Rating: 
Summary: An Extraordinary Kind of Baking Cookbook
Review: Having used this book on a weekly basis for the past year, I recommend this book to bakers at all levels. The book is a multi-contributed book, with Julia Child at the helm and aptly unified by Dorie Greenspan's clear and engaging writing style. I spent the greater part of this year working on breadmaking techniques from the artisanal bread section - while techniques take time to master, I received a remarkable education from this book. The basic white bread and focaccia recipes are simple and wonderful to make on your own. If you're serious about baking, this book provides the basis for your advancement into any number of specialized areas: breads, pastries, cookies, cakes, even chocolate. Not only are the recipes very well selected, but the photographs are gorgeously photographed by Gentl & Hyers (who also photographed Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie & Pastry Bible), including some very nice candid shots (mise en scene/mise en place) in the kitchen. I haven't come across many other cookbooks of this calibre since.
The recipes range from the simplest Irish Soda Bread, to the most elaborate Glorious Wedding Cake. Not all recipes are as complex as the wedding cake recipe - this particular recipe contributed by Martha Stewart is one that seems oddly out of place in a cookbook. However - it is truly a great study on how tiered cakes are layered and put together, and decorated. (The wedding cake is essentially a dense almond pound cake, which can probably be scaled down to a much more manageable session) The "soul" of this cookbook comes from the section at the beginning titled "Batters and Doughs - The Basics." If you never baked anything from the book, at least go through all 8 recipes once or twice. As the introduction notes, these are the building blocks upon which hundreds of pastry and cake recipes are based. If you can accomplish the following, you can call yourself an accomplished baker: flaky pie dough, choux paste, meringue, genoise (3 versions), brioche, puff pastry, danish pastry, croissant dough. I've recently accomplished the brioche dough, and it's become a favorite quickly, as a simple loaf or as the basis for Pecan Sticky Buns. This book has a companion web site featuring the original television series "Baking with Julia" on PBS, complete with video clips of the bakers at work. If there was ever an opportunity to purchase all 39 episodes (with 27 bakers!) on DVD, I'd be the first on line... Bon Appetit
Rating:
Summary: Try it!
Review: I am a guy with absolutely no talent at baking but always thought the art of pastry making was interesting. So, i bought all the essential tools and waited for the book(after having seen most of the shows on PBS)...when the book arrived, I started with a fairly difficult pastry ...the Dainish Braid....turned out so well and tasted so delicious that I shocked myself...keep in mind, I cant cook!!! Here is my point. With the right tools, a good guide, and a brain, anyone can do just about anything. So get the book,(its a great guide) watch the shows, and just go for it! Here are some tools that helped...Kitchenaid stand mixer, a food processor, a marble pastry board and a wooden one too, a bench scrape(you really need this for any dough), s/steel measuring cups for dry ingredients, glass for liquid, parchment paper, and a baking stone. Then just decide that nothing is going to intimidate you and start baking. There are tricks to every trade and this book shares a lot of those as a great companion book to the series.
Rating:
Summary: A Reliable Baking Book
Review: I am skeptical of most of the cookbooks that are based on PBS TV cooking shows, plus some of Julia Child's early cookbooks had many recipes that were involved and difficult for the casual home cook to do. This book, however, is a reliable resource that you can depend on for baked goods in your home oven. The most important feature of this book is that all of the recipes are written by professional bakers (of whom there are some 2 dozen or so, some you will recognize, all are seasoned bakers from various commercial settings), and the recipes are scaled-down versions of reliable production recipes. The instructions are exemplary in their detail and completeness. All things considered, this is also an excellent learning tool for the beginner. When I need to learn something new (such as rugelach or naan), this is one of the first books I reach for. The first chapter has an extensive section on basic techniques and words that you do not usually get in even a good baking book. It has some basic recipes that must be mastered before you go on to the recipes in the rest of the book, like genoise or meringue. It also has chapters on bread (Daily; Artisanal, Flatbreads), breakfast goods and quick breads, cakes (Everyday, Showstoppers, Wedding Cake, Cookies), and pastries (Pies, Grand, Savory). It has a good selection of all the major categories you are likely to want to do at home.
Rating:
Summary: Makes me want to quit my job & just bake
Review: I bought this book because I love Julia Child & the pictures in here looked interesting. After I bought it, I started reading the recipes and couldn't put it down. (Am I weird, or do other people enjoy reading recipes?)
Some readers might be put-off by 6 page long recipes, but I enjoy Julia's thorough and easy paced style.
If you get this book be sure to try the Pecan Sticky Buns -- WOW!
Rating:
Summary: An inclusive book for bakers
Review: I bought this book when I bought a new mixer. And I bought it primarily for the bread recipes. Yes, some of the recipes are complicated and labor intensive, but of those I've tried they are definitely worth the work. I have been impressed by the list of contributors and the quality of the recipes. I've made the Classic French Bread a standard part of my baking repetoire (when I served it at a dinner a friend said he didn't know we had a bakery nearby). It's definitely for those who enjoy baking and who aren't afraid of the work involved. If you are up for it, you won't be disappointed in the results. (Unlike some of the others, I have not had trouble with the recipes not working as they should.)
Rating:
Summary: For anyone looking to go beyond bread machines
Review: I have been a very enthusiastic baker for about two years. I started with basic breads from bread machines. It all has worked out fine for me. However, I wanted to take a step further into better and more elaborate bread making so I chose from the pros like Julia Child.
This book has provided excellent, detailed yet easy-to-follow steps to make french breads such as the basic wonderfully buttery croissant dough or the crunchy multi-layered puff pastry. I have also been able to experiment with some of the fancy recipes in this book like the Tourte Milanese and the Danish Braid. Overall, it's a great book for anyone wishing to impress family or friends with delicious breads.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for the Novice
Review: I have made everything in this book except the wedding cake. I believe a good deal of the recipes have been demonstrated on television on the "Cooking with Julia" series. The reason I am thinking this book is not for the novice is that the recipes are rather complicated and have an assumption that the baker knows what "normal" looks like. For instance, they admonish the baker not to freak when the brioche dough takes a turn for the worst while combining. Well, if you have never baked a loaf of bread you would not be looking for the hallmarks of a good loaf. I have also found that their recipes are more complicated than necessary. I have made naan for years and the recipe is incredibly simple. Theirs, on the other hand, is pretty complex and, frankly, not quite as good. Ditto for the fougasse. Get your hands on a Betty Crocker cookbook if you are not an avid baker. If you are a bread fanatic, I heartily recommend "Whole Grain Breads By Machine or Hand". The author of this book is a contributer to Julia's baking book. This book is tops for bread making and is easy as... pie!
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: I just finished reading reviews by others and can't believe they had problems with the recipes. Both technique and recipes are spectacular as always with Julia Child. I have made a number of recipes from this book and all were more than excellent. The presentation itself is inspirational.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I just want to say for the bad reviews in here, that I've made some things in here 2x, and one time they came out perfect, another not. Indeed, some of the techniques are so specific that if your oven temperature is 10 degrees off or the dough rises an extra 1/2 hour, it makes all the difference in the end result. Anyway, I love cookbooks where the chefs tell the truth and don't give bogus recipes -- this is one of them! I would make changes to suit my own taste of course, but this is a reliable book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book even for a lousy cook/baker like me
Review: I love this cookbook! I am a beginning cook and baker and the recipes and terrific instruction in this book produced some fabulous food for my family. I had great results with Julia at my side and so will you. The chocolate chip cookies with the coffee and apricots are to die for! With these recipes everyone thinks I've been cooking for years. Thanks, Julia!
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