Pssst… I’ve never been the world’s best biscuit baker.

But I have an excuse: I’m not from the South, whence all good biscuits come.

Attention, Southern biscuit bakers: I won’t argue with you. You’ve got the biscuit thing down cold. Um, make that hot. read the rest of this entry »

Ooohhh, cheesecake! I know for so many people this conjures up mental pictures of New York delis and thick slabs of pale creamy cake topped with a layer of sour cream.  But for me, the word cheesecake brings images of my mom’s Cherry Cheesecake. Not New York style, it relies on a yellow cake mix for its crust and part of the filling, and a heapin’ helpin’ of vanilla as well, with canned cherry pie filling a “must” for the topping. It was a favorite for birthdays and spring holidays, so this time of year always has me wanting to make a big panful. Easter just wouldn’t be Easter without Cherry Cheesecake. read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a cinnamon toast aficionado, keep reading.

If you don’t love light, crunchy toast slathered with butter and topped with a shower of crunchy sugar and aromatic cinnamon—why ever not? Keep reading, I’ll convince you. read the rest of this entry »

First, there were Burry’s Fudgetowns. Then, Dare Chocolate Fudge Cookies. Now, Nabisco’s Oreo Fudgees.

And, coming soon to a cookie jar near you: Fudgies, the cookie for grownups who like to play with their food. read the rest of this entry »

I love pie. I mean, LOVE pie. Fruit pie, cream pie, lemon meringue, butterscotch, French silk. Pecan and pumpkin, bumbleberry and cherry, vanilla custard, and good old All-American apple pie. Savory pie, a.k.a. quiche (which real men are now enlightened enough to eat). Turnovers. Even TableTalk. Give me a fork; bring it on. I’m there.

It’s too bad pie has such a terrifying reputation for wannabe and newbie bakers. I daresay even those of us who’ve been baking for years feel a tiny quiver of apprehension when we get out the rolling pin. read the rest of this entry »

Remember Zwieback toast? The yellow Nabisco box, the little blonde boy with his ’50s comb-over (love that Brylcreem!), chowing down on one of those crunchy, golden oval toasts?

Well, memories are all you’ve got; Nabisco ditched Zwieback toast last year. Sad but true, those ultra-light, barely sweet toasts, perfect for teething babies (and sentimental adults reliving their childhood) are now a thing of the past.

Fear not; I’ve found a zwieback recipe, and will be sharing it with you here in the near future. But in the meantime, finding myself in desperate need of something crunchy (but not hard); sweet (but not ooey-gooey); and sized for babies (albeit featuring cinnamon rather than strained peas), I opted for these Baby Biscotti. read the rest of this entry »

Remember last September, when you and I got hooked on sourdough and made sourdough bread, and sourdough waffles, and sourdough chocolate cake?

Have you become a regular sourdough baker since then? Or, like me, did you stash your starter in the back of the fridge and just… forget about it?

I didn’t totally neglect my starter. I did, in fact, feed it—once, in the past 6 months. So when I decided to make sourdough bread again recently, I feared what might greet me when I pried the lid off my sourdough crock and looked inside. read the rest of this entry »

Passover is to the Jews what Lent is to Catholics: a time of ritual, of family, a time of faith.

And a time when you have to stop eating some of your favorite foods.

For Catholics, it’s no meat on Fridays. Not so bad, really. Adults usually enjoy fish, anything from broiled salmon to Tuna Wiggle. Kids can always get by on pizza, or mac and cheese. For the more imaginative, a cheese soufflé, spinach lasagna, or Thai stir-fry are options.

But for the Jews, the eschewed foods are flour and leavening. Which means baking, as we know it, is pretty much out the window. read the rest of this entry »

Most of us bake alone. Some of us bake with friends. But what an experience, to bake with a whole group of friends. Hands in dough, mixers whirring, sugar and flour and butter and vanilla and chocolate at your fingertips, lots of oven space…

That’s the Baking Education Center (BEC) at King Arthur Flour here in Norwich, Vermont. read the rest of this entry »