The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook

by King Arthur Baking Company (Editor)

Every kitchen comes equipped with a fundamental, dependable cookbook classic such as Joy of Cooking or Better Homes Gardens New Cookbook. Now bakers have a modern classic of their own. From leavening, mixing, proofing, and kneading, through shaping and baking, the experts at King Arthur Flour lead you through hundreds of easy and foolproof recipes from tricky yeast breads and sourdoughs, to trendy flatbreads and crackers, to family favorites such as pancakes and waffles. They also present fried doughs, quick breads, batter breads, biscuits, quiches, cobblers and crisps, cookies, cakes, brownies, pies, tarts, and pastries. For more than 200 years King Arthur Flour has been in the business of making the highest quality key ingredient in all of baking: flour. They've done decades of experimentation and research in their famous test kitchens on how the various ingredients in baked goods behave and why. The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion now brings you more than 350 recipes that will teach you which ingredients work together, as well as what doesn't, and why. It is this knowledge that will allow you to unleash your own creativity and to experiment in the kitchen. You'll get a complete overview of ingredients in chapters on flours, sweeteners, leavens, fats, and more. You'll find information on substitutions and variations, as well as troubleshooting advice from the pros at King Arthur. Recipes are enhanced with sidebars that share baking secrets and provide clear-step-by-step instructions, and each recipe is accompanied by a detailed nutritional analysis. Techniques are further explained with easy-to-follow illustrations by culinary illustrator Laura Hartman Maestro. The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion is the definitive kitchen resource. Exhaustive in scope, authoritative in style, and offering clear, practical, and encouraging instruction, it is the one book you'll turn to every time you bake. Like your set of measuring cups and favorite wooden spoon, it will become an essential kitchen tool. No kitchen in America should be without a copy.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Wine, Cuisine

620 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2003

Reviews

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best cookbook I have ever owned. Forget Better Homes and Gardens and America's Test Kitchen; for a beginning baker, this is the one to get.

Almost every recipe comes out quite good, and several have been excellent. The White Bread 101 recipe makes the best rolls I have ever eaten, the Apple Maple Walnut Cobbler is so easy and tastes so satisfying, the soft wrap bread is so tasty and versatile - it can serve as both naan or a wrap for tacos, the pumpkin pie is delicious and I don't even like pumpkin pie! (The only recipe I really did not like was the all star muffins. They were too bland. However it is entirely possible I messed something up).

I love that the book goes into detail about why certain techniques should be used - that was something I had often found missing from online recipes and other books. There is also an informative section at the back on ingredients commonly used in baking that I have referenced often.

I'm pretty picky when it comes to recipes. I would say 9 times out of 10 when I make a recipe from another cookbook or an online source, I am disappointed. No one wants to waste time and resources on mediocre food. With this baking book, however, I am almost always pleased with the results.

And as far as there being few pictures: ignore anyone who claims this is a serious detriment to the book. Yes, pictures are pretty, but do you want pretty pictures of food, or do you want to make delicious food? The recipes and their descriptions are inspiring on their own. You can look at pictures on Pinterest! :)

[Mary Mcelveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you bake, you need this book. It could be subtitled "Everything You Need to Know about Flour and the Baking Process". From the difference between hard and soft wheat to the reasons behind every step in the baking process, it is all here. Excellent reference, and excellent recipes. If I were forced to winnow (some wheat humor, there) my collection down to 5-10 cookbooks, this would be among them.

[Rodica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got the book, so the rating is less for the recipes I tried and tested and more for the amazing selection, and very clear instructions. Can’t wait to try things out, will start with some yeasted Belgian waffles over the weekend.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a really good book. I give it 3.5 stars; four just seems too high. This is a thick book full of accurate recipes. Anyone who is into cooking knows it is a pain when measurements given do not result into a good final product. All of the recipes I have tried so far are excellent. The biscotti recipes are really great especially when dipped in chocolate ;). One of my biggest complaints for this book is the set up of the recipes and pictures. For such a large cookbook there are very few pictures of the final product. I mean VERY few. The pictures are also exhiled to only certain parts of the book, and are not next to their particular recipe. FAIL Sir Arthur. I am currently working on a cookbook (I also take the photos). It is time consuming but I know that the finished product will be of the highest quality. As a cookbook consumer I want a picture for every recipe. Overall the recipes that I have tried are excellent. The photo problem is a problem for me. It felt like this book had no soul to it. Do I recommend this book even with its faults? Yup

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bake with King Arthur flour, so when I saw this newly revised cookbook I knew I wanted to check it out. It's HUGE at over 550 pages and very comprehensive. This is one I will likely buy because it's got so many recipes from basic to advanced and tips along the way. This would be a great cookbook to give as a wedding gift because it's one you could use year after year. There were several recipes I'd like to try and sections on sourdough baking and in the pastry chapter it gives step by step instructions for making your own puff pastry that are for more advanced bakers. Overall, I think this would be a great staple cookbook to have at home.

