"james beard baking books" news and stories

Everyone loves "top ten" lists and the James Beard Foundation has come up with a great one, albeit slightly bigger than usual: They've compiled a baker's dozen (13 books) list of essential baking books.

"The hardest part is narrowing down the list," Kathleen Purvis, chair of the James Beard Foundation Book Awards Committee, told Slashfood."

"We [committee members] all picked five or ten books and then compared lists. Some of them were on everybody's list like Flo Braker, Carol Field and Maida Heatter. Those books immediately made the cut and then we started narrowing down. We had all baked from these books and could name our favorite recipes."

The culinary posse also wanted to ensure that the books selected encompassed not just baking cakes and cookies but savories and breads.