In the professional kitchen, pastry chefs are responsible for the production of all baked goods, including breads and pastries. Pastry chefs create the dessert menu, which complements the chefs' style and gives the diner a grand finale after the main meal.

Before a pastry chef can create, he or she must understand the basic science underlying baking. This edition of Understanding Baking provides this information in a concise and accessible way, guided throughout by contemporary baking and pastry research and practice.