Bakers' Banter

Baltimore’s Finest: The Sequel.

PJ Hamel — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:52:01 +0000

So, one blog and some 3 dozen comments later, Baltimore’s finest cookie—the Berger Cookie—has resurfaced in a new incarnation. Like the REAL Berger cookie (can you pick it out in the photo above?), our new version is smaller, and spread with frosting that’s closer to the original and heaped even higher. This is my final take on these cookies—I promise! (more…)

Puff the Magic Pancake.

PJ Hamel — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:36:47 +0000

As much as I love pancakes, I’d never been able to find a recipe I really, REALLY liked. That all changed while we were working on King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, the book we published 2 years ago. At the start of the project, the three authors—myself, fellow blogger Susan Reid, and Susan Miller, director of King Arthur’s Baking Education Center—divvied up the book’s proposed chapters. And in we jumped. (more…)

Sandwich Central: Rustic Olive Rolls

PJ Hamel — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:55:23 +0000

As the cost of food continues to rise, I continue to try to bake everything possible at home. We don’t eat a lot of sweets, but bread is a must-have staple: toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, rolls or focaccia for dinner. Thus I’ve made it my goal each weekend to bake a week’s worth of bread. (more…)

Baguettes: DO try this at home.

PJ Hamel — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:05:35 +0000

Baguettes. Crusty, golden… unattainable-except-from-an-artisan-bakery baguettes.

Not so. And we’re here to prove it to you. (more…)

Roasting garlic: more than one way to get a head.

Susan Reid — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:56:21 +0000

I’ve done my time running the show behind the swinging doors of high-end restaurants, where there’s something I call the “first dish” phenomenon. They’re the menu items that sell themselves once they go out on the floor: the sight and smell of the first plate creates an “I’ll have what they’re having” cascade. You know from experience that once the first order leaves the kitchen, there will be a dozen more tickets for the same item coming within the next 15 minutes. Picture the perfect head of warm roasted garlic, scented with lemon and rosemary, with crusty bread to smear it on, the right soft sheep’s milk cheese to put on top, and fresh, lightly cured and slightly sweet green olives to go with. (more…)

We break for biscotti.

PJ Hamel — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:41:50 +0000

Biscotti are one of the simplest, most versatile cookies you can possibly bake. Butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder come together in a simple dough that can be flavored to taste (vanilla, almond, anise, orange, maple… pineapple! banana!). Or enhanced with impunity (aside from any possible fallout related to your waistline): chocolate chips, pecans, cinnamon bits, chopped ginger, diced apricots… In short, biscotti are Everyman’s Cookie. (more…)

Baltimore’s finest.

PJ Hamel — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:23:36 +0000

Have you seen the latest Saveur magazine? Gotta love it. It’s packed with gorgeous photos; I mean, total eye candy. The writing’s fine; the subjects are compelling, both to foodies and travelers; and the writing is calm and friendly. (more…)

Blueberry crisp: it SHOULD have been a piece of cake…

PJ Hamel — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:07:41 +0000

Ah, blueberry crisp: ideal for Mother’s Day. A simple recipe anyone can make. No rolling dough, no scary knife work, no fancy techniques. Just 1) mix, 2) pour, and 3) bake. Or so I thought. (more…)

Chocolate Roll: a sneak peek at Summer

Susan Reid — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:00:02 +0000

We can see the finish line for the snow in my neighborhood, and the first fresh hints of green are peeking out on the hillsides. If you’re lucky and from New England, you can travel south to remind yourself that warmer temperatures are not too far away. I was lucky enough to spend 3 days in New Orleans last week, and lo and behold, I seem to have brought the weather back with me. I also do a lot of my traveling to summer climes by researching recipes for the Summer issue of The Baking Sheet. (more…)

Cinnamon bread in a hurry: a loaf born of panic.

PJ Hamel — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:09:24 +0000

A blog reader, Sue, posted this comment yesterday. And it sent me running for the kitchen: literally.

“Now a question for you, something I’ve tried to have answered a couple of times before - the recipe for Easy Cinnamon Bread posted on the KA Flour website calls for an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2” pan which I found is too small; a 9 x 5” pan is perfect. I keep checking back to see if the pan size has been changed……..not so far!! Love the Bakers’ Banter and, of course, the great recipes. THANKS!” (more…)