• ldubois2 on November 21, 2012

  Have made oatmeal raisin cookies and bouchons. Not complicated, almost as good as Yountville. Don't have a convection oven...this book makes me wish I did. I did buy the Bouchon molds from WS.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Plain scones

  • Lee on May 16, 2015

    This recipe is good but I missed salt.

• Cinnamon honey scones

  • Lee on May 16, 2015

    This recipe is good, but I missed some salt.

  • thekitchenchronicles on November 07, 2014

    http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2014/11/07/cinnamon-honey-scones/

• Better nutters

  • cespitler on December 04, 2016

    I can't believe that I am the first to create this topic! Maybe others are as intimidated as I have been? For those who know me, it's not a surprise that I would jump in first with a baking project. I was making a dessert spread for a work holiday party and I was seeking a peanut butter-based addition. The Better Nutter sandwich cookies really hit the spot. Not only were the cookies on their own fantastic, but the peanut butter buttercream raised the bar. I ran out of oatmeal (due to the Black Bottom Oatmeal Pie via Four and Twenty Blackbirds) so I made these without and they turned out great. I also cut them much smaller then suggested so that I could provide on a tray for up to 50. The dough and the multi-step process take a bit of planning and preparation--they are absolutely worth it!

• Speculoos

  • jlunar on February 04, 2013

    Not sure if this is a more traditional take on the recipe, but I had hoped for a cookie more like the Lotus brand flavour profile. Recipe: http://www.foodpr0n.com/2012/10/27/speculoos-cookie-recipe/?utm_source=twt&utm_medium=eyb&utm_campaign=keller

  • enassar on December 16, 2015

    These make great Christmas cookies in whatever shape. We like those much more than gingerbread cookies.

  • twoyolks on December 25, 2013

    The cookies have a mild cinnamon and honey flavor. However, they are a bit addicting. Be careful not to roll the cookies out too thin as they're much better when they're not completely crisp all the way through.

• Gingerbread (Pain d'epices)

  • jlunar on February 04, 2013

    Might try to make this with some butter instead next time. Very easy though!

  • twoyolks on December 25, 2013

    This was too bitter and harsh tasting for my preference. I would've liked something with less molasses and more sugar.

• Vanilla marshmallows (Guimauve a la vanille)

  • jlunar on February 04, 2013

    I had really good results from this recipe - strictly for the witches' hats though. Did not have as-good results for just squares.

• Witches' hats

  • jlunar on February 04, 2013

    Pain in the bum to make, but great-looking results. I split up the making of this over a few days to make it less crazy. Recipe & notes: http://www.foodpr0n.com/2012/10/27/witches-hats-recipe/?utm_source=twt&utm_medium=eyb&utm_campaign=keller

• Lemon-poppy seed muffins

  • owaint on October 01, 2013

    Great recipe - the first time I've made muffins that have looked and tasted like proper muffins. Really nice texture, very easy to make.

  • bwhip on September 04, 2018

    These were sure interesting. Started to make them Saturday morning, then discovered that the recipe calls for the batter to be refrigerated overnight. Hmm, that's different. So, prepared them Saturday night instead. Next, the mixing technique was very unusual - using an immersion blender to mix everything, adding dry mixture early, followed by blending in the melted butter, then folding in the lemon zest and seeds. Recipe (like most) is careful to warn not to overmix - but it sure seems like use of immersion blender could lead to this. However, this is Thomas Keller, so I sure wasn't going to question him. Baked them Sunday morning. They domed really nicely, and the lemon flavor was fantastic. Texture was very different, with a super tight crumb, almost smooth. Very unlike any muffin or cake texture I've made before.

• Shortbread

  • twoyolks on December 23, 2014

    I tried to make this recipe, but after chilling the dough, when I rolled it out, it disintegrated.

• Chocolate chunk and chip cookies

  • twoyolks on January 01, 2014

    The dough for these cookies was very loose and crumbly. I made the smaller sized cookies. The cookies never flattened to a normal chocolate chip cookie shape. The cookies also turned dark brown from the chocolate chunks (despite shaking the chocolate chunks per the recipe).

  • thekitchenchronicles on January 15, 2015

    These might be the best cookies I've ever made. I always bake from the Bouchon Bakery book with the exact measurements he provides vs. cups and teaspoons and the result is generally spectacular! These are rich, chewy, crispy and totally indulgent. Wrote them up on my blog here: http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/01/15/chocolate-chunk-and-chip-cookies/

  • yassoma on August 18, 2016

    These were good cookies, but nothing special. I much prefer the chocolate chunk cookies in Sugar Rush, they're the best IMO.

