An essential guide to baking that takes away the fear of baking failure by combining easy-to-follow, science-based advice with 100 reliable and delicious recipes for both novices and more experienced bakers--from a renowned pastry chef. Sift begins with the foundational ingredients that underpin great bakes--flour, sugar, eggs, fat--before delving into the techniques that bring recipes to life: texture, color, how things rise, and a technical overview. 100 tested, tried, and true recipes follow and are organized by difficulty and time commitment, ranging from easy 30-minute cakes to spectacular showstoppers you can devote a weekend to.