"Ive been using high-quality baking tools from Sur La Table for years, and now I can add their all-purpose baking book, with delicious and easy-to-follow recipes, to my collection. The photos alone are worth the price, but Cindy Mushets clear recipe descriptions and nurturing voice make this a book everyone will want to actually use and not just look at." --Peter Reinhart, author of Peter Reinharts Whole Grain Bread: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor

As the second title in Sur La Tables namesake cookbook series, The Art and Soul of Baking focuses on the largest specialty demographic within the culinary market--baking.

The Art and Soul of Baking guides readers through the world of baking, where alluring aromas of chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon fill the air and tempt the palate. Culinary authority Sur La Table teams with professional pastry chef and baking instructor Cindy Mushet to create the ultimate book for bakers. The Art and Soul of Baking demystifies the friendly science of baking through delicious recipes and photography sequences that illustrate proper techniques for carmelizing sugar, or working with croissant dough.

From tantalizing tarts, decadent cakes, and delicious cookies, to more complex creations like crusty breads and flaky pastries, to melt-in-your-mouth meringues, and lighter-than-air souffles, The Art and Soul of Baking offers the instruction of a private baking class at home. Beautiful photographs and more than 250 fool-proof recipes, as well as information on over 100 popular baking ingredients and more than 50 pieces of baking equipment, ensure that Sur La Tables The Art and Soul of Baking is destined to inspire passion in any baker and make the craft of baking not just accessible, but a true passion.