Eh , will depend on what you want to make . Pastry , for example , is far more complicated than cakes . My point is only that if you try to learn using individual recipes from online , there ' ll be no consistency between the level of proficiency they will expect of you , nor will they be planned in a way to develop your skill . A beginners cookbook will be more aimed at teaching . That said , if you want to learn a specific technique , then online videos are very useful . I don ' t know any great beginner cookbooks for baking , sadly . Maybe ask in rBaking . I ' d start with making a simple cake , then move to making bread . Using yeast and making dough is probably the biggest difference between baking and other types of cooking .