I consider myself a competent baker but by no means an expert. But every time I watch baking competitions shows and fantasize about taking my baking to the next level, I get a bit overwhelmed. Who, me? Make my own puff pastry? Enter Anna Olson's Baking Wisdom: an accessible, elegant baking bible with clear instructions and gorgeous photos that guide you through the foundations and prepare you to tackle impressive, delicious recipes.

If you've ever watched Anna Olson on TV, you can almost feel her gentle encouragement as you work through this book. The reference material at the front of the book is clearly organized and includes a ton of useful info, including info on baking tools, a glossary of baking terms, and nuances on ingredients. This includes info on substitutions for people who are looking to avoid dairy, gluten, gelatin and more. As a baker who's lactose intolerant and sometimes struggled to figure out when it's appropriate to substitute what kind of non-dairy milk, I really appreciated this guidance. All the essential skills are also covered, from tempering chocolate to caramelizing sugar, to separating eggs. And if you're still not convinced you can do it without making a mistake, fear not! There's a section on repairing issues that tells you what to do when you overwhip cream or your chocolate seizes.

The recipe section is broken down into different types of baking, with step-by-step photos that really make even the more challenging recipes feel approachable. There are a variety of gorgeous-looking pies, breads, cakes, and confections. I can't wait to try making the onion, herb and parmesan upside-down cake and the blueberry & Greek yogurt breakfast galette!

Highly recommend this book for beginner bakers, as well as those like me looking to fine-tune their baking and try new, more complex recipes.

Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.