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Pie in the Sky Successful Baking at High Altitudes: 100 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Breads, and Pastries Home-tested for Baking at Sea Level, 3,000, 5,000, 7,000, and 10,000 feet
Do your cakes collapse, soufflés slump, cookies crumble, and fruit pies fail? For those living at high altitude, baking can be a challenge at best, or a total disaster. More than thirty-four of the fifty United States, plus many Canadian regions, have cities and towns at altitudes of more than 2,500 feet, yet there are hardly any cookbooks that address the special needs of these local bakers. Until now. Award-winning cookbook author Susan G. Purdy has finally written the first-ever foolproof guide to high-altitude baking. Purdy has actually "gone there and done that," staying as long as it took to bake these recipes to perfection at five different locations -- and elevations -- across thecountry. In Pie in the Sky , Purdy leaves behind old conversion tables, disproves many oft-repeated calculations and adjustments, and presents reliable recipes in their entirety for each altitude. She takes out the tinkering and guarantees success at any height. In addition, she explains the hows and whys, gives tips and hints for problems specific to every altitude, and generally demystifies the subject of atmospheric obstacles that cause favorite recipes to flop. Whether they live in the eastern mountains or the far west, in Boston, Massachusetts; Boone, North Carolina; or Santa Fe, New Mexico; home bakers as well as experienced chefs will love the wide range of easy-to-make treats including Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie, Coconut Cake with Coconut Icing, Paradise Peak Chocolate Soufflé, Vail Lemon-Poppy Seed Loaf, Celestial Challah, and Sour Cream Streusel Coffee Cake. Every recipe was tested at sea level (Connecticut), 3,000 feet (North Carolina and Virginia), 5,000 feet (Idaho and Colorado), 7,000 feet (New Mexico), and 10,000 feet (Colorado) and can be used at these elevations or any points in between.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 4, 2018
Updated - see bold text
If you love to bake, regardless of what altitude you live at, you’ll want to check this book out!
I grew up in Minnesota (970 ft), and baking was something I enjoyed doing from an early age. When I moved to Colorado (5,300 ft) baking wasn’t so easy. I tweaked a few recipes over the years, but it just wasn’t the same; until now.
I’ve never read a cookbook, outside of the recipes themselves, so I have nothing to compare this book too in that regard. However, I really enjoyed reading about Susan’s journey in perfecting the recipes at various altitudes, and the debunking/supporting of various high altitude baking myths and tricks. Susan talks about proteins and fats and how adding more of this and less of that can help strengthen your baked goods. This was all very educational for me.
I’ve only tried four of the recipes so far and they were all delicious! I’m looking forward to trying more of the recipes in this book.
1. Mom’s Blueberry Muffins – These were light, fluffy, and had such a wonderful taste. Easily my favorite!
2. Spicy Santa Fe Corn Bread – This had such great flavor, and I plan to make these again in the fall with hatch chili's.
3. Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Icing – The cake was light, fluffy, and moist, and after the blueberry muffins it’s my next favorite recipe. I’m not a big fan of bitter things, so I was hesitant to make the bittersweet icing. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I think next time I’ll try the mocha buttercream icing.
4. Trout Dale Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies – A tasty and chewy oatmeal cookie – delicious!
5. Black-and-White Chocolate Chip Cookies - These are so good they will bring a tear to your eye. Be careful because it's difficult to eat just one! I love how Purdy doesn't use too much sugar in her recipes!
6. Breckenridge Biscuits - I've never made biscuits before and these were not only easy to make but insanely delicious! Purdy gives you tips on how to keep the texture of the biscuit light and fluffy.
If you love to bake, regardless of what altitude you live at, you’ll want to check this book out!
I grew up in Minnesota (970 ft), and baking was something I enjoyed doing from an early age. When I moved to Colorado (5,300 ft) baking wasn’t so easy. I tweaked a few recipes over the years, but it just wasn’t the same; until now.
I’ve never read a cookbook, outside of the recipes themselves, so I have nothing to compare this book too in that regard. However, I really enjoyed reading about Susan’s journey in perfecting the recipes at various altitudes, and the debunking/supporting of various high altitude baking myths and tricks. Susan talks about proteins and fats and how adding more of this and less of that can help strengthen your baked goods. This was all very educational for me.
I’ve only tried four of the recipes so far and they were all delicious! I’m looking forward to trying more of the recipes in this book.
1. Mom’s Blueberry Muffins – These were light, fluffy, and had such a wonderful taste. Easily my favorite!
2. Spicy Santa Fe Corn Bread – This had such great flavor, and I plan to make these again in the fall with hatch chili's.
3. Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Icing – The cake was light, fluffy, and moist, and after the blueberry muffins it’s my next favorite recipe. I’m not a big fan of bitter things, so I was hesitant to make the bittersweet icing. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I think next time I’ll try the mocha buttercream icing.
4. Trout Dale Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies – A tasty and chewy oatmeal cookie – delicious!
5. Black-and-White Chocolate Chip Cookies - These are so good they will bring a tear to your eye. Be careful because it's difficult to eat just one! I love how Purdy doesn't use too much sugar in her recipes!
6. Breckenridge Biscuits - I've never made biscuits before and these were not only easy to make but insanely delicious! Purdy gives you tips on how to keep the texture of the biscuit light and fluffy.
January 14, 2014
Most of the high-altitude baking advice is limited to add more water and/or flour, but in fact there are several variables, including the amount of leavening and acidity. I love that Susan Purdy took the time to figure out precisely which adjustments are needed at a variety of altitudes.
The only thing that keeps this from being a 5-star review is that there is a major change BETWEEN 7000' and 10000' which are the last two high altitude environments that she tests at. And I live at 8200' and thus don't know which version (or something in between) will work for me. That being said at least her recipes get me closer.
The recipe for biscuits is simple and effective. I still have trouble with chocolate chip cookies, but I think it may be more rooted in the temperature/consistency of the butter by the time I put them in the oven.
Besides the recipes, there is a touch of memoir in the writing. She spends some time talking about her experiences in the various places and the method of her experimentation.
Perhaps if she wants to do a second edition, I'll offer her our house as a new elevation data point.
The only thing that keeps this from being a 5-star review is that there is a major change BETWEEN 7000' and 10000' which are the last two high altitude environments that she tests at. And I live at 8200' and thus don't know which version (or something in between) will work for me. That being said at least her recipes get me closer.
The recipe for biscuits is simple and effective. I still have trouble with chocolate chip cookies, but I think it may be more rooted in the temperature/consistency of the butter by the time I put them in the oven.
Besides the recipes, there is a touch of memoir in the writing. She spends some time talking about her experiences in the various places and the method of her experimentation.
Perhaps if she wants to do a second edition, I'll offer her our house as a new elevation data point.
August 8, 2009
An excellent and highly analytic cookbook on the oft-neglected art of baking at altitude.
When we moved to New Mexico, and found ourselves at 5000 ft/1500 m of altitude, we suddenly discovered that all of our baking recipes were failing, sometimes quite disastrously. We also discovered that most cookbooks do a poor-to-abysmally-wretched job of discussing altitude adjustments. Even such towering icons of the culinary arts as The Joy of Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Cake Bible, or The Professional Pastry Chef utterly fail on altitude corrections, giving, at best, some rough rules of thumb and the oh-so-helpful advice "fiddle with it 'til it works".
Yeah, thanks for that.
But Pie in the Sky makes up for all of them. Purdy does a fantastic job of actually testing each of her recipes, not at just one altitude but three or four. She dispels the myth that there are rules of thumb, or that the process is linear with altitude. She gives detailed instructions and analyses on each recipe and the processes that she went through to find each correction. It's a cooking geek's heaven, but it's also accessible if you aren't interested in the chemistry and physics. If you just want to bake your cookies, you can certainly skip the descriptions and cut to the recipe+table of corrections, look up your altitude, and you're off.
Over all, I would mark this book as "indispensable" for bakers who happen not to live within 500 feet of sea level. Considering how many of us there are, you'd think that there would be more on this subject. Thankfully, Purdy provides an informational oasis in the desert of altitude-hating chefs.
When we moved to New Mexico, and found ourselves at 5000 ft/1500 m of altitude, we suddenly discovered that all of our baking recipes were failing, sometimes quite disastrously. We also discovered that most cookbooks do a poor-to-abysmally-wretched job of discussing altitude adjustments. Even such towering icons of the culinary arts as The Joy of Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Cake Bible, or The Professional Pastry Chef utterly fail on altitude corrections, giving, at best, some rough rules of thumb and the oh-so-helpful advice "fiddle with it 'til it works".
Yeah, thanks for that.
But Pie in the Sky makes up for all of them. Purdy does a fantastic job of actually testing each of her recipes, not at just one altitude but three or four. She dispels the myth that there are rules of thumb, or that the process is linear with altitude. She gives detailed instructions and analyses on each recipe and the processes that she went through to find each correction. It's a cooking geek's heaven, but it's also accessible if you aren't interested in the chemistry and physics. If you just want to bake your cookies, you can certainly skip the descriptions and cut to the recipe+table of corrections, look up your altitude, and you're off.
Over all, I would mark this book as "indispensable" for bakers who happen not to live within 500 feet of sea level. Considering how many of us there are, you'd think that there would be more on this subject. Thankfully, Purdy provides an informational oasis in the desert of altitude-hating chefs.
February 15, 2014
Challenges of high altitude baking are attacked with scientific accuracy in this collection of about 100 recipes. Each recipe includes the tweaks for five elevation, between sea level and 10,000 feet. In my experience the recipes also perform as advertised. I learned multiple approached to dealing high altitude baking and can now apply them to recipes from other sources.
December 27, 2016
It was so good as a borrowed book that I received my own "permanent" copy as a Christmas gift!
October 21, 2021
Ignore the silly photo-shopped pictures, and the one very suspect recipe that is the baguette, and instead focus on the generosity this book brings to baking at altitude. After a couple of years of low confidence baking (which should have raised my suspicions sooner because I was raised baking and never had any issues till I lived in the mountains), these recipes have solved all my problems. Not just pie, this also has cookies, yeast breads, quick breads, cakes, and soufflés. Each recipe is given with adjustments for sea level, 3,000, 5,000, 7,000 and 10,000 feet, all of which can have unique challenges. Even more importantly, she explains all the why's and wherefores, giving you a leg up when you need to adapt a recipe from another source. These aren't necessarily the most trending or sexy recipes - but they are solid basics that will not fail. I often use these for the base and then other cookbooks for additional flavor and decor ideas.
April 9, 2020
Since I live at 8600 feet and I love baking this book is an essential. I’ve been working my way through these recipes for a couple of years and they are delicious and typically quite simple to prepare (I’m no expert baker) but high on flavor and impressive to guests. They don’t require complicated techniques, ingredients or equipment but the results are SO tasty and I have yet to have one flop or fail. Instructions are meticulous and easy to follow. Highly recommended for the at-home baker living at high altitude.
October 25, 2020
Pretty good starting place for baking! I wish it had weight and not just volume measurements. The real magic is that it has adjustments for different altitudes on a chart, and I really like charts. I'm at around 7200 ft and really needed something like this. I'm also happy to see so many classic recipes, lemon merengue pie, chocolate chip cookies, malted milk brownies. There are also some not-sweet recipes. I also like this trend of scientific approach to cooking and baking.
I will try to update after I make more of the recipes.
I will try to update after I make more of the recipes.
January 24, 2019
I’m not even a baker and I loved this book. The author traveled to locations at altitudes of 3000, 5000, 7000, and 10000 feet to test recipes. It was a fascinating look at what adjustments needed to be made. More of a science book than a textbook. Very interesting!
February 3, 2020
I didn’t read much of this. There weren’t enough photos. There was no table of contents. I was really hoping for a bunch of standard go-to recipes that I could use often, but I think this tried to be too unique.
November 18, 2022
A lot of good info about high attitude baking.
June 30, 2023
I have never included a cook book on my goodreads list but this one is fascinating. The science with high altitude cooking. Very easy to read and understand. Look forward to trying out recipes
November 8, 2009
I really like this book. It has lots of information about the science of baking and the approach she took to developing the adjustments for different altitudes. One problem I had was that I don't necessarily know what she was going for in her recipes. She was trying to get sea level results at other elevations. I have only made one of the recipes in the book so far, but I don't know if it came out "right" because I only know what things come out like at this elevation. I made the gingerbread and I think it came out good. It did not sink in the middle, but the top did crack. It was very dense and moist. I thought it was good, but would the author have considered it good, or a recipe that needed tweaking?
Alright, enough with the randomness. I like the way the recipes are presented for all different altitudes and the suggestions for making other recipe adjustments. I like the way she explains why the adjustments work.
This book had 5 star potential but since I have only made one recipe from it so far I am saving that judgment for later. This is a library book that I hope to own someday.
Added: Since I wrote this review I made the cornbread and the apple muffins. I was so impressed with the muffins. They came out round on the top (I don't think I have ever seen muffins or cupcakes come out of my oven this shape) and they were really good. The cornbread tasted better than many of the recipes I have tried lately. I decided to upgrade my review to 5 stars.
Alright, enough with the randomness. I like the way the recipes are presented for all different altitudes and the suggestions for making other recipe adjustments. I like the way she explains why the adjustments work.
This book had 5 star potential but since I have only made one recipe from it so far I am saving that judgment for later. This is a library book that I hope to own someday.
Added: Since I wrote this review I made the cornbread and the apple muffins. I was so impressed with the muffins. They came out round on the top (I don't think I have ever seen muffins or cupcakes come out of my oven this shape) and they were really good. The cornbread tasted better than many of the recipes I have tried lately. I decided to upgrade my review to 5 stars.
December 26, 2010
This book was my first ever cookbook, and I've made five cakes and one cookie so far. The 1-2-3-4 cake is great, as is the honey cream icing. The bittersweet chocolate cake with buttermilk and the chocolate icing that goes with it is great too. The colorado carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is also great.
IMPORTANT: IGNORE THE RECOMMENDATION FOR SUGAR when it comes to making the icings in the book. I made the daredevil's food cake and it came out pretty good, but it was completely ruined by the mocha icing, which was FAR too sweet and tasted like it had come out of a can. I learned my lesson and ignored the sugar measurements for all other icings, only adding sugar to taste after that.
I would have liked to see a basic sponge cake recipe that wasn't for a roll, though. I wanted to make a Japanese-style strawberry shortcake (sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberry filling), but I couldn't find a sponge cake recipe except for cream-filled roll cakes. I finally found the recipe I was looking for in Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006, which surprised me in having about 10 or so high-altitude recipes.
Overall: decent high-altitude baking book, but there's not really all that much competition.
IMPORTANT: IGNORE THE RECOMMENDATION FOR SUGAR when it comes to making the icings in the book. I made the daredevil's food cake and it came out pretty good, but it was completely ruined by the mocha icing, which was FAR too sweet and tasted like it had come out of a can. I learned my lesson and ignored the sugar measurements for all other icings, only adding sugar to taste after that.
I would have liked to see a basic sponge cake recipe that wasn't for a roll, though. I wanted to make a Japanese-style strawberry shortcake (sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberry filling), but I couldn't find a sponge cake recipe except for cream-filled roll cakes. I finally found the recipe I was looking for in Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006, which surprised me in having about 10 or so high-altitude recipes.
Overall: decent high-altitude baking book, but there's not really all that much competition.
March 7, 2015
I recently moved to a high altitude location, which requires alterations to your baking recipes. I found this book at the local library and decided to try it out. The author gave a lot of detailed info and it was interesting to read about her trial and error at several different altitudes. I decided to start off simple, so the first recipe I tried was for blueberry muffins. These muffins looked perfect. They rose perfectly and had an amazing gold crust. I'd never baked such perfect looking muffins at normal New York State altitude. Unfortunately these muffins were made for instagram. They had zero flavor. I did not bother trying any other recipes, and went back to altering recipes from my trusted baking cookbooks.
May 14, 2015
This is a greatly researched book that I have found helpful in my home-baking experiments newly living at 7000 ft. Each recipe has ingredient and baking instructions for a wide variety of altitudes (sea level to 10,000 ft) and thorough notes and sections that explain why certain ingredients are increased or decreased at different altitudes. It doesn't all make a lot of straight-forward sense, and it's well stated that high-altitude baking requires a lot of trial-and-error, but I already made a successful zucchini bread using her guidance but a sea-level recipe off the internet (that I subsequently veganized). And that's the other thing-- these recipes aren't vegan, and she doesn't really touch on what to do if that is important to you, but I guess that's a whole other book...!
November 27, 2011
This book saved my life. I could not get a pecan pie to cook way up at 5,000 feet about sea level. A friend recommended this book, which contains recipes for baking at high altitudes. The pecan pie was amazing and baked beautifully. My tummy and my husband were equally happy. The best part, is it contains a chart for each recipe with varying instructions depending on if you are at 3000, 5000, 8000, or 10000 feet up. Enjoy!
Note: The Black and White cookies and Peanut butter cookies are also excellent
Note: The Black and White cookies and Peanut butter cookies are also excellent
January 24, 2014
I don't know that this book will ever be finished - it's a reference book after all - but wow. Love the work she put into the book, love the results. The tables of ingredients for cooking at different altitudes are the best, and the descriptions at the section and recipe beginnings are sooo helpful when you're trying to make your own stuff. Yay that this book exists! Id love to be able to track the author down and ask more questions!
June 9, 2016
If you live above 3,000 feet or basically anywhere in Utah, you should probably take a look at this cookbook.
Every recipe is a table with columns for different elevations and varying amounts, instructions, and baking times and temperatures in every row. It is seriously so easy. I found a great bread recipe, some muffins that turned out wonderfully, and corn bread that is definitely going to be my default recipe from now on.
Every recipe is a table with columns for different elevations and varying amounts, instructions, and baking times and temperatures in every row. It is seriously so easy. I found a great bread recipe, some muffins that turned out wonderfully, and corn bread that is definitely going to be my default recipe from now on.
December 28, 2009
Attention high altitude bakers! I come down from the Rockies Mountains with the good news inscribed on stone tablets! Thanks to "Pie in the Sky" by Purdy, I just made the best pie crust I've ever had in my life! This, after years of pie failure! If you, like me, was lost in the wilderness, struggling for the truth, this book will be your tender, flaky redemption.
July 28, 2012
If you're above 3000 feet, and you are having any problems with your baked goods, this is the book for you. I'm not going to go out and buy it right away, but I will keep it in mind if I start having troubles. (Calgary is just over 3500 feet, apparently.)
http://perlkonig.com/2012/07/27/pie-i...
http://perlkonig.com/2012/07/27/pie-i...
September 23, 2012
I wished I had had this book 30 years ago when we moved to 5,000 feet. The author has done a lot of work adapting baking recipes to 3,000, 5,000, 7,000 and 10,000 feet. There are no simple rules for adjusting recipes to work at altitude and the author has worked out charts for different recipes - cupcakes, cakes, bread, cookies.
Very useful book.
Very useful book.
August 6, 2007
Finally, a cookbook for those who don't live at sea level! I think that the author spent a painstaking time trying to get every recipe right. The oatmeal raisin cookies are great, and the blueberry muffins are tasty (could use a few more berries though).
July 22, 2008
excellent information for anyone who lives and bakes at altitudes of 3000 ft and up! (I live at 5500 ft) The author tests her recipes at several different altitudes and posts the results in easy to follow table format. Her recipe for Breckenridge Biscuits is one of my staples!
August 11, 2010
I loved this book and feel like the insights shared really helped my baking. I think even more than the baking tips, I loved the stories shared. I loved hearing about the locations, people, disasters. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Ms. Purdy!
February 19, 2011
Any time I find myself marking the entire book to photocopy, I know that means I need to add it to my collection! I like the looks of the recipes and I love the information about the problems with baking at altitude. I can't wait to buy this and try out some of the recipes!
November 1, 2012
The explanations were well thought out and understandable. The recipes are things that my family will enjoy. Looking forward to putting the general information to test and trying a lot of these recipes out.
September 7, 2009
Great tips and the recipes look fantastic. It's a great book to buy and use for reference, but not really a book to read cover to cover.
January 19, 2010
This is a must-have for anyone baking at altitude. The recipes are great and the tips are well researched. You can tell Purdy put a lot of work into this book.
April 3, 2010
Works miracles! Baked some divine lemon poppy seed bread at 5280 in Denver!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews