Owing to its place in the calendar, Father’s Day has evolved into a major grilling holiday. That means dads all over the country are celebrated with steaks, when maybe some dads really want something a little sweet for their special day. If you have that kind of dad in your […]
All About Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Both baking soda and baking powder, referred to as chemical leaveners, give breads, cakes, and other doughs and batters a light texture by introducing carbon dioxide gas into the batter. The gas expands the bubbles that are already present in the batter due to the action of mixing or creaming. […]
All About Chocolate
Bewildering arrays of cocoa and chocolate products exist and vary widely in quality and availability. The first step in properly selecting these products is to understand the makeup of each and their uses. Bittersweet/semisweet chocolate Often simply called dark chocolate, the FDA regulates that this type of chocolate must contain […]
All About Pâte à Choux
Pâte à choux is a simple and versatile French pastry batter made from milk (or water), butter, flour, and eggs. It is typically piped and baked to a crisp, hollow shell that is perfect for filling with sweet or savory ingredients. Even if you’ve never made pâte à choux, you’ve […]
All About Vanilla
When you’re making a simple dessert, like vanilla ice cream or crème brûlée, you have very few ingredients to distract from the flavors of the raw ingredients. For that reason, the best outcomes will come from the best ingredients. We know a lot these days about sourcing high quality milk […]
All-Butter Pie Crust
Makes two discs (enough for two, single-crust pies or one, double-crust pie) Rolling the Dough for Single- or Double-Crust Pies:
Angel Food Cake
Makes one 9-inch tube cake In order to reach a lofty height, angel food cake needs to cling to the sides of the pan, both as it bakes and while it cools. This is why the pan is ungreased and the cake is cooled upside down. Some angel food cake […]
Apple Pie Scones
Makes 12 scones Pre-cooking the apples keeps these scones moist, but not soggy. You can do that part a day or two ahead of time, if you like. Galas are a neutral, crisp apple that are great for baking, but you can use Granny Smith or something similar if you […]
Apple Slab Pie
Makes one, 5 1/2 by 17-inch slab pie Ingredients 2 lb Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Egg wash, as needed […]
Apple Strudel
Makes 6 servings Strudels are known for their paper-thin, flaky crust, which takes some patience, but is worth the effort. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be strudel-ing all of your favorite fillings. You can even use this dough with savory fillings, like seared mushrooms and goat cheese. […]
Bakers’ Percentage
Buckle up, foodies. We’re doing math! Artisan bread requires just a few key ingredients, but it is the ratio of those ingredients and the way they are handled that produce a wide array of finished loaves. Proper execution comes from a detailed understanding of each step in the process—what needs […]
Banana Nut Loaf
Makes 2 Loaves Ingredients 6 bananas, very ripe 1/4 lemon, peeled or 1 tsp lemon juice 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans Directions Preheat […]