What is it about feeding sourdough starter that makes so many of us nuts?

Discarding that initial cup of perfectly good starter to get the process going, right?

I mean, it just doesn’t feel right, throwing away this starter you’ve been feeding, and coddling, and nursing into maturity with regular meals and draft-free, comfortably warm counter-time.

Why is it, anyway, that feeding sourdough requires you to discard a cup of perfectly good (albeit unfed) starter as part of the process?

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Ah, toasted English muffins.

Tender-crisp, brushed with melting butter, burned around the edges…

BURNED around the edges, you say?

Well, yeah. Have you ever managed to toast an English muffin without burning at least part of it?

I haven’t. And my apparent lack of English muffin toasting skills led to a serious discussion here at King Arthur about the photogenicity (is that a word?) of charred-edge English muffins.

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WHOA! Are those some nice-looking muffins, or what?

And not only are they handsome – they sport a couple of hidden assets.

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What IS it about hot, melty cheese, anyway? I mean, you see a picture like this, and you NEED THAT PLATE IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT THIS INSTANT.

From Gruyère Stuffed Crusty Loaves and Garlic-Herb Mac & Cheese to Sausage Cheese Biscuits and the meltiest cheese dish of them all – Cheese Fondue – some of the most popular recipes on this site feature hot melted cheese.

All involve cheese that goes into the oven (or onto the stovetop) solid and stolid; and comes out a glorious, lava-like, aromatic mass of pure oozing cheesiness. Cheddar, Jack, Swiss, mozzarella… doesn’t really matter what kind, does it? So long as it’s warm and soft and on your plate. (more…)

Isn’t that an adorable cupcake? It’s just one of the many imaginative and delicious cupcakes Susan Reid created for our visit to CupcakeCamp Boston last week in Somerville, Mass.

That’s right – an event dedicated to the pure enjoyment of cupcakes. How could we resist that opportunity?!

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The relationships we have with our customers are the coolest thing about working here. I get lots of mail, both electronic and snail, from Baking Sheet subscribers. They send me requests, ideas, thank yous, and recipes. Lots of recipes.

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The Easter ham.

It’s not a given, you know. Just because everyone else serves ham (or, for real traditionalists, lamb) on Easter, the Food Police won’t come knocking at your door if you dare to defy tradition and serve something else as the main dish.

Like lasagna, as my Italian in-laws often do.

Or roast turkey. After all, where is it writ that turkey can ONLY be served at Thanksgiving?

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If you’ve been reading this blog lately, you’ll know that 2 days ago I described the many reasons I love my test kitchen Zojirushi bread machine.

I mean, I feel like Ron Popeil, the Ronco guy:  “It slices, it dices, and so much more!”

Well, the Zo doesn’t slice-and-dice.

But “so much more”?

You betcha.

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Passover begins tonight at sundown – are you ready?

If you’re not COMPLETELY ready, no worries. After all, the key ingredient for tonight’s seder is family; the loved ones around your table are even sweeter than the unleavened, flour-free baked treats you’ll enjoy later this week.

And when you’re ready, check out these special-for-Passover recipes:

Passover Popovers
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Almond Cloud Cookies
Flourless Fudge Cookies
Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Flourless Chocolate Nut Cake

Chag same’ach!

The following recipe story is another post in the series of “I didn’t know you could make THAT in a bread machine” blogs – a series of which I’m inordinately fond.

I’m a lazy baker.

There, I’ve said it. While I enjoy the process of baking – indeed, even love to bake, when time isn’t too much of the essence – I’m usually more attracted by the end result than how you get there.

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