Innehållsförteckning för March/April 2021 från Bake from Scratch

SPRING IS THE SEASON OF OPPORTUNITY. Bakers have the opportunity to grow and harvest fresh herbs, work with the first of the season’s sweet strawberries, and organize their enormous pan collection during spring cleaning. I say “organize,” because I can’t part with a single Bundt pan, copper mold, or mixing bowl—it all sparks joy. We embrace this period of renewal with some truly inspired recipe features. From a cheesy recipe roundup to a buttery Parker House roll revamp, this issue offers plenty of comfort food. On the sweeter side of things, we’ve got a mega-meringue tutorial, free-form desserts, and a Four Ways with Strawberries collection that will have you prepared for berry season. It’s my great pleasure to welcome back some beloved bakers to the pages of Bake from Scratch.…

There are friends, and then there are soul mates. Your spiritual counterpoint can be anyone, from your mother to your romantic partner. Julie Tanous and Jesse Tyler Ferguson found their profound match in the kitchen. Since meeting at a dinner party in 2013, the two have founded a blog, Julie & Jesse Cook, and published numerous recipes in magazines (including a feature in the Bake from Scratch Holiday 2016 issue). Now, the talented twosome are releasing their first cookbook, Food Between Friends (Clarkson Potter, 2021), the culmination of many years spent together in and out of the kitchen. We sat them down for an in-depth chat on how they wrote, shot, and edited a cookbook—let alone maintained their friendship—during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tell us about the art of collaborating on…

BLACK FOREST PAVLOVA Makes 1 (7-inch) Pavlova A widely popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand, the Pavlova plays on texture and flavor in the most dynamic ways. Using just a piece of parchment paper and a spatula, the airy meringue base is piled high and shaped into a shallow bowl. After baking, the shell of our Black Forest Pavlova, with its crispy exterior and chewy marshmallow-like interior, receives a silky Chocolate Pastry Cream that is ultimately scattered with juicy cherries and dolloped with pillows of Whipped Cream. ½ cup (120 grams) egg whites, room temperature¼ teaspoon kosher salt1 cup (200 grams) castor sugar1½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) cornstarch¾ teaspoon (3.75 grams) distilled white vinegar¼ teaspoon (1 gram) vanilla extract*1 (13.5-ounce) jar (383 grams) cherries (stem on)Chocolate Pastry Cream (recipe follows)Whipped…

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS Makes 24 rolls Legend has it that Parker House rolls were created by accident as a disgruntled baker slammed a tray of rolls in the oven. The jolted rolls emerged with their signature folded appearance, and the guests raved about them. It’s that pocket-like fold that creates a crispy golden exterior with a steaming hot and tender interior. 4 to 4¼ cups (500 to 531 grams) all-purpose flour, divided⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt2¼ teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast¾ cup (180 grams) whole milk⅔ cup (160 grams) water¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, cubed1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature⅓ cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, meltedFlaked sea salt, for sprinkling 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle…

Aruby- and gold-hued box was always synonymous with family holidays, especially those spent in the Philippines at my Tito Bobby’s house. Its individually wrapped contents, called ensaymada, appeared humble—a golden puff of pastry, delicately coated in butter, sugar, and a dusting of cheese. One bite revealed an extraordinarily tender, melt-in-your-mouth bread, perfectly contrasted by the sugary coating and salty queso de bola. Ensaymadas’ ethereal texture was one my Grandpa Helding—a bookworm, not a cook—sought for several years to recreate. Whenever they arrived on special occasions, the gloves came off; guaranteed, in minutes, my cousins and I had hidden our own stashes around the house, Easter egg-style. But what is an ensaymada and how did it become so covetable? The beginning of that story starts on the Spanish isle of Mallorca…

As far as taste is concerned, salt (sodium chloride) is the proverbial Goldilocks of baked goods. Too little and treats taste flat. Too much and they are deemed inedible. Just right and our taste receptors ignite. Besides an intense salty taste on its own, salt interacts with the other basic tastes, acting as both the crescendo and decrescendo of the flavor concert. Specifically, salt can enhance sweetness, mask bitterness, and complement umami (or savoriness). Think of the ever-so-popular salted caramel, which harnesses this combo to change the perception of sweetness, or the iconic sprinkling of flaked sea salt on dark chocolate that causes bitterness to magically abate. In other words, without salt, all baking becomes one-note. The relationship that salt has to flavor may be a more recognizable concept, but…

