Category: baking

The Family Table: A Hearty Meal From a Mining Town

Submitted by Pat King, Seattle, Washington In 1900, my grandmother Maud Olive Medsker came to Butte, Montana, from Indiana and married Martin Setzer, who was from Kentucky. In all the years of their marriage, they never quit arguing about who won the Civil War. Meanwhile, my grandmother learned to make pasties from her Welsh neighbors. Butte…


Repurpose a Favorite Savory Ingredient for Cake That’s Simple yet Sophisticated

One of the most attractive aspects of making a cake with oil rather than butter is the way it expedites the mixing process: There’s no waiting for butter to come to room temperature and then beating it with sugar before you even start to add the rest of the ingredients. The batter is ready to…


No-Fail Popovers, No Specialty Pan Required

Buttered popovers are a great accompaniment to dinner, and they take far less time to make than rolls. Or drizzled with honey or smeared with jam, they make a delightful breakfast, brunch, or snack. The ideal popover is crisp and well browned on the outside and hollow on the inside, with inner walls that are…


Not a Morning Person? This Make-Ahead Biscuit Bake Is for You

The secret to this extra crisp and pillowy breakfast strata? Two cans of large Southern homestyle biscuits. That’s right—instead of tearing up a loaf of bread, you’ll pop open a few cans of biscuits and pair them with bacon, kale, and lots of shredded cheese. A spicy egg custard holds it all together. Not a…


Polenta Pound Cake With Spiced Mandarins

If you wanted to, you could plate this in individual servings elegant enough for the nicest restaurant in town, but you absolutely do not have to. Makes 8 to 10 Servings For the Polenta Pound Cake Pan Goo, for greasing the pan (recipe follows) 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2…


Molten Chocolate Cakes for Your Sweetheart

Life has been less than sweet this past year. So what could be better than a chocolate caramel dessert to cheer us up on this holiday of love? And remember, Valentine’s Day can be a time to let others know how much you appreciate them. This dessert makes six individual servings, but you can easily…


Chelsea Buns

Chelsea buns were sold in The Chelsea Bun House in London as far back as 1711. They may be considered the first sweet confection that people ever queued for in masses, just to get their hands on a bun or two. It might not be as modern as a cronut or a freakshake, but the…


Regula Ysewijn: Preserving the Pride and History of British Baking

Most of us can look at our lives and careers and point to something that shaped their trajectory: important, eye-opening moments, special events, influential people. For Regula Ysewijn, it was a nursery rhyme: White swans, black swans, Will you sail to England with me? England is locked The key is broken And there is no…


Bakewell Tart

In Bakewell you’ll find a bakery on every street corner, each claiming they bake the one and only original Bakewell pudding that made the little Peak District town famous. Who actually invented the Bakewell pudding? According to the most popular story, the Bakewell pudding originated around 1850 when the maid of the local Rutland Arms…


Traditional Cozonac (Romanian Walnut and Rum Celebration Bread)

This sweet, enriched yeast bread owes much of its deliciousness to its swirls of bittersweet walnut and rum filling, one of the most popular across Romania. The dough is rich with butter, milk, and eggs, and perfumed with lemon zest and vanilla. It resembles golden silk as it’s mixed, and fills every house and bakery…