Bake from Scratch May/June 2018

BAKING ISSUE, and welcome to the home of Bake from Scratch magazine. We are based in Birmingham, Alabama, and while our mission is to feature the global baking community, it is finally time to showcase the amazing flavors and traditions that make Southern baking so exceptional. And before you even have to ask: Yes, there is a major biscuit feature in this issue (page 89). For me, baking began with biscuits. With my mom, in her kitchen, using the biscuit bowl (photographed) because that bowl is the visual indicator of a recipe that isn’t written down. Without that cherished Pyrex bowl, I couldn’t recreate “Mom’s Biscuits,” consisting of three ingredients: vegetable oil, buttermilk, and White Lily self-rising flour. And while they aren’t like any other biscuit (chock-full of butter), they are our family’s recipe,…

BOYCE UPHOLT Boyce Upholt is a freelance writer based in the Mississippi Delta. He was named a 2016 Writer of the Year by the International Regional Magazine Association for his travel and culture writing for Mississippi Magazine, where he serves as the small-town spotlight editor. Last year, he canoed from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Gulf of Mexico as part of his research for a book about the Mississippi River. Favorite Southern Dessert: “When I moved to the South 10 years ago, I fell in love with bread pudding—especially when topped with a good whiskey sauce.” ERIN AUSTEN ABBOTT Erin Austen Abbott is a freelance writer and photographer. Her work can be found in such publications as Esquire and Bon Appétit. She published her first book, How to Make It: 25 Makers Share the…

Southern A to Z Page 52 Caramel cake courtesy Sugaree’s Bakery, sugarees.com. Photo of Edna Lewis by John T. Hill. Page 55 Assorted fruit kolaches courtesy Kolache Factory, kolachefactory.com. Page 57 Photo of ‘Nana Puddin’ by Squire Fox. Page 59 Photo of Patricia Barnes by Vicki Popwell. 10 Southern Bakers to Know Page 101-102 Photo by Kate Thompson. Page 103 Carla Tomasko photography by Andrew Thomas Lee. Carrie Morey photography by Jason Stemple. Page 104 Justin Burke-Samson photography by Jamey Price. Cynthia Wong photography by Andrew Cebulka. Page 105 Photo of Amanda Faber by Dasha Crawford. Cake photo by Amanda Faber. Photo of Phoebe Lawless by Lisa Gotwals. Scratch Bakery photo by Charles Samuels. Page 106 Lisa White photography by Andrea Behrends. Photo of Evrim and Evin Dogu by Roman Cho.…

THE BACK IN THE DAY BAKERY COOKBOOK (Artisan, 2012) by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day The retro-chic Back in the Day Bakery, located in Savannah, Georgia, has been a Southern favorite for the past 15 years, in large part based on the charming mix of nostalgia and modern whimsy showcased in owners Cheryl and Griffith Day’s baking. As much as it looks to the past, this book is also a bright illustration of the new Southern form of baking: sparkling innovation that doesn’t sacrifice tradition. TRIED-AND-TRUE CLASSIC: ’Nana Puddin’, their ode to a Southern classic that is completely scratch-made, from the thick, silky pudding to the crisp broken shortbread cookie layers. SOUTHERN CAKES (Chronicle Books, 2007) by Nancie McDermott Exploring Southern baking exclusively through the prism of cake, Nancie McDermott’s Southern Cakes offers fascinating tidbits about the storied…

I still dream of those summers in Virginia. Growing up, my little sister Emily and I would spend the break visiting our great aunt Bess on her farm just outside of Bedford, a quaint town in central Virginia between Roanoke and Lynchburg. Every June, as soon as school got out, my mother sent us by train from our hometown in Lexington, Kentucky. Emily and I spent the entire ride eagerly planning our adventures for the months ahead—midday dips in the creek, games of hide-and-seek barefoot in the soft grass of the apple orchard, and—our favorite—baking sessions with Aunt Bess. We’d make biscuits and berry cobblers, but the best treat didn’t come until the end of summer in late August when we baked apple pie. From the proper way to set…

FRIED APPLE HAND PIES Makes about 20 It is a truth universally acknowledged in the Deep South: Everything is better fried. Apple pie is no exception. These half-moon pastries take all that was good about the original and add a hefty dose of crispy, crunchy (and cinnamon sugar-coated) crust by deep-frying them. 1⅓ cups (267 grams) granulated sugar, divided ⅓ cup (73 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar 3 tablespoons (24 grams) cornstarch 1 teaspoon (3 grams) apple pie spice ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 4 cups (525 grams) diced peeled Gala or Fuji apples (about 2½ pounds) 1 tablespoon (15 grams) fresh lemon juice Piecrust Dough (recipe on page 16) 1 large egg (50 grams) 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water 1 gallon (3,790 grams) peanut oil, for frying 1 tablespoon (6 grams) ground cinnamon 1. In a large skillet, whisk together ⅓ cup (67…