  • anya_sf on May 27, 2021

    I made 1/2 recipe to use up a partial egg - which was only 3 (!) massive cookies. Surprisingly there is no vanilla and I worried the flavor would be lacking, but it wasn't. My family thought these were awesome and loved getting one enormous cookie each to either eat all at once or save some for later.

• Bacon cheddar scones

  • twoyolks on November 02, 2020

    These were really great scones. They were light and fluffy, not dense and heavy like most cheese scones are. They are a bit time consuming to make because of the refrigeration and freezing steps.

  • clkandel on September 23, 2021

    Great texture. Not crumbly at all like many scones are.

  • anya_sf on March 01, 2018

    I only used 4 oz bacon and it was plenty. I really think the 12 oz must be a misprint, as I cannot imagine that much bacon in these scones. I didn't weigh the cooked bacon, so I don't know how that compared to the stated weight. I omitted the chives - my son didn't want them, but next time I'll add them. I love that these are prepared ahead and baked from frozen, as they're more work than your average scone, so you wouldn't really want to mix them up first thing in the morning. They turned out great and were absolutely delicious. They are super light and tender, no doubt due to the huge amount of fat. Definitely a treat!

• Baguette dough for bâtards

  • twoyolks on December 11, 2016

    This was a great bread. The crust had a decent crunch without being too hard or thick. The crumb was light and airy. The bread itself had good flavor.

  • anya_sf on March 30, 2020

    The detailed instructions made this recipe approachable and not too difficult as long as you plan well. My slashing technique needs improvement. I didn't have the whole rocks and chain set-up - just placed a pan in the bottom of the oven and threw some ice cubes in. The batards turned out beautifully crisp with an airy crumb, like bakery bread.

• Blueberry muffins

  • KissTheCook on February 26, 2021

    Terrific. Made 18 standard muffins. Like Anya_sf, I too made a few changes. Used 1 C. standard fresh blueberries, vanilla for vanilla paste, 1-1/2 eggs, but next time I will try one for convenience. Molasses good flavor addition with pleasant brown color. Did not spray muffin papers, nor did they need it. Even though I weighed ingredients, batter was thick as organic peanut butter. Not sure why. Like Anya also, I had to manually incorporate berries between two "layers" of batter "chunks". Next time I will 1) incorporate berries with final batter mixture night before, and 2) skip almond streusel topping altogether; too messy for too little flavor. Maybe top with finely chopped nuts... for appearance-sake and because I love nuts.

  • anya_sf on April 07, 2018

    I made a few changes: substituted white whole wheat flour for cake/all-purpose; melted the butter and mixed the batter by hand; used 1 jumbo egg weighing 62 g and added 10 extra g buttermilk; made 12 smaller muffins. The only difficult part was stirring the frozen berries into the chilled batter (my kitchen isn't that warm, so sitting at room temp for 5 min wasn't going to soften it much). I ended having to forcibly fold the berries in, which gave the batter the dreaded ugly gray color. Nevertheless, they turned out great. The molasses flavor wasn't that noticeable (which was good). They had a light texture and weren't too sweet for breakfast.

• Hot cross buns

  • pennyvr on April 12, 2020

    Delicious! The process takes time but the results are fantastic. The best I've ever made.

  • anya_sf on March 12, 2018

    The best hot cross buns I have ever eaten.

• Bouchons

  • EmilyR on February 18, 2019

    These bring me back to when I first moved to NYC and could walk to Bouchon. Give yourself time to make these, since there is a 2 hour rest period. I used the nordicware mini popover pan and I love both this recipe and the versatile pan. We all enjoyed the bouchon, however it is difficult to eat more than one - they are very rich. Thankfully this recipe is easy to pull together and only makes 12.

  • anya_sf on January 25, 2018

    I made a double batch for a pot luck and purchased silicone molds just for this recipe. I couldn't get the "real" ones in time, so bought similar, tapered molds that were somewhat larger. The batter did not come up to the top and it was hard to tell how full they were, so I didn't end up with the same amount in each. Nevertheless, they baked up OK. They took longer to bake, around 20 minutes. I had no problem unmolding them and they turned out great. They are basically like brownies, so of course everyone loved them.

• Double chocolate chunk and chip cookies

  • yassoma on August 18, 2016

    Not enough "double chocolate" for me. It was not bad, it was edible and good, just not memorable.

