Table of contents for July/August 2023 in Bake from Scratch

BAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH SUMMER As we move into the heat of summer with farmers’ markets overflowing with their bounty of delicious fruits and vegetables and family and friends gathering under the warm sun, it’s the perfect time of year to go back to basics about what I love about baking: simple and adaptable recipes with flavors I know and love. Baking is such an important part of my family, so it’s no surprise that I’m including one of my family’s recipes in this issue. Imagine discovering at the age of 42 that your aunt has a recipe she’s been baking since her childhood? Well, once I learned about this recipe that began her experience in baking, I had to include it in the Lost & Found column to share…

What inspired you to begin baking? Mindy Flack: My mom always did everything from scratch. I mean, not just baking, but even making pasta. She gardened; she canned. That’s how I grew up. All our treats were homemade, and I’ve always enjoyed baking. You’re a software implementer by day and a baker by night. How did you turn your baking into a side hustle? MF: It started, probably 12 years ago now, because my husband and I had a lot of unexpected medical debt. People kept asking, “What do you need?” So, I thought, “I’m going to ask people for $30 for a dozen cupcakes,” which at the time seemed outlandish. I thought no one would pay for this. Within 4 hours, I had sold 80 dozen cupcakes, and I…

In the dead of scorching summer heat, I can find few things that bring greater pleasure than a bowl brimming with chilled cherries. Their adorable, heart-shaped bodies gleam at me fwith assorted rosy pink shades and dark, striking hues. Their taut skin gives way to firm flesh filled with perfectly balanced tart, sweet juices. I have many favorite cherry-filled memories, but the most potent one brings me back to a summer night spent at the beach in late July. The sweltering day was filled with enough activity to last a week. All we needed was a relaxing evening as the sun began to set. The gilded light swept over us as if depositing all its last efforts for us to savor the rest of the beautiful day. That night after…

Bread is an ultimate pleasure, and sometimes, the craggy, crusty boule just won’t do. Soft, supple sourdough sandwich bread is the desire we seek, and the smell of this bread baking away in the oven is just as bewitching. Good bread baking smells powerful in its air of innocence and delight. It leaves you filled with one of the world’s loveliest aromas. There aren’t many things that will leave you free of negative thoughts like the cozy ceremony of making bread. The key to this Sourdough Sandwich Loaf is the starter and patience. Making sourdough is more of a method and technique than a recipe. If this sounds intimidating, do fear not, as we will walk you through our step-by-step process of making and caring for your starter and forming…

What’s the difference between classic puff pastry, rough puff, and piecrust? Piecrust is made by combining pieces of butter (or other fat) with flour, which forms smaller pieces as it blends with the flour. The texture of the dough is soft, crumbly, and full of tiny pockets of fat, resulting in a flavorful, thick, sturdy crust. Classic puff pastry is a laminated dough, which means it’s made by taking a large block of solid butter and wrapping it with pastry dough, resulting in a fluffier, crispier pastry than pie dough. Rough puff is made of the same ingredients as classic puff pastry but with large pieces of butter laminated into the dough instead of entire slabs of butter. You won’t have quite the same height as a classic puff pastry,…

With its rich, gooey center, it’s no surprise that the Tunnel of Fudge cake rose to prominence. Though it didn’t win first place at the Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest in 1966—it came in second place—Ella Helfrich’s chocolaty creation took over the hearts and kitchens of bakers across the United States. The Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest, originally titled the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest, started in 1949 as a way for the Pillsbury family to celebrate the company’s 80th birthday and to promote its brand of flour. Bakers from all over the nation submitted their recipes, but just 100 lucky bakers were selected for a chance to win $25,000—equivalent to more than $315,000 today! The bakers were flown to New York City to compete at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. This was not an…

The first stand mixers for home use were introduced by the KitchenAid company in 1919 and quickly became a household favorite. Both its tilt-head and bowl-lifter models inspired numerous versions by other companies, but KitchenAid’s iconic style and superior functionality continue to make it a popular pick for both avid and casual bakers. Although there are seemingly infinite brands, models, and sizes of stand mixers in a wide price range to choose from, the Bake from Scratch test kitchen uses the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer for developing all our recipes that require a mixer. (Note, we also specify in our recipes if and when to use a hand mixer.) These items are standard inclusion with all KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart mixers. The flat beater, equally well-known as a paddle,…

For Jack Hazan, the kitchen is a haven—a delicious space to let go and heal. He’s learned the power of therapy in baking, and he is here with his new cookbook, Mind Over Batter, to share it with the most avid bakers, those who have never even picked up a spatula before, and everyone in between! Jack first made the connection between baking and therapy while pursuing a degree in psychology. “In grad school, I began baking bread to make some dough! I had been doing this for over two years, and on the last day of my last semester, I brought bread to share with everyone. Everybody loved the bread, but I was sad because I felt like I needed to give up this passion for baking for therapy.…

