20 Ways to Become a Better Cook

Whether you're a baker of breads, cookies, cakes, or pies, The Baking Bible ($40) by Rose Levy Beranbaum should be on your shelf. Like Beranbaum's previous single-subject "bibles," it's just the thing to turn to when you want not only a detailed, foolproof recipe, but also an explanation for why it works. Plus, we just can't get over how dreamy the cover image of kouign amann looks. (Seriously, those flaky layers!)

Recipes we can't wait to try:

• Coffee crumb cake muffins
• Kouign amann
• Apricot-cream cheese babka
• 100-percent whole-wheat walnut loaf
• Red, white, and blue Fourth of July cheesecake
• Lemon and cranberry tart
• Frozen lime meringue pie