  • sosayi on April 16, 2020

    Enormous cookie, even when made following the 1/2-size directions. Cooking time of 12-14 minutes, and I felt that at 13 I'd left them in a touch too long. I subbed some of the chocolate chunks with cocoa nibs, which I'd do again, but just a smaller portion. Spot on instructions and weights, though, which is always nice.

• Lemon macarons

  • stef on June 04, 2019

    A great recipe. Worked first time I tried it

• Corn muffins

  • HalfSmoke on February 19, 2017

    Excellent. A touch sweet by design. Recipe calls for resting the batter overnight. We didn't and they came out great anyway. Also made standard size muffins rather than the jumbo size called for in the recipe. Just watch the time.

  • anya_sf on January 14, 2018

    I used white whole wheat flour, which worked fine. They still turned out very light and tender. They're a bit sweeter than usual. I made 12 regular muffins, preparing the batter the night before. I used the mixer to mix the batter, but think you could easily mix them by hand. I failed to see the instruction to turn the heat down from 425 to 325, so the muffins were done in 18 minutes, and got a bit dark on the bottom, but they were still good.

• Coffee cakes

  • bwhip on January 06, 2019

    Heavenly. I appreciate the precision required by Chef Keller with measuring/weighing ingredients. Takes a little longer, but I can’t argue with the results. Wonderful flavor and just the perfect, light crumb. Easily one of the best coffee cakes I’ve ever eaten, and the presentation in these particular type of muffin cups is very elegant. The very refined touch of sprinkling a dusting of powdered sugar, cocoa and cinnamon at the end is yet another way Chef Keller takes it to the next level. Delightful.

  • anya_sf on January 14, 2018

    I'm not sure my butter achieved mayonnaise consistency, but the batter turned out fine. I used vanilla extract instead of paste. I could only find 5" paper baking molds, not 4.5". I piped the batter as instructed, but only had enough for a single layer, not 2 layers, so I just sprinkled the brown sugar/cocoa filling on top. It worked OK, but next time I'll skip the piping bag and just spoon the batter in hopes of actually making layers. Maybe I'll just use jumbo muffin tins or bake one big cake instead. I assembled them the night before baking, which worked well. These were super delicious!

• Chocolate financiers

  • bwhip on September 23, 2018

    Delicious. Easy. Nicely chocolatey, not too sweet, with a crispy edge. Says it makes 16, but just 12 for me in our mini muffin pan.

  • anya_sf on March 24, 2021

    Just as bitter as sweet, which I enjoyed. These were less chewy than traditional (non-chocolate) financiers, but were moist and tender. My muffin pan must be smaller as I got 17 financiers. The batter was too liquid to pipe; I just spooned it in.

• Oatmeal raisin cookies

  • anya_sf on April 12, 2017

    I followed the directions precisely, weighing the ingredients. I made 12 "smaller" cookies, which ended up spreading to 4" in diameter and fairly thin, rather than being smaller and thicker. I'm not sure why, as I refrigerated the dough (although brought to room temp before baking, as instructed - my room wasn't warm). I weighed the dough (approx 76 grams each, slightly more than the stated 72 g). The baking time was pretty accurate, although it's harder to tell when they're done due to the dark color from the cinnamon. They were chewy and delicious, possibly the best ever, although the cinnamon is quite strong.

  • sdutton on August 26, 2018

    I followed the recipe exactly as written weighing each ingredient. I made the smaller 72 g cookies sizes and baked them for about 14 minutes using convention. They are delicious. I will definitely make them again.

• Bran muffins

  • anya_sf on January 18, 2018

    I used vanilla extract instead of bean, and made 12 regular muffins, but otherwise followed the recipe, preparing the batter the night before. The baking time may be off, because my regular muffins took 28 minutes, and the instructions say 30-33 minutes for jumbo. They didn't rise much, but still weren't too heavy, although heavier than the corn or pumpkin muffins for sure. I'm not sure what the 28 grams of diced poached pear really adds (I used canned, which I happened to have), so I bet you could omit it. I think I'd prefer the pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top instead of mixed in, as they're rather large. Overall, these were good, but I like Flour Bakery's bran muffins better.

• Pumpkin muffins

  • anya_sf on January 14, 2018

    I used white whole wheat flour, which worked fine. I prepared the batter the night before and made 12 regular muffins, which took 28 minutes to bake. I used the mixer to make the batter, but think you could probably mix them by hand. I skipped the cream cheese frosting/filling, as these were already quite sweet (maybe a bit too sweet). The texture was light and fluffy, not dense like some pumpkin muffins.

• Carrot muffins

  • anya_sf on January 29, 2018

    I made slight changes: used white whole wheat flour, vanilla extract instead of bean, and made 10 regular muffins instead of 6 large. They baked in 28 minutes. I only needed about 1/4 of the topping. For the topping, I only had raw wheat germ, so I used that, and noted that the weight and measurement did not seem to match - I used the weight. The muffins were very tasty, with a light and tender texture. We liked them a lot, although I wish they had less oil and sugar (we did not find them too sweet - just want to be healthier).

• Craquelins

  • anya_sf on February 23, 2020

    The candied orange peel recipe instructs you to cut away the pith before using, but the craquelins recipe does not specify whether the weight of candied peel is before or after removing the pith; I assumed before, since otherwise it would be *a lot* of peel. The butter took forever to incorporate into the dough (longer than regular brioche), but eventually got there. I let the shaped buns proof too long (they were above the tops of the papers), but they still baked up beautifully. The craquelins were super buttery and tender with a light orange flavor. Sugar cubes added a hint of sweetness.

• Rum cake

  • anya_sf on May 28, 2021

    Although the flavor was good, overall this was a rare miss from this cookbook. I made 1/2 recipe in a 9" bundt pan (larger than needed); baking time was 55 min in a standard oven. Unfortunately, the cake did not release cleanly as the sugar coating essentially glued it to the pan. If I made this again, I'd butter and flour the pan instead. The texture was fairly dense - not surprising since there is no leavening. The cake was soft and moist with nice almond and rum flavors, quite sweet like most rum cakes, but there are other rum cake recipes I like better.

• Sourdough boule

  • anya_sf on August 25, 2021

    I made a half-sized loaf which fit in my banneton. Unfortunately, my starter was sluggish, so even after proofing 4 hours, the crumb ended up rather tight. I'll try again with a more active starter.

• Pain rustique

  • anya_sf on April 10, 2021

    This is the first bread I attempted using my new liquid levain; I chose it since it also calls for a fair amount of yeast. This bread was very simple to make and the dough was easy to work with, not sticky like I'd expected - not sure if I measured wrong - I cut the recipe in half to make one loaf. The bread doesn't get shaped, but since I'd patted out my dough in a rectangle, I did a quick pre-shape. It baked up beautifully with a nice crunchy crust, although the crumb wasn't as open as I'd have liked (due to less hydration, I'm sure), but it was nicely chewy with decent flavor.

• English muffins

  • anya_sf on May 28, 2021

    Lacking a Flexipan cylinder mold, I used greased muffin rings on a parchment-lined sheet pan, which worked fine. There was enough dough for closer to 70 g per muffin. The muffins needed twice as long to proof before they rose over the tops of the rings. Even with a wet finger, the dough was too sticky to smooth out, so I gave up; the appearance was slightly lumpy on one side, but that didn't matter much. These English muffins tasted fantastic with a mild sourdough flavor, slightly crunchy exterior, super light, open, and airy interior.

• Garlic Comté breadsticks

  • anya_sf on January 24, 2018

    Be sure to plan enough time for this recipe as there are lots of chilling steps. On the plus side, you can freeze the cut dough for later, which I did with half the recipe. I was skeptical that the melted cheese (a.k.a. goopy mess) would actually get incorporated into the dough, but it did (although it kept wanting to spin around the mixer stem). I wouldn't attempt this without a very sturdy stand mixer. My strips weren't exactly evenly sized (I apparently can't cut straight with a pizza wheel), but they turned out just fine, as did the "scraps". They hardly rose at all, but I imagine they weren't supposed to. I didn't have the whole rocks and chain set-up (used ice cubes in a pan). The garlic-cheese flavor isn't that strong in the baked breadsticks, but it's there in a deliciously subtle way. We devoured the entire batch warm. So good!

• Pretzels

  • anya_sf on April 30, 2021

    These came very close to the expected flavor and texture, with a slightly crisp exterior and somewhat chewy interior. I'm not sure how much the tiny bit (11 g) of liquid levain adds to the flavor - it's fine if you happen to have it (which I did), but would I go out of my way to make it? The only change I made was to use much less fleur de sel; the pretzels weren't that big and half the amount still seemed quite generous. Next time I will try the recipe from Classic German Baking for comparison.

• Almond cream

  • anya_sf on May 28, 2021

    Fairly standard almond cream recipe, slightly annoying since it calls for partial eggs.

