The Science of Baking

Baking is essentially chemistry for the kitchen and in order to perfect our home bakes we first need to understand the processes and variables that go into creating the perfect bake. The Science of Baking delves into the chemistry behind our bakes with an easy-to-understand breakdown of how baking works: what purpose each ingredient serves in a recipe, how they combine and interact together and most importantly, how to use the correct temperature (and oven settings) to the best results, every time. Get to know your dough and learn to laminate like the best Parisian bakers - including recipes from how-tos for classic pastries to a deep-dive in sourdough cultures and how to prevent a soggy bottom. This is both a practical and illuminating exploration of our most complex area of the culinary arts - perfect for baking enthusiasts of any level.

Matt Adlard (@mattadlard) is a self-taught baker and pastry chef from Norwich, England. He's been a judge on Food Network for Christmas Cookie Challenge, Chopped Sweets, and Food Network Challenge. Matt also hosted the Food Network US digital series Made for Two with the Topless Baker. He was most recently the resident judge on the UK's Channel 4 cooking competition Beat the Chef. Through his Bake It Better blog as well as his Instagram and TikTok videos, Matt shares the basics to baking, how to transition to advanced skills, and how to become a pro-level baker. His father, David Adlard, used to own the Michelin-starred Adlard's Restaurant in Norwich (now known as Roger Hickman's Restaurant).