We wait all year for Thanksgiving, bake up a storm for 3 days prior, then POOF!

It’s all over in about 30 minutes flat.

The soft dinner roll leaking its melting pat of butter; bright, tangy fresh-cranberry sauce; the perfectly roasted bird, mashed potatoes enhanced with cream, the family’s favorite comfort-food side dish (green bean casserole? Sweet potatoes with marshmallow?)…

Enjoyed, and gone.

Gone – but in some cases, not forgotten. While the chocolate cream pie and cherry cheesecake may have vanished, and the turkey been turned into pot pie and soup, you can re-create stuffing’s wonderful signature flavor any time of the year – without even resorting to Stove Top.

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When you think sourdough, you probably think:

A) San Francisco;
B) Crusty bread;
C) A lot of of work to make.

None of which paint an accurate picture of the sourdough bread pictured above. Which is:

A) A Vermont native;
B) Soft inside, with a chewy crust;
C) Potentially ready to enjoy in under 4 hours.

Have I piqued your interest?

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Ah, buttertop bread.

Aunt Millie’s in the Midwest, J.J. Nissen in New England, Home Pride (part of Hostess Brands, which also makes Wonder Bread) – all offer their own versions of this white sandwich bread with its distinctive vertical crease down the center.

Looking for air bread? You’ve found it.

Now, I’m not dissing air bread. It has its place – and that place is childhood, when you’re exchanging soupy rice cereal and strained peas for “real” food: squishy white bread.

(Along with Cheerios, the breakfast cereal most appreciated by moms for its role in promoting fine-motor skills in the toddler crowd.)

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It all started with an orange. That’s right, an orange…

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Whole wheat flour gives some people the baking willies. Their stories about baking a loaf of whole wheat bread range from “I made a brick,” to “This is the best loaf of bread I ever made.” One tool that may give you the edge is the Nutrimill electric grain mill, which grinds fresh wheat berries to produce the freshest tasting flour you’ve ever had.

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Baking gluten-free? This one’s for you.

NOT baking gluten-free? This one might still be for you.

The number of people choosing to eliminate gluten from their diet has been growing quickly for the past several years. Which means even if you, or your child, or your significant other, mom, or best friend aren’t testing life without gluten, it’s a good bet you know someone who is.

And what’s the #1 baked treat gluten-free dieters miss? Birthday cake? Pie? Brownies? read the rest of this entry »

“Give us bread recipes with more fiber! We want to bake healthy!”

That’s what we say in public, at least. But when it comes right down to it, do we put our money where our mouth is (literally), and buy whole-grain flours, and bake whole-grain breads?

Uhhh…

Guilty as charged, right? read the rest of this entry »

“Oh, that’s my FAVORITE bread!”

“It never fails. It’s the one I make for sandwiches every week.”

“Walter Sands bread… always and forever.” read the rest of this entry »

OK, I admit it. I can’t be silent any longer. This secret love I have is burning inside me, an unquenchable fire… whose temperature is about 350°F. read the rest of this entry »