Today, we have three newly published books for pastry chefs, aspiring pastry chefs or the very devoted home baker.  Each of these books is aimed at professional bakers, if you have an interest in learning baking on a professional level they are for you.  If you are a home baker who has an interest in learning more then you will find lots of useful information in these, such as the detailed information in the excerpt below on eggs in one of the books and a really neat set of flavor combination charts in another, but you will also find that some of the information is not aimed at home cooking...

	First up is “Professional Baking ” by Wayne Gisslen.  This is the fifth edition of Professional Baking which shows in the extent of detail and quality of presentation.  The book is packed with 27 chapters of information.  Each chapter starts with a detailed and instructive section that is several pages long.  Following this are the formulas for numerous items to make using the learned techniques.  Each chapter ends with terms for review and questions for discussion.  The level of detail is amazing and if you really want to excel at baking this is a great resource.
	The next book is “The Pastry Chef’s Companion ” by Glenn Rinsky and Laura Halpin Rinsky.  This book is mainly presented as a glossary of every possible baking and pastry term you would ever want to know – and then some.  Even the most experienced pastry chef’s are sure to learn from this information.  For me, a non-pastry, the part I liked the most was the series of charts containing flavor combinations.  The charts include flavor combinations for berries, nuts, chocolates, and fruits.  Want to make something with currants?  Try adding carrots.  Or how about plums?  Try adding start anise, red wine, rosemary or vanilla.  Want a great resource!
	The last book is “Advanced Bread and Pastry ” by Michel Suas.  This book is a part culinary text book and part reference book.  It is a heft tome of 23 chapters that teach the fundamentals as well as assisting you to move beyond the formulas and create your own recipes.  As the title suggests, this is an advanced text.  Consequently, you won’t find some of the more introductory information in here that you will find in “Professional Baking”.  For example, the details in the egg excerpt below is not something you’d find in “Advanced Bread and Pastry”….

Now for that excerpt on eggs I promised from Professional Baking.

Eggs

Excerpted From Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen, Wiley 2008.

Eggs should be well understood by the baker because they are used in large quantities in the bakeshop and are more expensive than many of the other high-volume ingredients, such as flour and sugar. For example, half or more of the ingredient cost of the average cake batter is for the eggs.

Composition

A whole egg consists primarily of a yolk, a white, and a shell. In addition, it contains a membrane that lines the shell and forms an air cell at the large end, and two white strands called chalazae that hold the yolk centered.

• The yolk is high in both fat and protein, and it contains iron and several vitamins. Its color ranges from light to dark yellow, depending on the diet of the chicken.
• The white is primarily albumin protein, which is clear and soluble when raw but white and firm when coagulated. The white also contains sulfur.
• The shell is not the perfect package, in spite of what you may have heard. It is not only fragile but also porous, allowing odors and flavors to be absorbed by the egg and allowing the egg to lose moisture even if unbroken.

The parts of an egg. The diagram shows, in simplified form, the location of the parts of an unbroken egg, as described in the text.    

The table below lists the average water, protein, and fat content of whole eggs, whites, and yolks.

Average Composition of Fresh Liquid Eggs

Grades and Quality

Grades

In the United States, eggs are graded for quality by the USDA. There are three grades: AA, A, and B. The best grade (AA) has a firm white and yolk that stand up high when broken onto a flat surface and do not spread over a large area. As eggs age, they become thinner and are graded lower. The figure below shows the differences among grades AA, A, and B.

Egg grades (a) Grade AA, (b) Grade A, and (c) Grade B eggs, as seen from the top and side. Note how the white and yolk lose thickness and spread more in the lower grades. Courtesy of USDA         

In Canada, there are four egg grades: A, B, C, and Canada Nest Run.

As a baker, you will not be concerned so much with the firmness of yolks and whites. Rather, you will want eggs that are clean and fresh-tasting, free of bad odors and tastes caused by spoilage or absorption of foreign odors. One bad-smelling egg can ruin an entire batch of cakes.

Maintaining Quality

Proper storage is essential for maintaining quality. Eggs keep for weeks if held at 36°F (2°C) but lose quality quickly if held at room temperature. In fact, they can lose a full grade in one day at warm bakeshop temperatures. There’s no point in paying for Grade AA eggs if they are Grade B by the time you use them. Store eggs away from other foods that might pass on undesirable flavors or odors.

Size

Eggs are also graded by size. The table below gives the minimum weight per dozen (including shell) of each size category. Note that each size differs from the next by 3 oz per dozen. European eggs are also graded by size, with size 1 being the largest (70 g each, or about 2.5 oz) and 7 being the smallest (45 g each, or about 1.6 oz). This weight includes the shell.

Large eggs are the standard size used in baking and in food service. Shelled large whole eggs, yolks, and whites have the following approximate weights.

Average Large Eggs, Approximate Weights Without Shell

Egg Size Classifications

To measure small quantities or odd quantities of whole egg, such as 0.5 oz or 15 g, beat the whole egg or eggs and then measure by weight.