Once upon a time in the land of Arthur, magical abilities existed. Merlin could turn the pages in his book of spells with a wave of his hand.

Centuries later, the wondrous alchemy that is baking is available to us the same way. It’s a different sort of book, but pretty much the same hand gesture, and equally magical.

In 1990, Brinna Sands and PJ Hamel began a simple newsletter called The Baking Sheet. They filled it with stories, recipes, discussions, and all things baking. read the rest of this entry »

A beginner baker in a world full of experts. That’s how I felt starting my first day working for “The Baking Sheet,” our print newsletter, last January. Little did I know I would spend most of my year getting up close and personal with all things cake.

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The right recipe, the one that knocks people’s socks off and gets requested by 3 out of 5 diners, can be hard to come by. Bakers and cooks everywhere have their own arsenal, library, cache, toolbox, or cherished electronic file filled with formulas they trust. My goal as a chef and a baker isn’t to be famous. My goal is to be someone who writes the recipes you go to, again and again. That’s what The Baking Sheet is all about. I also do my best to help bakers learn new skills, which is what this particular blog is about.

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For every summer issue of The Baking Sheet, I try to put together a meal that sings of summer. Usually it’s something with unusual or tropical flavors and spices. Typically, it’s a meal that’s best eaten outdoors on the deck or at a picnic table, with company.

This summer our regular feature, “When Company’s Coming,” sports the following menu: read the rest of this entry »

Red for the cherries, white for the crust and the whipped cream on top, and you, because King Arthur wants you… to bake a pie!

Remember Washington’s Birthday? Way back when, it was a sort-of school holiday (I confess being old enough to celebrate Washington’s birthday on the actual date, instead of the now calendar-convenienced President’s Day). These days I remember the Father of Our Country mostly for his effect on the Mother of Our Family.

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Is there anything more comforting in winter than a pot of soup on the stove and bread in the oven? Bakers, by their very nature, possess the perfect antidote to winter’s cold and dark.

As the seasons turn, The Baking Sheet features original recipes to suit. I get lots of emails from readers telling me the arrival of their latest issue is an event that causes them to carve out some time in their favorite chair, hot beverage nearby, to read, enjoy, and plan meals to come.

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It’s been a busy day. Maybe a tough one. You get home, drop your keys, and take a peek at the mail. Smiling up at you from the pile is your Baking Sheet, with a gorgeous photo of something that a) makes you hungry and b) has you itching to bake. RIGHT NOW. Better yet, there’s the promise of many more recipes of equal allure inside. Recipes like this one.

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Once upon a time, The Baking Sheet editorial staff put their heads together and wondered, what can we do that will convince all King Arthur fans to subscribe to our little newsletter? What if we gave them a present, kind of like the recipe cherry-on-top, for subscribing? So we did.

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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 Tunbridge World's Fair in Vermont at dusk

If you want to really get a feel for the creative cooking energy on the ground in America, get yourself to one of the many state or regional fairs across the country. If you care about good food, there’s no better place to make a connection to where it comes from and how it’s produced. read the rest of this entry »