Bouchon Bakery (Thomas Keller Library) Hardcover – 23 Oct. 2012

I bought this book for my wife as she loves baking but I thought this book might help her take her baking to `the next level'.She is a very competent baker but not especially refined, having seen the Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas she was inspired... and hence this book seemed perfect for her.Some quick things to note about the book (which I've tried to explain in more depth below):-It's a BIG book. Not too practical for the kitchen worktop-Each recipe is richly illustrated with lovely photos, really helps you know what you're working towards-Lots of information / recipe stories to read through should you want to-Perfect for passionate and confident bakers / Thomas Keller fans, perhaps not for beginners or those looking for a quick and easy baking book-All recipes have precise measurements in grams, but also American equivalents available too if using cups (although they do tell you to throw your measuring cups away!)-There are notes on the majority of recipes for `professionals'Firstly it's worth noting this book's size: it is very large and not especially practical if you wanted to use this in the kitchen and are limited on space.The book is also fairly text heavy in places, with a lot of information but my wife is very passionate about food so has devoured this information with glee. It gives a lot of context not only to the recipes but also Thomas Keller's development and training as a baker, and passes some tips on along the way. Well worth the investment of time in reading I think if you want to get the most from this book.I have uploaded a couple of images of typical recipe pages but in general they all have accompanying photos and are laid out in a very practical, easy to follow way. The images are so inspirational although they almost put my wife off doing some of them, thinking she wouldn't be able to achieve the same results.My wife's favourite recipe by far is for the TKOs, we didn't have the special coco powder but the results were so very tasty, and if you like OREOs you will adore these.All in all I would recommend this book for those with a real passion for baking / are fans of Thomas Keller and his Bouchon Bakery, perhaps not for those are looking for some basic bakery recipes.

I have to admit that Thomas Keller is one of my favorite authors, so my review will be a little biased as Bouchon is one my most loved and used cookbooks from my substantial collection. What I particularly appreciate from Keller is his combination of engaging prose that precedes most recipes and chapters, his attention to detail that ensures perfect results every time, and his genuine love for cooking and sharing his knowledge that never comes off as pretentious or unattainable. Bouchon Bakery is no different, and I can tell from my first read-though that this will be one of my favorite baking books.Keller's co-authors, Sebastien Rouxel and Matthew McDonald, have contributed a great selection of recipes and tips. Rouxel is the executive pastry chef and McDonald is the head baker. The recipes run the gamut from all-American cookies, cakes, and muffins, to French classics including choux pastry, laminated doughs, and macarons. There is also a chapter on bread and a final chapter on candy and confections.The cookbook includes 150 recipes indepth pastries and breads. Some like the Pear Feuilletes, made with homemade puff pastry, are geared to the more skilled baker. But there are plenty of others such as the Chocolate Chunk and Chip Cookies that novice bakers will embrace.And despite there being measurements in the book, As The Chef himself quoted "throw out your measuring cups! Always use a kitchen scale." He bemoans that their publisher made them keep the measuring cups in it. He explains that the result of reducing the bakery's large recipes meant exact measurements, like 154 grams. Don't round it to 150 grams. That way, if the recipe is doubled, it is still correct. If you start rounding the recipes, you'll be 20 or 30 grams over or under when you scale the recipe up or down. And as we know with the Chemistry behind baking is Precision. It's all about understanding precision in the bakeryWhat I especially like is the combination of old and new, simple and advanced. The vast majority of recipes call for your basic baking ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, butter. However, there is at least one (Peppermint Patties) that uses tramoline, fondax, and invertase. You don't have to be super into molecular gastronomy to see the fun in trying new things once in awhile!Of course, coming from professionals, these recipes and techniques can seem....a bit testing....from time to time. If your goal is turning out perfect and perfectly uniform pastries that would be right at home on the shelves of Bouchon bakery or in the bread basket of the French Laundry, you can do that. I may make most of these recipes exactly as prescribed, but I doubt you will be piping cream puffs into silicon molds and topping with special baking cookies.All in all, I'm looking forward to cooking my way through this book. Though maybe not as much as my better half, friends, and colleagues are!Well worth the purchase price as are all Keller's publications, Hope you enjoy a busy cooking festive season.

It takes pride of place on my book shelf in the kitchenIt's informative and enlightening on the processes of baking both for pleasure of if you want to apply it to a more commercial application.All the recipes are advised to use a kitchen aid artisan as that's what they have been tested with. But I don't own one and I 've still gotten very good results from using a hand mixer or just plain elbow grease.Pictures are beautiful and add to the quality of information presented especially with how to fold battards correctly etc..It's worth the money and the first recipe of pecan sandies which is like a shortbread with pecans only using icing sugar instead of caster sugar, will have you salivating so much, that you will make them before anything else. And they will forever be a staple of your cookie jar as they only take 5 mins to knock up.The other recipes are equally delightful although they do advocate have digital scales which can be zero'd.I had mechanical scales but went a brought a digital one as it is important to get the correct weights to ensure the best results.Treat yourself and buy it.