The Fearless Baker: Simple Secrets for Baking Like a Pro

Top food stylist and popular baking columnist shares her baking secrets.When people see Erin McDowell frost a perfect layer cake, weave a lattice pie crust, or pull a rich loaf of brioche from the oven, they often act as though performed culinary magic. not a baker,they tell her. But in fact, expert baking is not at all unattainable, nor is it as inflexible as most people assume. The key to freedom is to understand the principles behind how ingredients interact and how classic methods work. Once these concepts are mastered, favorite recipes can be altered and personalized almost endlessly.With the assurance born out of years of experience, McDowell shares insider tips and techniques that make desserts taste as good as they look. With recipes from flourless cocoa cookies and strawberry-filled popovers (easy), through apple cider pie and black-bottom (medium), to a statuesque layer cake crowned with caramelized popcorn (difficult), and make-ahead sidebars with each recipe, this exciting, carefully curated collection will appeal to beginning and experienced bakers alike. The paragraph on page 18 is a continuation of the paragraph on page 15 on leavening agents. pages 16 and 17 are on different information (eggs and sugar) and are a different color to indicate they are extra information

ERIN JEANNE MCDOWELL is a bestselling author, recipe developer, and teacher with a specialized focus on baking. She’s contributed to New York Times Cooking, The Washington Post, Better Homes and Gardens, Food Network, and more. She was a baking coach on the Netflix series The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge. She is the author of The Fearless Baker, which was named one of the Best Baking Books of 2017 by The New York Times; The Book on Pie, a New York Times bestseller; and Savory Baking. She previously hosted the award–winning series Bake It Up a Notch and currently hosts Happy Baking on YouTube. She lives and works in Kansas City, Missouri.