Bake from Scratch Jul/Aug 2017

ONE LOOK AT MY PHOTO, and you might be wondering why I’m wearing a sweatshirt in the summer heat (to be fair, the photo was taken in April). But as soon as I saw Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg wearing them, I knew I needed one, too. I’m also wearing it to celebrate our 2017 Baker’s Dozen list—representing the movers and shakers of our incredible baking world. You’ll learn about the person behind the sweatshirt design and so many others on page 43. For our “Bakery Profile” in this issue, we take you to Detroit, Michigan, to share the amazingness of Sister Pie and the important role they’ve played in the rebirth of the Motor City. Imagine a place where Instagramworthy pies meet a “pie-it-forward” movement driven by a James Beard-nominated pastry…

CHADWICK BOYD Chadwick Boyd is a food and lifestyle expert, TV host, and author. He has appeared on Food Network, the daytime talk show Harry, NBC, Fox, PBS, and Lifetime, sharing recipes and entertaining tips with viewers. He currently is promoting his new recipe collection, Entertaining with Vegetables. Chadwick helps organize the Southern Food Writing Conference and International Biscuit Festival. Go-to dessert for a summer cookout: “Pinot soaked berries with fresh garden mint—for biscuits, shortbread, and cold, cold vanilla bean ice cream.” DEVRA FIRST Devra First is the food editor of The Boston Globe, where she was previously the restaurant critic. Recently recovering from her life of anonymity, she now gets to spend a lot more time in her kitchen playing with dough. A New York native, she continues her eternal quest to make…

1. NDT Brazil Cake Stand in Yellow Made of lightweight and durable aluminum and recycled wood, this sunshine yellow version will brighten up any room. $77.99; wayfair.com 2. Jansen + Co “My Cake Stand,” Medium Bring the art of color blocking to your kitchen with this towering, red-stemmed and white-topped model from Dutch designer Anouk Jansen. $71.99; zola.com 3. Crow Canyon Blue Marble Enamelware This blue-and-white speckled cake stand is reminiscent of the shatterproof vintage gear brought out for camp cookouts. $33.99; cherrycreekcottage.com 4. Hamon Marble Cake Stand This piece by Hamon combines a whimsical octagonal shape with a white marble finish and just a touch of polished nickel at the base. $80; modishstore.com 5. Mosser Gray Milk Glass Cake Stand with Swirl Storm gray with a subtle white marble swirl encircling its stem and base, Mosser’s elegant 10-inch stand offers a timeless…

BIANCO by Chris Bianco This summer, pizza maven and James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Bianco presents his self-titled cookbook, Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like (Ecco). This collection of recipes features his famous pies, lesser-known gems like his Fig, Red Onion, Pecorino, and Thyme topped Focaccia, and sweets like Farro Biscotti with Mandarin, Almond, and Anise. Chris imparts a chef’s overall philosophy of simplicity and substance; recipes often feature fewer than six main ingredients, and unlike many restaurant-inspired cookbooks, won’t have you running to the specialty food store. Instead, you’ll come away with the straightforward technique and secrets of a master artisan pie maker. CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE: Pizza Rosa, his signature pie with simple toppings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, roasted pistachios, and paper-thin slices of red onion TWIST by Martha Collison A relative…

I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold Creative bakers can find ideas everywhere: childhood nostalgia for one of mom’s favorite recipes, a talented chef’s savory creation, or even just a foray through the farmers’ market on an abundant summer day. But that spark of inspiration can come from less likely sources as well. Take, for example, this Plum Icebox Cake, whose cold, creamy layers pay homage to “This is Just to Say,” one of our favorite poems by William Carlos Williams: Who doesn’t relish a cold, juicy plum on a hot summer day? Taking this idea and running with it, we’ve baked up crispy, aromatic Tarragon Vanilla Wafers, which are layered…

Visiting Sister Pie, a bakery on Detroit’s east side, gives rise to philosophical questions. Questions like: Can a bakery be too welcoming? Can it be too down-home-meets-Pinterest, too Instagram perfect? Is this even for real? This gives way, almost instantly, to a second question: Can one die from consuming too much pie? On any given morning, the former beauty salon is bustling awake along with the stable residential West Village neighborhood in which it resides. Head baker and owner Lisa Ludwinski usually arrives before dawn from her nearby apartment, and flicks on the pink neon sign above the door. Soon, the walls of windows flood the shop with early light as its bakers get to work in an open kitchen, turning out batches of handmade pastry. The early hours are quiet as…