects the working practices of bakeshops and kitchens. This Second Edition features a new chapter on restaurant-style desserts as well as new recipes for cakes, tarts, sorbets, and ice cream. Also included is a four-page color insert showing 16 delectable finished desserts. Key points are highlighted and put in numbered sequence, so that basic information can always be located and reviewed at a glance.

FROM THE CRITICS

Wall Street Journal