We bake. Baking brings us joy and a sense of accomplishment. We choose to bake even though nearly anything we might ever want to eat is available ready-made, and often can be delivered to us at the click of a button. We find pleasure in baking a birthday cake and taking the time to frost and decorate it. To nurture a sourdough starter for bread. To tinker with a cookie dough recipe until it’s perfect. Why do we do it?
Because baking is an expression of love and care—a way to nourish those around us, and a way to ground ourselves in the tangible act of creating something real. And it’s personal: When you bake, you can tailor a recipe to your own tastes. Do you like fudgy brownies with a shiny crust or cakey ones with a hint of espresso? Do you want less salt or more? Do you like your coffeecake less sweet or loaded with extra streusel? Your chocolate chip cookies crunchy or chewy? When you bake, it’s all up to you.
But what if you never learned to bake? Or you have learned, but aren’t totally satisfied with the results? You may not have had a grandmother gently guiding your hands as you rolled out your first pie crust—and even if you did, perhaps you’ve forgotten most of what she showed you. That’s where The All-Purpose Baker's Companion comes in. In this book, you’ll find the recipes and solid, reliable information that you need to become a top-notch baker, one who makes the lightest and most tender pancakes, the richest chocolate cake, and an apple pie that’ll bring people to tears. You’ll make oatmeal cookies better than any you’ve ever tasted, and your yeast breads will rival those of the local bakery.
Let this book be your guide as you walk a path followed by so many from around the world for thousands of years. You’re a link in a limitless line of bakers: the sticky bun recipe you pass along to your children today will continue to be shared long after you’re gone. And the guiding hand you place atop a friend’s as she kneads her first batch of bread dough will in turn be placed atop another’s someday. We here at King Arthur take our responsibility to bakers seriously; as America’s oldest flour company, founded in 1790, we are committed to both preserving a treasured baking heritage and helping to forge its future.
This cookbook is an integral part of that preservation. In the years since its first publication, it has become an essential piece of so many kitchens. In 2019, we set out on a mission to bring a new, updated version of this beloved cookbook to bakers everywhere. We sought to preserve the incredible voice and knowledge that has made the original cookbook so beloved. We listened to the stories of readers who have cherished the recipes within these pages—recipes that are touchstones of family traditions, important memories, and more. We wanted to respect those traditions, while ensuring that every recipe holds up to the test of time. We’ve grown as a company and we’ve applied the lessons of the past decades to this book, polishing and perfecting each word. You’ll find that we’ve added some favorite new recipes and new information for bakers on topics like whole grain and gluten-free baking. We hope you find it as useful as generations of bakers have before you, and that it becomes a delicious part of the fabric of your life for the years ahead.
The bakers of King Arthur Baking Company