In the name of full disclosure, I have loved Julia Child since I was little and my mother and I would watch Cooking with Julia and The Frugal Gourmet on PBS. My mother gave be a battered copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking & The Joy of Cooking when I grew up and fled the nest. I like to cook. That being said, I’ve never been much of a baker. I borrowed this book after my son asked me how bread is made so that we could make bread together, thinking it would be returning to the library soon after. I never in a million years thought I would end up making my way through almost every recipe in the starter breads section, and yet I have. I can’t wait to get into the other sections. This book is wonderful! An entire baking education! Factual, informative and easy to use- I love the indexes. There’s a recipe for gingerbread that has espresso and black pepper in it that the family decimated over the holidays. There’s another for croissants I’m working my way up to. The biggest surprise for me is that I have found baking the bread almost as satisfying as eating the bread! It has become and easy part of our weekend rituals that everyone in my house loves.
– Alexis S.

Good book, great recipes.

This book was sitting next to me when I found out Julia Child had passed away.

I made an amazing danish braid out of this book - I would love to steal it/buy it and make more things if that spectacular puff pastry monstrosity was any indicator.

So comforting (and carb-laden...)

I recently made the Semolina Bread recipe from this book--it was fabulous!!

I love this baking book, even if I almost never use it. A lot of the recipes are complicated/difficult/take too long for a busy life, but if you have and take the time, they are wonderful.

A companion to the television series, this book has recipes from diverse bakers. Written in Dorie's voice with Julia's name and blessing, it's pretty classic. Library checkout