[Rick Segers · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I can quote one of the comments on this book, "if you like to bake then you need this book." It's a grand collection of recipes for baking bread (homemade rye bread yum), pies (the best Key Lime pie recipe I have found) and just about every recipe in the book is great. Couple this with information on their website and with practice you can master most baking skills easily. I know most cookbook fans don't just have one book but when the subject is baking this is the only one you would need.

[Becky Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This baking book is not for beginners! However seasoned bakers will find some amazing formulas and fun baking adventures. In the breakfast section you will find the most amazing basic pancake recipe! Give it a try... If you a new baker check it out of the library first and try some of the formulas and then make a purchase. Happy Baking!!!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so excited that I received this book as a gift at my bridal shower. I love to bake and this is the quintessential baking cookbook. I live at a high altitude and it even has a small section of advice for high altitude bakers. I can not wait to use this exhaustive collection of baking recipes throughout the years.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a "must have" in the kitchen.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some excellent new additions to a magisterial baking book. Updates including gluten-free recipes are great!

[Carolyn Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

originally borrowed this book to save any of the good recipes but after skimming through it i realized that wasn’t enough and i needed to always have a copy in my kitchen. it’s the kind of book you can turn right to the index when you are craving something specific. would absolutely recommend to any baking enthusiast!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I haven't really read the whole thing, but I'm putting on my "Read" shelf anyway. As others have commented, "if you like to bake then you need this book." I'd say it's not for complete beginners, but you certainly don't have to be all that great to make great use of this book. The recipes are clear, the mini-essays on a variety of baking-related topics are excellent, and it's just generally very well done. Bravo, King Arthur! P.S. Get the new (2021) edition.

[Dan Beliveau · Rating 5 out of 5]

IMO, more than a cookbook. It explained the reasoning behind things I understood, but never knew why.
I can't wait to get into these recipes!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every recipe is easy to follow and leaves you with something delicious. Not surprisingly since KA has some of the best recipes, the best flour, and an amazing team bringing baking to the masses.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have gone back and forth about whether or not I wanted to buy this book. I absolutely love King Arthur Flour products and (other than Bob's Red Mill), I don't buy any other brand of their flours. I love their customer service, their recipes and have always had great results. When I had a chance to buy this book for $4 I took it! I hovered over four stars or five stars, for one reason only. There are very few pictures! Gah! As I started to read the book, I got lost in it four a couple of hours. If someone is a beginner baker, there is a plethora of invaluable information-- from how to measure, to baking tips. I flipped through that pretty fast, since I'm between an intermediate and advanced baker. The breakfast section kept my attention for a long while-- so many different pancakes from different parts of the world! I love baking bread, and really enjoyed bookmarking some recipes I'd love to make. I went on their website and found that many of the book recipes are not on their website. This is good and bad. I hate when I buy a cookbook and find that ALL of the recipes are online for free. Then again, sometimes I like to see photos AND read reviews on what people thought. There are plenty of pie, cookie, pastry and cake recipes that I want to make. This will be a cookbook that I will go through more often, whenever that urge to bake hits me. So glad I bought this book, at last.
One last thing-- there are beautiful color photos, in the CENTER of the book. You have to find the page number listed and flip back to see the recipe. Kind of annoying really, but they are quite nice-- what few there are.

[Christi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed with a few recipes, the bagel recipe in particular. After reading reviews for that recipe on KA website, it appears to be written wrong. The crumb coffeecake recipe on page 33 is outstanding though!

[Elsha Haberle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came from a home where homemade bread was rarely produced and I have always wanted to get into bread baking so this is one of the places I started. King Arthur's web page is another. This book offered excellent information and tips about bread making. I only thoroughly read the yeast bread section since the book is probably 600 pages or more. I came out understanding the science behind baking and yeast a little better. I've attempted quite a few loaves in the past few weeks and none of them have turned out inedible. Needless to say, it also has tons and tons of recipes. It also offers in depth information and tips about all types of cooking: quick breads, muffins, crackers, sweet breads, sour dough, cookies, cakes, pies, etc...all the things we love to eat but probably shouldn't. My absolute favorite part is right at the beginning where it details baking at high altitudes...information I could have used 15 years ago when I made cookies at least once a month. I highly recommend this book to any baker. Don't say I didn't warn you about it size though. It's huge!! And yes, I knowingly put two exclamation points for a reason.

