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Baking
- Approx. 200 recipes, each accompanied by a full-color photograph
- Recipes cover a broad range of baked goods including breads, pizzas, cakes, and cookies
- Recipes cover a broad range of baked goods including breads, pizzas, cakes, and cookies
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Chuck Williams
161 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Chuck Williams
Charles Edward Williams (October 2, 1915 – December 5, 2015) was the American founder of Williams Sonoma and author and editor of more than 100 books on the subject of cooking. Williams is credited for playing a major role in introducing French cookware into American kitchens through his retail and mail-order business. He became a centenarian in October 2015 and died two months later on December 5, 2015, in San Francisco, California.
In 1947, Chuck Williams settled in Sonoma, California, and opened his first shop as a hardware store. In 1953, Williams took his first trip to France, where he quickly fell in love with French kitchenware such as copper cookware, and is quoted as saying, "I knew this was something that wasn't found in America, but thought people would want." Shortly after returning home, he formulated a plan to import French cooking and serving equipment into America and eventually converted his store into a cookware shop in 1956. Thus, Williams Sonoma was founded, selling professional and restaurant-quality kitchenware for home use, leading to founder Chuck Williams being recognized as one of the titans of the American food revolution.
source: Wikipedia
Please see: Chuck Williams
Charles Edward Williams (October 2, 1915 – December 5, 2015) was the American founder of Williams Sonoma and author and editor of more than 100 books on the subject of cooking. Williams is credited for playing a major role in introducing French cookware into American kitchens through his retail and mail-order business. He became a centenarian in October 2015 and died two months later on December 5, 2015, in San Francisco, California.
In 1947, Chuck Williams settled in Sonoma, California, and opened his first shop as a hardware store. In 1953, Williams took his first trip to France, where he quickly fell in love with French kitchenware such as copper cookware, and is quoted as saying, "I knew this was something that wasn't found in America, but thought people would want." Shortly after returning home, he formulated a plan to import French cooking and serving equipment into America and eventually converted his store into a cookware shop in 1956. Thus, Williams Sonoma was founded, selling professional and restaurant-quality kitchenware for home use, leading to founder Chuck Williams being recognized as one of the titans of the American food revolution.
source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 10, 2016
We've made 4 or 5 things out of this book so far and all of them tasted amazing. My sister made the apple galette, and the crust was absolutely to die for. She also made the blueberry muffins and they're probably the best ones I've ever had. I recently made the blackberry roll which was light and delish. I also made the bagels, and although they tasted very good, they didn't rise up quite as much as other recipes we've used before. I'm not sure if it was a fluke though, so don't discount them entirely. I can't wait till my cousin's plum and pear trees are ready for picking as there are quite a few recipes featuring both. The directions are very simple (though if you haven't baked before you may find them to lack some detail) and the photography is gorgeous. All of the basic recipes like tart crusts and basic bread making techniques are in the back of the book in a separate section. Very easy to use and very delicious with a great variety of sweet and savory treats.
April 11, 2021
I love to bake. I was in Ollie's, and here was this hefty book. I leafed through it, and took it home. I have since given this book as a gift because it is that great!
The ingredients are readily available, but please remember that W-S cookbooks, like the King Arthur ones, are recipes intended for equipment they sell, or even a few esoteric ingredients. You may need to expand your gear collection, which is never a deterrent for me.
I have yet to make an even middling or so-so thing from this book. Every single thing I have tried has been stellar. The directions are clearly written, and if you follow them to the letter, you will have success.
My big baking bugaboo is pie crust. There is a basic recipe for it in this book that I have actually gotten to work!
The sections make sense, and the whole recipe is visible. You won't have ingredients on one page and then the directions on the back. I find that so annoying I've been known to list the ingredients in the margin of the direction side of some books! Also, if you are into weighing ingredients, this book offers weights, as well.
