The King Arthur Baking School: Lessons and Recipes for Every Baker

It was only a year and a half ago that King Arthur released their updated and revised version of Baker's Companion. I don't see what this is getting me above and beyond that.

My primary focus is bread, and I have a number of reviews of prominent bread books already published on Amazon. When I browse this book, I don't really see much of anything that I'm going to learn from it in that aspect of baking.

One of the features of this book is the "Master Class" that comes at the end of the chapters. "These 'Master Classes' build upon each chapter's skills, allowing you to apply what you've just learned to a new idea or baked good. These instructors are bona fide experts in their field and very particular about how they approach their craft" (p. xxiii). The Master Class from the yeast bread chapter is Unkneaded Six-Fold French Bread (Baguette) by Jeffrey Hamelman, a former employee of King Arthur. Many of us already have this recipe from Hamelman's "Bread" 2nd edition (p. 272) and/or 3rd edition (p. 284), and this book has been available through King Arthur for years. This is the third time that I've paid money for a book containing this recipe--which can be found for free on King Arthur's website as of the date of this review! The next chapter on sourdough contains a Master Class recipe from James MacGuire called Miche Pointe-a-Calliere. All three editions of Hamelman's "Bread" contain a recipe of this name by MacGuire, thus making this the fourth time that I've paid for a book containing this recipe. These Master Classes are the culmination of the chapters on bread, so you should be able to see two reasons why I have no enthusiasm for this book.

It's going to take some time to assess the rest of this book to determine what exactly was the necessity for it that Baker's Companion cannot provide. If money's tight, then I'd hold off on your purchase until the reviewers have had more time to digest what's here. I'll be happy to update this review if my views change.

I have attended two KA Baking School classes in person, so I was excited to order this book. First, these definitely are really the recipes they teach at their baking school. For the right baker, this is a great book. If you are an average home baker and you want to learn to make things a little more special (croissants, scones, fancier cakes and cookies), this is the perfect book for you. Key steps are illustrated and why you do each step is explained. You do need to read the whole chapter to get all the techniques that you might apply to the given recipes. Don’t just skip straight to the recipes.

If you are actually an advanced home baker who really wants to level up your skills to approaching professional, you are better off purchasing Bread by Jeffery Hamelman or Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michael Saus. Both of these books are professional textbooks, where you must read extensive background information before you can even approach and understand the recipes. Baking School is the perfect book for people who are intermediate. People who want to actually learn techniques and skills, but who would be overwhelmed by the volume of information in Bread or Advanced Bread and Pastry.

I'll assume --because it's King Arthur-- that the recipes are solid. And the included information will satisfy other baking-geeks like me. Three stars for that.

Other than that, I don't know what to think, really. I read the book cover-to-cover as soon as it came this morning, then did a deep-dive on my favorite thing to bake (cookies) and the one thing I want to learn to bake (bread).

The cookie chapter started strong but started to fizzle halfway through: recipes that tell me I can customize the flavor but there is no optional flavor to change. How much? Which type? Information about crucial steps (like creaming) explained AFTER the recipe, with no mention in the recipe that the information follows. I would not have known had I not read the entire book, not just the recipe. And some of the included recipes seemed...unique for an all-around cookie guide.

But it was the bread chapter that lost me. Recipes refer to instructions ten pages away. Photos included with recipes are numbered but the numbers don't correspond to the recipe steps and there is no text explaining what is pictured. In-depth information about why bread is pre-shaped but no actual information on how to do it, except a few sentences and a large photo of...a hand smashing dough? "How to score proofed dough" is randomly placed between sandwich bread and pretzels --neither of which are scored. I could go on but I think I've painted a picture.

I don't doubt there is solid information here but there is little guidance as to where it is and when to apply it. The book itself (just under 3#) is physically lighter than their Whole Grain Baking (4#); I was expecting a tome of comparable size when I ordered.

UPDATE- I made the Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls recipe ( Game Changer) These are pillowy and delicious 🤤. My first time making cinnamon rolls. I’ve always been intimidated by yeasty doughs. But with this book its so simple. I did make the icing with a whole block cream cheese to make it just tangy and lightly sweet. Seriously 😳 happy 😊 KA products are my family favorite. I have their revised Baker’s Companion cookbook also worth buying. What I like about this company is that they give you tried and tested recipes that will work and they tell you how to make them and what to do in case something goes west. It would have been nice to have it in ebook. I usually buy from google play store my ebooks. But it was almost $50 and to buy it in printed form was $35 on top of that they had a 5 off coupon on Amazon. So $30 lol. But I did see the ebook version but returned it. The printed version is so MUCH NICER! Btw Target sells their flours in store at a great price as does Walmart.

Normally when I review a cookbook I first read it cover to cover and then cook several recipes from it. Yesterday morning I received notice from King Arthur that their latest book, Baking School, had been released. Twenty minutes later I happened into a local store and found a stack about a foot high of the books. I left with a good chunk of the stack. One for me and one for each of my daughters.