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic, comprehensive cookbook. The recipes range vastly from simple cookies to more involved puff pastry and sourdough, and the variety of flavor combinations means that just about everyone will find something to suit their fancy. The two recipes I tried while I had had this book (Hot Milk Cake and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins) were outstanding in their flavor and texture, and I love the attention paid to the science of these recipes and baking in general. The last section of the book is devoted to ingredients and techniques, and delves in depth into the chemistry and mechanics of baking--and truly enlightening resource for bakers of all skill levels. One note of interest to some bakers is that there is little to no attention given in this book to wheat- or gluten-free options/recipes.

This is one borrowed library book that I thought seriously about purchasing, but in the end, I decided I needn't add it to my overflowing cookbook shelf, as the King Arthur website is so complete and such a great resource. This company will forever be one of my go-to resources for baking, whether through the website or cookbook.

[Marie Z Johansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In reality there is "finish date" for this book since I use it weekly.....

This book is one of my number one resources for all things baking. I had been a King Arthur customer in the past and already owned their Cookie Cookbook (another 5 star + book imho) and had, in the past, printed many of their "Bakers Companion" recipes.

I find that King Arthur is a generous company. There is a wealth of information, recipes, reviews, hunts, tips and tricks and recipe comments in their amazing website. In fact many of the recipes in this book are available on their site.

I realized that I wanted to own this book for the treasure trove of information and nearly fail proof recipes that it contains. Any recipe that I have tried using the book has turned out well and I credit using this book to be what led to, at long last, baking successful round artisan loaves (complete with crunchy crust) in my home oven.

There are a few baking me bread related books that are stand-outs to me and this is one of them.

I ❤️this book!

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly comprehensive with a lot, a lot of detail. Not as much as the Bread Bible, but still. My only complaint (besides the unwavering use of potato flour - I'm sorry, but who the hell has potato flour?) is that the book tries to cover so many areas, and in doing so, doesn't get really deep on yeasted breads. I could give a shit about cakes and cookies, you know?

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of an excellent series by King Arthur on baking--having been to their store in Northfield a number of times, I can see that they have alot of experience with baking and took a long time to go from there to doing cookbooks, which is a good way to do it--these recipes work and are delicious

[Michael Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best!! My newest passion as a beginner is to acquire baker's skills specifically with yeasted bread. To date I've made three separate such recipes and they all have been successful. This week I made a yeasted cheese bread that was incredible. I plan to explore more of the KA baking recipes. I also now only order my baking supplies through KA. Highest quality.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best cookbook ever! Every recipe I've tried has been excellent. Of course it's all about flour, so it only has breads, scones, muffins, cookies, pizza crust and pancakes...stuff like that. It's excellent though.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the recipes but the book itself was absurdly huge, making it difficult to read a recipe from it without it spontaneously closing.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference for all things baking.

[Trang · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was ok in terms of recipes. The list of what you can make with flour can get interesting. Too bad that it does not have any visual so I quickly lost my interests in reading it thoroughly

[Ellen Spes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted more breads less other stuff

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little complex for the beginner baker. But some really great recipes too. Worth a look.

[Tiffiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treasure trove! Growing up, I used Gold Medal flour and I continued to use that until just a few years ago. It's a great flour. But, switching to King Arthur has been a great decision. They have a lovely website, a fun instagram, and awesome recipes.

Over the years, I have saved many King Arthur recipes to my Pinterest. I was happy to see many of them in this cookbook. Often King Arthur recipes call for some special King Arthur ingredient, and I was pleased that the recipes in this book do not.

Another book that is great for all levels, especially since they have bits on measuring, weights, high altitude, tools, and a huge section on ingredients.

This also contains the 2020 recipe of the year! Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza! Which is quite delicious.

[Tara Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cover image on here could use an update. The new edition of the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion contains useful information based on feedback and experiences. There are tips for all styles of baking. There are example photos in the center of the book but not on each recipe. While I understand that in terms of publishing costs, it's not really helpful to have any photos if they're not easily identified with a recipe. I enjoy the book and recipes a lot. But if you're not married to the idea of a paper cookbook, you'll find that the recipes on the King Arthur website are the same (and using the website might be easier than the book.)