There's simply no excuse not to bake, judging from the step-by-step, you-can-do-this books published this year.
Leading the pack is "Bread Illustrated" ($29.95) from the detail-obsessed folks at America's Test Kitchen. It is, as billed, illustrated and helpful for when you're looping kaiser rolls. But it also teaches with notes on "why this recipe works." Don't let the vast verbiage intimidate. You'll appreciate every word of instruction. A dozen "foolproof breads" set the stage.
Rye lovers have a treasure in "The Rye Baker" by Stanley Ginsberg (Norton, $35). Ginsberg is meticulous, with a level of science, history and research that almost overwhelms. Yet many bakers yearn for such well-informed detail, especially about a particular grain such as rye. Some 70 classic recipes illuminate rye's place in world baking. This is a book for a winter's mastery.
Adventure awaits with "Breaking Breads: A New World of Israeli Baking" by Uri Scheft (Artisan, $35). Whole chapters on challah and babka reveal a wide world beyond most bakery shelves. Creativity tweaks the classics with diversions such as beet hamantaschen. No matter your heritage, this collection will expand your horizons.
Tradition gets its due in "Classic German Baking" by Luisa Weiss (Ten Speed, $35). Weiss, who blogs from Berlin as the Wednesday Chef, collected a home baker's bible of German breads, sweets, savories and Christmas favorites. Hefty head notes for each recipe provide context while setting a conversational tone. An essential collection for Germans, and worthwhile for all.
Kate McDermott's Pie Camps in Port Angeles, Wash., attract scads of students. Now, here's the textbook. "Art of the Pie" (Countryman, $35) covers pies both sweet and savory, with a dozen crusts, including vegan and gluten-free. McDermott is chatty with a clear goal of instilling confidence, noting that even she rarely rolls out a crust that's perfectly round.
There still are the aspirational tomes. But even the 4½-pound "Patisserie at Home" by Melanie Dupuis and Anne Cazor (Harper Design, $50), with its Vanilla Vacherin and Tropezienne Tart, breaks down each recipe into doable steps. The authors even note "tricky aspects," which is charmingly frank. Not for novices, but catnip for the ambitious baker.
For stories with a side of recipes, Twenty-Five" (Andrews McMeel, $25) is a delight. The editors of Bake magazine profile 25 of "America's essential bakery and pastry artisans," among them locals Solveig Tofte of Sun Street Breads and Michelle Gayer of Salty Tart Bakery, standing tall with the likes of Dominique Ansel and Christina Tosi. Shuttle this one between the bedside table and your kitchen.
