Mary Berry's Baking Bible: Revised and Updated: With Over 250 New and Classic Recipes Hardcover – May 9, 2023

Mary Berry is a living baking legend in her UK homeland, and now she's become well-known here in America thanks to the popularity of The Great British Baking Show via Netflix. In this revised and updated edition of her Baking Bible, she offers over 250 mouthwatering recipes from across the UK, parts of Europe, and even some American favorites like apple pie. Combined with the stunning photography, you'll practically want to lick every page of this fabulous cookbook.Berry gears her books toward the home baker, whether they be new baking or a practiced hand. The recipes range from the simple--chocolate chip cookies--to the most complex, French patisserie-style dessert--Gâteau Saint Honoré--to easy, bake-with-the-kids suggestions. But it's not all recipes. Berry includes nearly everything a baker needs to know about the art of baking: equipment list, how-to instructions for lining pans, baking terminology, key ingredients, baking tips, and so much more. All recipes include both metric and imperial measurements and many include helpful hints or variations to up your baking game.Overall, any of Mary Berry's books are worth adding to your collection, but if you're serious about baking and only have room for one more recipe book on your shelf, Mary Berry's Baking Bible: Revised and Updated is the one you need.

Bought for Christmas for a friend who LOVES Mary Berry. The cover is nice and thick, and the pages are glossy and will be easy to wipe off should a spill happen. I flipped through to see some recipes, and it appears as though the majority are written for beginner to intermediate bakers. Quite a few nostalgic/old-school recipes which are sure to bring in many readers, and many more that are region-based that look delicious. Can't wait to see what my friend picks to make first!

Well, it's been about a decade since Mary Berry first entered my kitchen. My daughter and granddaughter had moved to the UK and I went for a visit. While I was there I discovered the very first Great British Bake Off, known on this side of the pond as the Great British Baking Show. That's where I first found Mary Berry, though she has been an icon of British home cooking since the early 60's. Among the things that filled the second suitcase were hard to get, very expensive here but not in the UK items like Maldon salt, Billings sugars, stem ginger and golden syrup was a copy of Mary's first edition Mary Berry's Baking Bible. It's been a staple in my house ever since.In many ways British baking is very similar to our own, particularly if you were raised in the Virginia Tidewater or most anywhere in the Carolinas. Cakes tend to be less sweet. Paula Deen's 4 layer coconut confection with lemon curd between the layers and real buttercream frosting a half-inch thick that takes all day and every dish in the kitchen to make would never appear on a British table. (Good thing. You ingest an easy 1000 calories just looking at the thing!) Mixing methods are usually straightforward - one bowl, one beater - and ingredient lists are usually shorter. They're also a bit smaller, most running to a 4 X 6 loaf or an 8" round. Of course Mary Berry bakes many things besides cake and they're all lovely. It just so happens that most often when I reach for Mary I'm making a cake.The original version of Mary Berry's Baking Bible (which is still available) uses metric measurements, so you need a scale, and requires a bit of translation for things like plain flour and caster sugar. The single biggest "new" thing in this revised edition is that Mary has done all that for you. The metric measurements have all been converted to US standard, plain flour is now all-purpose and so on. Perhaps the biggest change, though, is that in the original edition most of the recipes call for self-rising flour. Since that is. not particularly common in US kitchens outside the South, that's been changed to all purpose plus appropriate rising agents.Two of my favorite recipes are not to be missed. Number One on my list is the Victoria Sponge - quickly whipped up, the layers sandwiched together with strawberry (or raspberry) jam and either whipped cream or a buttercream frosting and the top simply dusted with powdered sugar. The result is sublime.My second favorite, one I make often, is in this book called Victorian Christmas Cake. This particular cake appears under several different names in virtually every book that Mary publishes. I can only assume that it is as much a favorite with her as it is with me. A blonde cake loaded with dried fruit, raisins, pineapple and cherries this is not loaded with nuts like a traditional American fruitcake, (None of the British fruitcakes are.). I did notice one translation "error". All of the other versions of this recipe call for "glace cherries" - in other words candied cherries. (Easily had at holiday time or here on Amazon or thru King Arthur.). Somehow I think that whoever did the translation thought that perhaps we don't have those here and so they substituted maraschino cherries - absolutely NOT the same thing - as I've found that same substitution in another recipe or two that should contain candied cherries. Trust me - cross out maraschino, write in candied. The measurement is the same. Cut each cherry in half then rinse in very hot water to remove the extra sugar syrup, then let them dry on paper towels before you add them to your cake. The results are delightful and long lasting, perfect with a cup of tea at any time of the year.I would give you a third "don't miss this" recommendation but honestly I cannot choose. Would it be the Battenberg cake with its pretty pink and white squares? The Rock Cakes that are perfect for a Harry Potter party? The Maple Syrup Cake (I live in maple country)?Grandma's $0.02: The recipes in Mary Berry's Baking Bible go from yum to yummier. You'll easily find a dozen favorites that you can whip up in a snap. If you have the original Baking Bible, then perhaps you'll not need this revised version. While I didn't go thru the entire index, the one recipe I noticed that is different than the original is the Pavlova. The original recipe calls for sugared strawberries as a filling while the newer version calls for passion fruit, something I rarely hear of in US markets. On the other hand, if you've been putting off exploring the world of true British baking because you aren't comfortable using metrics, then this is a great place to start. Just remember to change all those maraschino cherries to candied. Not the same thing at all.Two thumbs up, highly recommended!

Just love Mary Berry

Probably a good cookbook, but I wanted one of the Great British Bake Off books, so returned this book and bought 2 of the Great British Bake Off cookbooks. The measurements are shown in both English & British measurements. I returned the Mary Berry cookbook for that reason.

Our family loves Mary Berry and this baking book is wonderful!

Now I can prepare these wonderful bakes without having to convert all the measurements.

I love this book. It’s got all the American measurements. Perfect for baking.