Make the Sweet Potato Pie with Spiced Pecans, but double the topping. You won't regret it! The Pound Cake is a small loaf, which means slicing it for strawberry shortcake is easy and it's way better than Sara Lee! the Autumn Fruit Strudel is just wow! (But double the cinnamon unless you have a new bottle from Penzey's!)
Overall, I have a lot of things marked that I plan to make, and you will, too.
The ingredients are readily available, but please remember that W-S cookbooks, like the King Arthur ones, are recipes intended for equipment they sell, or even a few esoteric ingredients. You may need to expand your gear collection, which is never a deterrent for me.
I have yet to make an even middling or so-so thing from this book. Every single thing I have tried has been stellar. The directions are clearly written, and if you follow them to the letter, you will have success.
My big baking bugaboo is pie crust. There is a basic recipe for it in this book that I have actually gotten to work!
The sections make sense, and the whole recipe is visible. You won't have ingredients on one page and then the directions on the back. I find that so annoying I've been known to list the ingredients in the margin of the direction side of some books! Also, if you are into weighing ingredients, this book offers weights, as well.
Make the Sweet Potato Pie with Spiced Pecans, but double the topping. You won't regret it! The Pound Cake is a small loaf, which means slicing it for strawberry shortcake is easy and it's way better than Sara Lee! the Autumn Fruit Strudel is just wow! (But double the cinnamon unless you have a new bottle from Penzey's!)
Overall, I have a lot of things marked that I plan to make, and you will, too.
October 25, 2020
Good collection !
January 7, 2023
A nice collection of baking recipes. Spans a lot of categories with tested recipes and aimed at the home cook. Classics to adventurous. Recommended.
Read
August 4, 2025People lost their minds when I made the pumpkin cheesecake recipe in this book
May 19, 2012
This is a very pretty book and has some great recipes. My sister bought it for me for Christmas, and as I hadn't gotten her anything yet, she just tape flagged the things that looked best and I spent the next week making a couple things every day. The flourless chocolate cake recipe in particular is really good.
The only problem I have with this book is that there are some really obvious typos- and I mean, really, really devastating typos. There was one recipe where a one was added to the left of a number, leaving you to put in ten times as much baking soda. There was another one where the editor said "tablespoons" when they meant "teaspoons." These are pretty huge errors in a book like this. So I'd recommend as you go along making sure the recipe makes sense before throwing everything in there. Most of the mistakes that I have found so far are pretty obvious if you've ever baked something before.
The only problem I have with this book is that there are some really obvious typos- and I mean, really, really devastating typos. There was one recipe where a one was added to the left of a number, leaving you to put in ten times as much baking soda. There was another one where the editor said "tablespoons" when they meant "teaspoons." These are pretty huge errors in a book like this. So I'd recommend as you go along making sure the recipe makes sense before throwing everything in there. Most of the mistakes that I have found so far are pretty obvious if you've ever baked something before.
January 27, 2012
I'm not the baker in the house, but I got this for my husband as a gift and it has become his go-to baking book. Great layout, photos, and a wonderful variety of recipes. Ben has made a lot of what's in this book over the past year (I've made a couple) and it's all been delicious (especially the peach melba muffins, nectarine galette, cinnamon muffins, and Mississippi mud pie --- best damn pie we and everyone at our family Christmas dinner had ever eaten). Of course, it helps that he's a talented baker anyway :). In short: he seems to really love the book, and as someone on the receiving end of the recipes within, I can vouch for their quality. The only fault we've found is that the recipes for toppings are frequently out of proportion to the main component -- use your judgement here. If it sounds like way too much (or too little), it probably is.
September 13, 2007
So far, I've tried four recipes out of this book and they were all excellent. I've limited myself to muffins (the first chapter) but will soon be moving on to breads. I'm even inspired to attempt their sourdough.
July 6, 2011
want to own this book!
July 29, 2011
This series is very well produced and the recipes do tend to work out--just not especially imainative
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews