The Original King Arthur Flour Cookbook, Commemorative Edition

by Brinna Sands, King Arthur Baking Company

Twenty years ago, the King Arthur Flour Company celebrated its 200th anniversary—and its rich legacy of baking mastery—by publishing its very first cookbook, a complete guide to the baking arts as only King Arthur can do it. Now a classic, this collection of delicious and nutritious breads, pastries, and desserts is yours again in the original handy binder format.


Now it’s easier than ever to arrange recipes to suit your needs and to set out individual recipes while you create. This book will be your most trusted reference to all the traditional favorites as well as an inexhaustible treasure trove of baking inspiration and ideas.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Food and Drink, Culinary, Reference

624 pages, Ring-bound

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Zenith]

I grew up making cookies and bread with my Mom, but this is the book that really taught me to bake: not to blindly follow a recipe, but to know what the different ingredients do, and how to improvise. I can't tell you the last time I actually followed a recipe from this book, but that's not the point, as I see it.

[John]

Received as a gift. Sat on a shelf for years until yesterday, when I decided that I ought to make scones. Read pretty much the whole thing (excluding the history of the company and the "whole wheat" and "fun inedible projects to do with your children" chapters. I do not fun.) in the last 48 hours. The "primer" portions of the chapter introductions are outstanding for someone with very little baking experience, covering theory and terminology. I like the focus on "intuitive baking" (their words), with an understanding of cause and effect, rather than on rote recipe / formulae (which aligns nicely with my style of cooking). On the downside, their nutrition science is from the '90s (in fairness, to be expected), some of their flavor text is painfully cheerful (I also do not cheerful), and the whole book is soaked in advertising for their flour. That said, the scones turned out well, I now know why pastries are flaky, I understand the varieties of leavening, and I want to try my hand at homemade pizza crust and sourdough, so... mission overaccomplished, I guess.

Edit to add some years later: boy howdy when the pizza recipe says it makes two thick crust pizzas, they're not kidding. Thickest pizza I've ever had.

[Eling]

If only there were photos! But I was really impressed at the scope & detail in this volume. Definitely a great addition for serious bakers. Fun history to read the history of the company too.

[Maggie Patel]

I like how this reads more like a primer than a recipe book. I make the basic hearth bread regularly and love how I can take it and turn it into things like focaccia and pretzels. The pie dough recipes are amazing and fun to experiment with.

[Portia]

Nearly every page has a stain on it. The perfect recommendation for a cookbook, I think.

[Dray]

This is a large book and has a lot of recipes. But the worth of it is in the solid understanding and dare i say wisdom in how to bake a great many things. i do a fair amount of baking but this book taught me a few things. Although oriented almost entirely to English and to a lesser degree American recipes the book explores almost everything made with flour, including a great section on dumplings. Recommended.

[J. Whale]

Concise, helpful tips, educational, good recipes, a learning experience which will benefit one for years.

[Jodi Geever]

An excellent resource for any committed home baker.

[Daisy]

Whenever you feel like baking, pull this off the shelf because there's always something tempting and simple for which you probably already have the ingredients. I like everything I've made from here so far. And there are helpful tips too like different baking times for different baking pans you might use.

[Catherine Woodman]

This is one of an excellent series by King Arthur on baking--having been to their store in Northfield a number of times, I can see that they have alot of experience with baking and took a long time to go from there to doing cookbooks, which is a good way to do it--these recipes work and are delicious

[Nikki]

This is an older cookbook, published when King Arthur Flour had only one or two widely available flours, so nearly every recipe calls for all-purpose flour, which is a good thing for beginning bakers or those who live where specialty flours are scarce. This would be a great book for someone who wants to learn to bake and is not gluten-free!

[Jon]

My favorite cookbook from my favorite flour company.

[Holly]

This is a fun one to read and I've had good results with the recipes

[Sparky]

lots of good recipes and good background info

[Tommyb]

Cooking

[Lori]

This book was given to me as a gift from my daughter when she worked at King Auther Flour.It is my everyday go to cookbook when Im making muffins,breads,quick breads,fritters,pancakes ect.

[Kay]

Wonderful old recipes that remind you of grandma's breakfast, lunch, & dinner table!

[Ruth]

Many amazing recipes. This book has my go to Banana Bread. I also enjoy reading the sourdough starter chapter over and over.

[Nadine in NY Jones]

My go-to book for all baking basics: pancakes, waffles, white bread, whole grain breads, muffins ... This is the cookbook I refer to more than any other.

[Kate]

Indispensable.

[John Jaffe]

Solid and complete recipes with significant techniques for learning

[Karen]

Great book for the new baker. Lots of information with great recipes.