The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

The Pie and Pastry Bible Reviews

• 
  Janie

  Sometimes Rose is a little too thorough with her recipes. While pastry is certainly involves science, there is an element of instinct that comes from practice. Touch and sight are immeasurably important when working with pastry. But Rose leaves little room for that. She is obsessively precise, especially when it comes to pie crust. While her recipes work, you don't have to go through all the steps of freezing and refreezing butter. Rose, have a cocktail and relax a little. The butter will be fine if it softens a bit in the fingers.
• 
  Gaufre

  The first day I opened this book, I read 100 pages of it. It is a cookbook for crying out loud. It is made of recipes I can follow; I wasn't supposed to read it. And that's what makes this book remarkable.
  
  Where I grew up, getting good pastry was just a matter of trying the different "patisseries" in town and picking my favorite one. Then I moved to the US.
  
  For years now, I have made the most American of all pies: the apple pie. My husband complimented it. I was wondering if he was just being nice so I gave some to my neighbors and they liked it too. I figured the crust was decent. But I could never consistently make the crust manageable. It would sometimes crack and sometimes become soggy and stick to the countertop. I searched for years for a good crust recipe. There were a lot of "secrets" that sounded outright desperate (like using vodka) but more than that - I did not understand why my crust turned out the way it did so I couldn't fix it.
  
  If you want to troubleshoot your pie crust, this book is for you. Ms. Beranbaum explains what every step of her recipe does, why she uses baking powder (and which kind to use) and why vinegar. Following her recipe to the letter is a pain but now, I now know how to make a great pie crust and figure out my own shortcuts. In fact, my husband said it was the best crust I have ever made and the kids decreed that we should have a pie per season.
  
  Last time I was back to visit my parents, I ate some "tarte aux fraises" practically every day. It is this little dessert made of a crumbly sweet crust, light custard, and fresh strawberries under a shiny jelly glaze. I was really happy to find a recipe in this book (strawberry pie means something different in the US). I would never have even attempted that before this book.
  
  In short, this is the best cookbook for learning how to make pie crust and pies.
  
• 
  Jennifer

  Updated - see bold text
  This book is amazing and has everything you’d ever want to know about pastry. Rose Levy Beranbaum provides tips on how to make the lightest and flakiest crusts. I used pastry flour for the first time while making these recipes, and I can tell you this made a huge difference. If you can’t find pastry flour that’s okay because Beranbaum shows you how to make your own by combining bleached all-purpose flour and cake flour. She also goes into the science behind pie and pastry baking, which I appreciated.
  
  All recipes include ingredients in both measure and weight.
  
  There are several recipes I want to make but haven’t yet. Here are the ones I’ve made so far:
  
  • Basic Flaky crust (buttermilk version) – I’ve made this a couple of times, and both times it turned out light and flaky. Without a doubt the best pie crust I’ve ever made.
  
  • Blueberry Turnover – These were incredibly easy to make and so delicious. I’ll be making more of these in the future.
  
  • Basic flaky pie crust – I’ve mostly been using the flaky pie crust recipe that uses buttermilk. Although that’s my favorite, the basic pie crust recipe was delicious, tender, and flaky.
  
  • Banner Banana Cream Pie – I’ve never made a cream pie before. I’ve always been intimidated to try. The way Levy Beranbaum breaks down the recipes and organizes the book gave me the confidence to give it a go. By breaking the recipe down into manageable pieces, and knowing I could make certain parts ahead of time, made this a little less scary for me. Plus, I didn’t have to carve out a couple of hours to make the pie all at once.
  
  This recipe was easy and delicious! I made the mistake of letting the bananas ripen too much, which made the pie a little runny. Oops ☹
  
  • Pastry Cream - I’ve never made pastry cream before, and I struggled a little with the instructions. So I looked up instructions online and followed those instead but used the ingredients in the book. The cream turned out great! And it was a lot easier to make then I thought.
  
  • Blueberry Tart with Lemon Curd – We love blueberry pie, but this may be our new favorite. This was the first tart I’ve ever made. The directions were easy to follow, and the classic lemon curd had the most wonderful lemon flavor, which contrasted beautifully with the blueberry topping.
  
• 
  ItsAboutTheBook

  
  Review can be read at It's About The Book
  
  If you have never made a pie and would like to become highly skilled and proficient, this is the book for you. If you already know what you’re doing and want to buy one pastry book for the rest of your life, this is it. Rose Levy Beranbaum treats baking like the delicious science it is. Not only do you learn the specific steps for successful pastry, but you learn why they work. If you’re a person, like me, who has to have a reason for following the rules this is a very good thing. You too can achieve flakes in your crust and understand why you’ve achieved them. They’re more than a happy accident.
  
  The fillings are also outstanding. There are multiple chapters on varieties of pies, it’s not limited to fruit, cream, and savory. Really, the book is huge and most anything you can imagine needing to know about pastry is in here. Danish pastry and puff pastry have chapters as well. One of my personal favorites is the chapter on ice cream pie and ice cream.
  
  The ingredient lists can be long in some recipes, though the ingredients themselves are usually relatively easy to find. Honestly, some of the stuff in this book can be pretty challenging for a home cook. I’ve made the Danish Pastry, which was absolutely delicious, but the process for me was slow going and I spent a long time reviewing the recipe and the steps before I even attempted to begin. For a beginner cook this book is wonderful not only because the directions are detailed, but there are multiple sets of directions for different ways to prepare the recipe. If you don’t have a food processor you can easily follow the directions for preparing the recipe by hand.
  
