Dessert Course: Lessons in the Whys and Hows of Baking

Becoming the baker of your dreams is easy—all it takes is a healthy appetite for learning and pinch of persistence! You don’t need a pantry full of specialty ingredients and equipment to become a great baker. You’ll quickly learn in Dessert Course that mastering a few foundational skills and understanding the whys and hows of baking science is all you need. Benjamin Delwiche, AKA Benjamin the Baker, is a math teacher by day and renegade social media baking scientist by night. His approach to baking is inspired by his approach to teaching—he’s committed to breaking down the mystery of baking success so his audience, like his students, can become stronger and more knowledgeable. First, you’ll learn how to break down a recipe, the essential mixing methods, and even how to re-formulate any recipe to make it work to your advantage. Let’s say you want to make chocolate chip cookies but you only have a few tablespoons of flour left—using Ben’s Baker’s Percentages technique, you’ll be able to figure out how many cookies you can make. The second half of the book showcases over 30 core recipes with variations—each one includes a flow chart so you can bake your own adventure. You’ll be able to visually understand what makes a chewy chocolate chip cookie vs a crispy one and what it will take to get to your desired destination. Above all else, this book is a celebration of the art and science of baking: the ingredients, the recipes, and the concepts that make a baked good both technically successful and undeniably delicious.