• Pains aux raisins

  • anya_sf on February 14, 2019

    I made these a few days after making the croissants, storing the dough in the freezer for a few days. The pastry cream was ridiculously thick (using custard powder to thicken), so I couldn't strain it or really spread it, but did the best I could and it worked. There was a ridiculous amount of raisins - could use half -but they did stay soft due to the syrup. Note: the instructions don't say to drain the raisins, but I'm pretty sure you need to. I shaped the night before and let rise (for an extra hour) in the morning. Fantastic! I wish I knew how to keep the raisins from popping up to the tops of the pastries.

• Almond raspberry croissants

  • anya_sf on May 28, 2021

    I used leftover croissants from a different recipe and store-bought raspberry jam. This review is really just for the combination of almond cream and raspberry jam in a croissant, which tasted fantastic. The almond cream inside the croissants remained somewhat runny after baking.

• Traditional croissants

  • anya_sf on February 11, 2019

    This is probably an exceptional recipe; the croissants just did not turn out well for me, but I think that was my fault. I used Kerrygold Irish butter, which worked well for rolling, as it remained soft. The dough instructions worked perfectly. I'm not sure the cutting measurements are correct; I got 2 smaller bonus croissants. I wanted to bake the croissants in the morning, so I refrigerated the shaped croissants overnight and let them rise at very cool room temperature (60) for 4 hours early the next morning. They did rise somewhat, but not as much as expected, so I let them rise another hour with not much difference. Finally, I baked them, but only the outer layers were flaky. It's like the insides were "trapped". The flavor was amazing - they were just too heavy. I know my yeast was active because I also used it to bake bread, which rose fine. Maybe my kitchen was just too cool? I'm guessing that was it.

• Pain de campagne

  • anya_sf on August 31, 2021

    Wonderful country-style bread, hearty and chewy, open crumb, great flavor. I didn't bother trimming the dough down to 1 kg (it only weighed 130 g more). Surprisingly, the shaped boule fit in my 9" banneton. Despite liberal flouring, the dough stuck slightly to the linen, which messed up the pattern, but that was just cosmetic.

• Cranberry-currant bâtards

  • anya_sf on May 01, 2021

    My levain wasn't as active as it should have been. After shaping into a batard, I refrigerated the dough overnight, then let it rise at room temperature for 3 hours the next day. The bread was wonderful - hearty and chewy, very flavorful, fantastic toasted with butter.

• Multigrain bâtards

  • anya_sf on April 18, 2021

    Heartier texture than I'd expected, medium crumb, with a nutty, whole grain taste. Absolutely delicious toasted and topped with an egg as recommended. My kitchen is cool, so I let the dough rise 1.5 hrs instead of 1 hr. As usual, I used ice cubes to generate steam rather than the whole rocks and chain set-up.

• Food52

  Picked for Food52's January 2018 Baking Club

  Full review

• Food52 by Danny Meyer

  The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks vs. Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

  Full review

• Food52 by James Oseland

  The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner vs. Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book

  Full review

• Food52 by Meredith Erickson

  The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner vs. Melissa Hamilton & Christopher Hirsheimer's Canal House Cooks Every Day

  Full review

• Serious Eats

  The photos, while stunning (it's a huge book) are also educational... It's as much of a pleasure to pore through Bouchon Bakery as it is to bake from it. Any effort you make will be richly rewarded.

  Full review

• Ruhlman.com

  ...a must for all professional bakers and all serious home bakers. The bread section alone, by head baker Matt McDonald, is worth the price of the book.

  Full review

• Baking Bites

  The recipes are extremely detailed and really aim to walk you through the entire every single detail so that you can turn out perfect version in your own kitchen...

  Full review

• LA Times

  ...there’s certainly no compromising with the recipes. So many “finesse points” are demonstrated and explained that one could conceivably start a bakery by cooking your way through it.

  Full review

• Tasting Table

  Every recipe is put through the Keller wringer, demanding precision and yielding perfection. When we baked the Better Butters, it felt like training for the NFL after years of playing peewee ball.

  Full review

• LA Weekly

  This is one glorious pastry book, as to be expected from Keller. But it's also surprisingly approachable...

  Full review

• Style Saloniste

  Think of this book as higher learning, a gift to be savored, with ideas and concepts and pointers and comments that will not only make you a better cook, they’ll make you a better person.

  Full review

• Everyday Annie

  I love a cookbook that I can actually read, and this is just that type. Not to mention, the recipes look incredible. Can’t wait to make so many things from it!

  Full review

• Food & Wine by Adam Roberts

  Keller is almost fanatical in his pursuit of excellence. The book is groundbreaking in that it’s about the most OCD form of cooking from our nation’s most OCD chef.

  Full review