CHERRY-ALMOND BREAD PUDDING Makes 6 to 8 servings Buttery brioche gets soused in a rich, almondy custard studded with ruby-hued cherries and almonds and is served alongside a bright cherry sauce to drizzle onto the bread pudding. Prepare this the night before for the most effortless and delectable summertime brunch. 6 large eggs (300 grams), room temperature2 cups (480 grams) heavy whipping cream¾ cup (150 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar, divided½ cup (120 grams) whole milk1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt½ teaspoon (2 grams) almond extract12 ounces (340 grams) day-old brioche bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 8 cups)2 cups (280 grams) fresh cherries, pitted and halved½ cup (56 grams) sliced almonds, dividedFresh Cherry Sauce (recipe follows) 1. Lightly spray a 2-…

Bake It Your Way Tip Apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, and plums will work for any of these stone fruit recipes, and blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries will work for the berry recipes. You can also use a combo of any stone fruits or any berries as long as you have the total amount of fruit called for in the recipes. Any-Fruit Cakes APRICOT CAKE Makes 1 (9-inch) cake Featuring chunky chopped and soft sliced stone fruit, this rich and buttery cake is loaded with fresh flavor. A simple glaze is the perfect finishing touch. 1½ cups (260 grams) chopped peeled fresh apricot or other stone fruit2 tablespoons (16 grams) all-purpose flourButter Cake Batter (recipe follows)1 cup (175 grams) thinly sliced peeled fresh apricot or other stone fruitVanilla Glaze (recipe follows)…

CHOCOLATE CHUNK SKILLET COOKIE Makes 1 (6-inch) cookie You can never go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie. This recipe makes a few generous servings and is ready to devour in about an hour from start to finish. Sharing is entirely optional! ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar*2 tablespoons (28 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar*1 large egg yolk (19 grams)1 tablespoon (15 grams) whole milk½ teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract½ cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking powder¼ teaspoon kosher salt¼ cup (43 grams) chopped 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate2 tablespoons (14 grams) chopped pecans*Garnish: flaked sea salt 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until butter turns golden brown and…

A BETTER BEATER We can’t bake without this brilliant dual-purpose KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer paddle attachment. Its flex edge scrapes the sides of the mixer bowl as it beats, which incorporates ingredients speedily and efficiently and means less stopping and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl for you. JUST A SMIDGE When you read a recipe that says, “Add a pinch of this and a dash of that …,” do you automatically think, “Precisely how much is a pinch or a smidge?” Our editorial director, Nancy Meeks, knows! She introduced us to her set of teeny-tiny measuring spoons that she got as a stocking stuffer years ago. She adores her conversation-starting tools and knows you’ll love a set, too. LOVELY LINENS These lightweight linens from LinenCasa are a…

Some recipes are humble yet so reassuring that they need not change. They are kept in your pocket, ready for the moment you crave comfort and simplicity. This is one of those recipes. “My Aunt Cheryl has been baking these muffins for literally decades now,” Brian says, “and I never knew about the recipe until just a few months ago when she called me up to chat and she happened to be making these muffins.” “I first made these muffins at age 12 in my home economics class,” says Brian’s aunt Cheryl Hoffman. “This recipe has always been my favorite easy muffin recipe. I bake them especially when craving a muffin at home.” The handwritten recipe, titled simply “Muffins,” is recorded on a white, ruled index card that has slightly…

CAPRESE PULL-APART LOAF Makes 1 (9x5-inch) loaf The word “caprese” instantly denotes the trio of sliced fresh tomato, whole basil leaves, and fresh mozzarella served as an appetizer or salad. This iteration makes use of soft oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped basil, and shredded fresh mozzarella layered between thin pieces of dough that bake golden brown on the outside, burst with flavor on the inside, and should absolutely be shared. 2½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour, divided2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar1 (0.25-ounce) package (7 grams) instant yeast*2 teaspoons (6 grams) kosher salt¾ cup (180 grams) whole milk3 tablespoons (42 grams) olive oil1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted2 cloves garlic (3 grams), minced1 (8-ounce) ball (226 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded½ cup (80 grams)…

Home is where the heart is, and the heart of the home is the kitchen. These words ring true for editor-in-chief of Bake from Scratch and passionate home baker Brian Hart Hoffman and his beautifully remodeled kitchen. After living in his downtown Birmingham, Alabama, condominium for five years with his husband, Stephen, the couple decided the 1990s open floor plan no longer served their lifestyle. “It had a weird flow,” Brian explains. “Once you entered the door, you could see straight through to the kitchen, the living room, and the city skyline beyond, which is great, but no one went past the kitchen. It was a bottleneck.” The couple needed a home with more-defined areas for entertaining, baking, and seating, so they set out to create spaces tailor-made for them.…

S’MORES BLONDIES Makes 18 to 24 blondies With both graham “flour” (a.k.a. finely ground graham crackers) and chopped chocolate added to the batter, these bars are wildly delicious even before they’re topped with marshmallows and more chocolate and broiled until bronzed and melty. And don’t be surprised if you start adding graham cracker crumbs to blondies from now on, as the nutty, honey-flavored, vanilla-forward crackers bring so much to the blondie table. 1¾ cups (385 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled1 tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla extract2 large eggs (100 grams)1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder1¼ teaspoons (3.75 grams) kosher salt1½ cups (195 grams) finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 1½ sleeves)1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour6 ounces (170 grams) milk or semisweet…