Green is for lettuce, our crunchy companion whose color ranges from the pale pearl-green of an iceberg heart to the deep forest-green of romaine’s outer shell. Green is for fresh garden peas, steamed to bring out both flavor and color. But green is NOT for cookies—unless it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Ah, but then, lads and mavourneens, green is for everything from beer to body paint—AND cookies. (more…)

From Penny Raynor: “I’ve been a member of the Baking Circle for a L O N G time but I find this blog to be especially fun. I think you should include a demonstration of the shaping of the Kaiser Rolls that you put in the Baking Sheet in the Spring 2006 issue. It’s one of my favorite “tricks” and I always use it for my (or Moomie’s) burger buns.”

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Snap, crackle, pop! Captain Crunch. Extra crispy Kentucky fried chicken… Seems like food companies are always playing on our addiction to snap-crackle-pop-crunch-crisp in our foods. Think potato chips. Crackers. Oreos. And the whole range of “munchies” (popcorn, pretzels, granola bars, peanuts) that’ve become a serious part of our on-the-go culinary culture. When it comes to most of us, any time is crunch time. (more…)

Ever have one of those conversations when someone absolutely puts their finger on the pulse of a universal experience? Phil Jones did that for me in his email last week: “When using cinnamon, e.g., for French Toast, how do you get it to blend in nicely, instead of floating on top of the mixture, and/or making an unmixed coating on the bowl at the edge of the liquid?”

My reaction was visceral: “He is SO right!” Is there anything more annoying?

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Anatomy of a test run, chapter 1.

People contact us all the time looking for long-lost recipes. Not long ago we fielded an email from a customer who was looking to re-create a collection of family recipes. They’d found sources for everything on their list but a recipe called Tweedies, and wanted to know if we could help. (more…)

Run, run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me—I’m the gingerbread man!

Now, I ask you: was the original gingerbread man happily enjoying the holiday season, lounging around the Christmas tree, waiting for Santa to arrive? No way. (more…)

King Arthur Flour: we deliver quality.

BUMMER! That’s what I thought when I heard the news that wheat prices had risen even higher and faster than the experts had predicted last fall. The cost of wheat, per bushel, is now more than triple what it was last April. In fact, the cost of wheat has doubled just since last month. WHEW! (more…)

Raindrops on roses? Whiskers on kittens? Well, at this time of the year, maybe warm woolen mittens would qualify as one of my favorite things. But when it comes to favorite recipes, one particular recipe has stood my personal test of time, and comes immediately to mind when a group of bakers gets together to play the “favorite” game. My all-time favorite recipe? Almond Puff Loaf. (more…)

After my first attempt at bar Tweedies, I did a little cogitating. I knew I had to back off the baking powder for sure. I also realized it was time to use some common sense about the middle layer, and make a confectioners’ sugar frosting that would just plain behave itself. Finally, I wondered what kind of brownie-like proportions could be brought to bear on the base layers, to get something more moist, that would read more like a bar cookie. (more…)

What is it about sticky buns that just seems so perfectly in tune with this time of the year?

Is it the over-the-top sweetness, the kind of sugary overkill we used to enjoy as kids, sucking on lollipops and rock candy? Or maybe it’s the active way you eat these buns, grasping them gingerly to avoid the sticky parts, but inevitably ending up with fingers to lick clean… (more…)