  The book itself is huge. I refer to it as a tome. There are not a lot of pictures and the ones that are there are clumped together in two sets. Thankfully, the pictures present are gorgeous and glossy.
  
  This is a book I would recommend first if a friend asked me about a pastry book. I’ve got books with fascinating flavors that I love, and I’ve got books with approachable flavors for the less adventurous among us. This book has a good combination of both plus comprehensive instructions and explanations. I use this book on a regular basis.
• 
  Donna

  Best advice in the book: Placing the pie pan on the floor of your oven. Alternatively, if you have a pizza stone another excellent choice for a crisp bottom crust.
  
  2014 update, the chocolate cream pie (pg 202) is beyond wonderful. So smooth and intensely chocolate, but beware!! There is actually a printing error - at least in my edition. The ingredients list 3 cups of milk divided, but in the directions you're instructed to add the remaining 3 3/4 cups. So glad my brain woke up and said wait.. what?
• 
  Sara Bakhshi

  It was a good book.
• 
  D Dyer

  I don’t make a lot of pies. To be honest I am more of a crisp and crumble kind of girl. But this is one of those books I turn to you whenever I feel the need for some bit of complicated pastry work that I am not equipped for naturally. All of the recipes are solid, the writing is clear, and the book is extremely comprehensive. If you were only going to have one pastry book in your cookbook collection this isn’t a bad one. My one objection may lie in the fact that while it is heavy on the classics there isn’t a lot of variation here. If you want modern it takes on pastry you’ll need to look elsewhere.
• 
  Kathryn

  I cannot wait to try her pie crusts. Peach pie is first on the list with cream cheese crust!
• 
  Amber

  Great for the classics and more refined dessert -I don't love the way the book has different components on different pages/sections but given it more thought it does make sense since the different components can be used for many different desserts.
  
  This isn't the book I run to if I want something quick and easy but it is if I want something rich, decadent and something I am proud to have baked!
• 
  Lily

  the grape pie took me HOURS to make, but it was phenomenal! highly recommend
• 
  Sophia

  I love this cookbook. It's too detailed, and I feel like I'm being micromanaged...
• 
  Kathryn Lee

  Happy birthday to me! How bad can it be?
• 
  Shannon

  Definitely buying this as a reference source for the kitchen. And to just look at and dream. Now I just need it to be Autumn so I can justify making lots of pies.
• 
  Jason Licker

  This book a great foundation for any home baker or aspiring pastry chef. This book is well though out and very methodical. You will not just learn solid recipes, but you will learn the reactions and why things happen when you mix the ingredients as you make her recipes. She is very thorough, which may put off some people, but it greatly interests me. I love the why's and how's of the science of baking. The only aspect I do not like, which is common with most older books, is the lack of photography. I wish this book was remastered and updated with graphics photos. Overall, it is a fantastic base to build upon.
• 
  Fiona

  Ottolenghi recommended it as his pastry bible. It is full of tips and hints and beautiful little touches. Will I use it everyday no. Will it remain on my recipes shelf, hell yes.
  It won the professional cookbook of the year award and that classifies it.
  it is for the serious cook and the cornerstone of serious baking techniques.
  All the pastries and tarts you have longed to make like the professionals This tour de force has the answer.
• 
  Sonee Singh

  It is definitely a bible on pie and pastry. There is so much information and so many recipes. I only wish there were more illustrations, especially because some of the recipes are complicated. There are some illustrations but not enough. There are also a few photos at the end. It would have been better to have more and have them throughout. Still, it is a great and thorough recipe book.
• 
  Kathleen

  Great pie recipes from crust to finish...a fine addition to the baker's library.
• 
  Allison

  I’m an at-home cook. I feel you need to be a professional to use these recipes. There are only a few pages with pictures, and holy cow, are they masterfully done! Beautiful works of art.
• 
  Sophie

  So helpful! It helped me master croissant making!
• 
  Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading)

  Not my favorite
• 
  Lucylu57

  Great pie resource! I've tried about half the recipes in the book so far, and they're fantastic, although I do increase the filling on the fruit pies. (No skinny pies here!)
• 
  Cecily

  This is one of the Young family's favorite cookbooks--especially since we have an annual pie night. While the crust shrink a lot, the recipes in this book are great. Our personal favorites are: Danish pastries, Banner Banana Pie, Brownie Puddle, Kiwi Lime Tart, Fresh Blackberry Pie. I also made the Brioche, but since I had never tasted Brioche before, I'm not 100% sure about the outcome. (I also accidentally overcoooked them.)
• 
  Mary Alexandra

  This book is amazing. Holds hundreds of pies and pastry recipes. Everything from this book taste as good as it looks or vice versa. It's a book I'd recommend to the brave, because these recipes are not very easy and seem daunting to follow. I love this book. It has a whole chapter on how to make different kinds of pie crust. Truly, the best and only book you need to make a pie you'll never be forgotten for.
• 
  M Q

  I am going against general opinion here, but I found the book useless. I understand that the recipes are well tested and the author is trying to give as much guidance as possible, but I found her style insufferable and quite annoying, so I stopped trying to skip to the essential instructions and gave up.
  I never thought someone could be too precise in a cookbook, but I stand corrected.
  My idea of cooking, and especially baking, is of something I have to enjoy, not endure. Rose, relax.