The only comprehensive book, in English or Italian, to cover the entire range of Italian baking, from breadsticks and cornetti to focaccia, tarts, cakes, and pastries. This latest edition, updated for a new generation of home bakers, has added four-color photography throughout, plus new recipes, ingredients and equipment sections, source guides, and weights.

Carol Field introduces artisanal doughs and techniques used by generations of Italian bakers. Every city and hill town has its own unique baking traditions, and Field spent more than two years traversing Italy to capture the regional and local specialties, adapting them through rigorous testing in her own kitchen.

Field's authentic recipes are a revelation for anyone seeking the true Italian experience. Here's a chance to make golden Altamura bread from Puglia, chewy porous loaves from Como, rosemary bread sprinkled with coarse sea salt, dark ryes from the north, simple breads studded with toasted walnuts, succulent fig bread, and Sicilian loaves topped with sesame seeds.

One of the most revered baking books of all time, The Italian Baker is a landmark work that continues to be a must-have for every serious baker.

Winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for best baking book
Named to the James Beard Baker's Dozen list of thirteen indispensable baking books of all time

Carol Field is the author of five cookbooks, In Nonna's Kitchen, Focaccia, Italy in Small Bites, Celebrating Italy, and The Italian Baker, as well as The Hill Towns of Italy and Mangoes and Quince, a novel. She is an award-winning journalist and has contributed to Bon Appétit, Gourmet, and Food and Wine, among others. Field has won two IACP Cookbook Awards and a James Beard Award, and was featured on the PBS series "In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs." She lives in San Francisco with her husband and continues to visit Italy frequently.

Vii Acknowledgments Ix Preface 1 Bread in Italy 15 Baking Basics 15 About the Recipes 17 Ingredients • The Basic Four • Additional Ingredients for Bread • Additional Ingredients for Pastry and Cookies 42 Equipment • The Basic Three • Other Essentials • Optional but Definitely Nice to Have • Additional Equipment for Pizza • Additional Equipment for Pastry 51 Techniques • Techniques for Baking Bread • Techniques for Baking Tarts, Cakes, and Cookies 67 PANI 69 Pani Regionali e Rustici REGIONAL AND RUSTIC BREADS 70 Classic Tastes of Italy 103 Tastes of the Countryside 127 Pani Moderni MODERN BREADS 128 Vegetable and Herb Breads 146 Breads of Various Grains 159 Gli Avanzi USING LEFTOVER BREADS 160 Savory Dishes 174 Bread-Based Desserts 177 Pani Festivi CELEBRATION BREADS 179 Fruit and Nut Breads 191 Lightly Sweetened Breads 199 Sweet and Holiday Breads 223 Panini e Grissini ROLLS AND BREADSTICKS 223 Panini 238 Panini Dolci 243 Grissini 249 Pizze e Focacce PIZZAS AND FOCACCIAS 254 Pizza 269 Focaccia 283 Pani Raffinati ELEGANT BREADS 285 Sweet Croissants 290 Savory Croissants 298 Puff Pastry 312 Savory Appetizers 315 DOLCI 317 Crostate TARTS 319 Basic Tart Doughs 324 Basic Pastry Creams 327 Fruit and Jam Tarts 339 Nut Tarts 343 Chocolate Tarts 345 Torte CAKES 347 Ricotta Cheesecakes and Creamy Rice Tarts 354 Spice Cakes and Fruitcakes 361 Sponge Cakes 369 Biscotti COOKIES 371 Nut Paste Cookies 380 Butter Cookies 389 Biscotti 393 Cookies of Various Grains 397 Sweet Pastry Dough Cookies 399 Chocolate Nut Cookies 401 Appendix: Source Guide to Ingredients and Equipment 405 Index