I don't need to bake anything from this particular book to tell you how wonderful it is because I've been baking some of these recipes for decades. Let me tell you about three of them:

One of the jewels of the Cakes chapter is a recipe for a Lemon Bundt Cake. Substitute 2 teaspoons of vanilla for the lemon and you have my old and much beloved friend 1234 Cake. I first made 1234 cake at Aunt Beulah's knee the year that I was two. When we moved I made it with my mother - I did all the work while she stood by to run the mixer. That cake has been the base for every family wedding cake, birthday cake, my Grandma's Fresh Coconut Cake that appears at Thanksgiving and Easter, the annual Christmas Fruitcake and my own special Butternut Cake with Malted Milk Frosting. 1234 Cake has been around for nearly 200 years and it is infinitely adaptable. If you bake it with all purpose flour its similar to a poundcake. Substitute cake flour and it is closer to a "bakery cake." The King Arthur recipe specifies a bundt pan, but the recipe will also make a 9 x 13, 3 round cake layers 8" or 9" in diameter or a couple of dozen cupcakes.

Pizza is a huge favorite in our house. My SIL could live on pizza and many an older child's or teen's party has featured Make Your Own Pizza. I've been using the Pizza Dough recipe featured in Baking School for longer than I can remember. I like my pizza on the thin side, so I get two 14" pizzas from the batch of dough. Why go to the trouble to make your own pizza or pizza dough? In my neck of the woods even the very cheapest 1 topping pizza runs to $8 or so. Even a frozen pizza is nearly that much these days. A good pizza is closer to $15, more if you want more than one topping. Sure, you can buy a ball of dough at the grocery store - but enough dough for a single pizza is going to run $2. You can make the dough for at least 4 pizzas yourself for that with very little investment in time.

Last but hardly least is King Arthur's recipe for Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls. This was the King Arthur Recipe of the Year for 2021 and I've made many a batch. The recipe utilizes the tangzhong method of bread baking, which makes a very fluffy product. I've been baking these since King Arthur first sent the recipe out. They're delightful as is but the dough is very adaptable - add raisins or nuts if you prefer or let your imagination run wild. (Mincemeat makes a stunning sweet roll filling.)

I noticed that one reviewer commented that the book does not tell you how to vary recipes. Her complaint was specifically about cookie recipes. Over the years I've learned that there are two kinds of cooks - those that follow a recipe exactly and those that are more than willing to experiment, to substitute if they don't have exact ingredients, to change things up to suit themselves. Not long after I was married my Grandma came to visit. I had made a peach pie, which she loved. Grandma left with the recipe stating it would make a marvelous rhubarb pie. She never made that peach pie, but every rhubarb pie she ever made for the rest of her life used my "peach pie" recipe. It is this kind of baker that King Arthur aims to help you become and there are plenty of notes, charts and tips for substituting one thing for another. You'll find a handy chart in the Pie chapter that tells you how much of which sort of thickener (you can thicken pie filling with a number of different things) to use with which fruit (some are juicier than others). If you pay attention in the Cookie chapter you'll find several comments about substituting or adding various ingredients according to your own whim.

One thing to note: The book gives measurements in metrics, not "American Standard." - and that is a GOOD things. No matter where you go in the world you can easily find a metric scale. The entire world measures in metrics. Except us here in the USA. At the time the world changed to metrics as the standard back in the 70s the government thought that it would be too difficult for American women to change to metrics. (You can read that as they thought we were too stupid.) I've taught the metric system to hundreds of community college students over the years, mostly in the context of chemistry. I always start with "If you can spend money you can do metrics." With a $10 metric scale you don't even need to know the math. (Don't get the one with the built in bowl.). If you insist, they do also give standard US measurements, but if you'll give metrics a try you'll find it quicker & easier.

King Arthur Baking School will give you a good basic knowledge of how to bake breads, pies, cakes & cookies. You'll find detailed instructions for making various "laminated" pastries & a few others that pretend to be difficult - Croissants, Danish, Baklava, Macrons and more - and even if you've been baking for decades like I have you'll learn a trick or two.

I've been feeding a family on a shoestring for most of my life. The single quickest, easiest way that I know of to lower your grocery bill drastically is to learn to bake. Baking School is a great place to start!

Very Highly Recommended

I bought this for my wife who has enjoyed baking for all of our 53 years together. Even though her skill level is top notch in breads and pastries, even she is learning many new tricks and techniques from studying this book. She is now talking about going to the King Arthur school for a week. Oh well, it's only money.

“Santa” got this for me and my husband this year for Christmas; we’re working our way through it as our “date night” activity for 2023. Ho, ho, ho! Happy baking!

What a fun way to start fall and winter - learning the tricks behind your baking ventures. This appears to be a great roadmap for making that happen. I had ordered this book which came fairly quickly, but loosely thrown in a standard box. Result - looked like trash and I would not even put this in a back room. The replacement copy came in Amazon book wrap which held it firmly and delivered it in pristine condition. When buying books for self or others appearance does make a difference!

I have been baking bread for years, but this book has so many great ideas for different types. Really helps with understanding the science behind the recipes, in other words how sometimes my bread turns out so much better than other times.
Love the multiple bread chapters, yeast, sour dough, and quick.
I drool over the ideas for Pies and tarts. Maybe it is time to try pastries again. There is always a need for cookies.
I do not make cakes very often, but the hows and whys in the book will make me a better cake baker when I do.

The book is great. A super cross section of baking. Cannot wait to get baking...but the packaging Amazon did was terrible. A huge box with book floating around do damaged corners. Not suitable for gift giving. Please ask them to protect book more when packing. Thankfully this was for me so damage not big deal but could not give as a gift. Please let them know.
Many thanks!