What’s the biggest thing that stops you from baking?

Lack of inspiration?

I doubt it. For most of us, the usual mantra is “So many recipes, so little time…”

AH-HA! “So little time.” Between work, keeping the family on schedule, meal prep, and exercise (critical for those of us who love to bake and EAT), there’s barely a spare moment Monday through Friday.

Even weekends seem to disappear in a cloud of laundry, kids’ sports, and errands.

What’s a dedicated baker to do?

When the baking urge hits, and you really, really don’t have even an hour to spare – bake FAST.

Here’s how.

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Chicken noodle soup.

If those words immediately paint a mental picture of Mom opening a red and white can, and settling in at the lunch table after a morning spent building a snow fort in the backyard with the neighborhood gang, then you’re a Campbell’s Kid.

When we were growing up, soup came out of cans – period. And almost always, those cans were plain red and white, script on top, gold label in the middle, block letters down below.

Never mind the fancy pictures, callouts to Facebook, or offers of recipes or coupons inside the label. Campbell’s told you all you needed to know: there’s chicken noodle soup in this can.

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Thanksgiving is SO not about chocolate.

Chocolate cream pie? Maybe.

But chocolate cake? Chocolate chip cookies? Chocolate ice cream?

Try pecan pie, pumpkin bread, and ginger cookies. Cranberry cake. Apple crisp.

Chocolate, for one day in the year, takes a back seat to all its usually subsidiary flavors.

Notice I say, for ONE day of the year: Thanksgiving. And really, what’s to prevent you from slipping a bit of fudgy goodness onto the menu really early in the day Thursday? Triple Chocolate Scones go wonderfully well with your morning cup of coffee.

Plus, they augment the coffee’s caffeine as you’re prepping the turkey at 5:30 a.m…

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There’s nothing like fresh, hot apple scones on a chilly Sunday morning in October – especially when you’re feeding a crowd.

Make and shape them the night before, stick in the freezer, bake early the next morning, and Bob’s your uncle – by the time your house guests emerge from their respective beds, breakfast is ready.

Of course, it helps if you remember to PUT THE SCONES ON THE TABLE. The pumpkin doughnuts, too.

Neither of which made an appearance one recent Sunday when I was entertaining 11 visiting family members.

All of whom ended up eating Cap’n Crunch and stale English muffins for breakfast, to my great and lasting chagrin.

What happened?

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Question of the day, fellow bakers: What do baseball games and the King Arthur Flour test kitchen have in common?

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My dear friends and fellow bakers, where would I be without you? I hope you realize just how much you…

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In these hazy days of summer, early morning and late evening seems to be the only times we can get outside to sit on our deck. Our house faces east and as soon as the sun is up, we’re enveloped for the rest of the day. I ADORE the pure, bright sunshine, but…

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Who’s that behind those Foster Grants?

Er, I don’t really know, but I definitely want to know who is behind that Bananas Foster-style shortcake!

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Fast. Easy.

I feel like I’ve typed those words about a million times lately. I think there’s a certain percentage of the baking population who cares more about “fast and easy” than just about any other recipe characteristic.

And you know what? That’s OK. While I wouldn’t want to limit my baking to only dishes using simple ingredients and techniques – and with a preparation time of less than 30 minutes – there are times when going that route sounds extremely compelling.

Like now, when the temperature is climbing into the 80s, and the lawn needs mowing, but oh, how I’d like to be out on the deck, cold drink in one hand, crime mystery in the other…

Which is why I’m SO glad I made up a large bowl of gazpacho first thing this morning.

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Do we have the best job in the world here at King Arthur Flour, or what?

One of our recent group projects was to bake and taste biscuits made with our new King Arthur Enriched Unbleached Self-Rising Flour.

Taste biscuits, huh? It’s a tough job… or, in this case, a delightfully tender job!

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