Meringue is the baker’s chameleon of texture. Unbaked, it’s silky and smooth, the cloudlike secret to a Swiss or Italian meringue frosting. Scorched under a broiler or with a kitchen torch, it takes on the quality of a campfire marshmallow, sporting a brûléed exterior and fluffy interior. Baked low and slow, meringue becomes crisp and crunchy, a brittle confection that still miraculously melts in your mouth. But how does a base mixture of sugar and egg whites become this malleable miracle? The short answer is whipping. Lots and lots of whipping. However, short answers don’t always make a better baker. Instead, dive into our long-form, involved answer on how to make the best meringue. Whether it’s by the French, Swiss, or Italian method, we show you how to expertly maneuver…

COCONUT PECAN CAKE Makes 1 (9-inch) cake Recipe by Dolester Miles A trip to Birmingham, Alabama, wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Highlands Bar & Grill, Chez Fonfon, or Bottega for a serving of Coconut Pecan Cake made by esteemed pastry chef Dolester Miles. Fortunately for those who can’t make to Birmingham, Dolester has shared her recipe so we can recreate this showstopper at home. Four nutty cake layers brimming with pecans and fragrant coconut are stacked with a thick, sweet pudding filling made with condensed milk, cream of coconut, and more sweetened flaked coconut. The cake is coated with a simple sweetened whipped cream, covered with toasted coconut, and served with Crème Anglaise. 1 cup (85 grams) firmly packed sweetened shredded coconut¾ cup (74 grams) pecan halves, toasted2½…

CHEESE BREADSTICKS Makes 16 breadsticks If you’re looking to make a homemade version of that cheesy favorite from your beloved pizza establishment, this recipe delivers. Our dough receives a chewy boost from semolina flour, a flour commonly used in pasta because of its fantastic elasticity. Then the dough is bathed in melted butter, garlic, and herbs before getting topped with a trio of cheeses. Whole-milk mozzarella is classically gooey and stretchy while Gruyère and Parmesan boast earthy and nutty tones, delivering the perfect shareable snack you may not want to share. 2½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting1 cup (155 grams) semolina flour3 teaspoons (9 grams) kosher salt, divided2 teaspoons (6 grams) instant yeast2 teaspoons (8 grams) granulated sugar1¼ cups (300 grams) warm water (120°F/49°C to 130°F/54°C)2…

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE-PISTACHIO FORGOTTEN COOKIES Makes about 15 cookies The magic of “forgotten cookies” begins as soon as they’re placed into a preheated oven and the oven is immediately turned off. This is followed by the most important step: the cookies are forgotten! Because the cookies bake slowly using the residual heat of the oven, the busy baker can go about their errands, finish the workday, or nestle into bed without having to worry about setting timers or leaving the oven on. Once the oven is opened again, the most perfect meringue-like cookies await. Lighter than air, with a chewy yet crisp consistency, these cookies receive an addition of chocolate chips, salted pistachios, and orange zest for extra flavor and texture. ¼ cup (60 grams) egg whites, room temperature (about 2 large…

STRAWBERRY ETON MESS ROULADE Makes 8 to 10 servings This showstopping dessert combines all the essential elements of the quintissentially British Eton mess dessert. Reinvented into a roulade, the light-as-air meringue is rolled delicately with fresh strawberries, mint, and lemon crème fraîche whipped cream. Topped with chopped pistachios and more fresh strawberries, this dessert will have you going back for more. 3 egg whites (90 grams), room temperature¾ cup (150 grams) castor sugar1 teaspoon (3 grams) cornstarch1 teaspoon (5 grams) fresh lemon juice1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract½ cup (120 grams) heavy whipping cream2 tablespoons (30 grams) confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting1 tablespoon (6 grams) packed lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)½ cup (120 grams) crème fraîche½ pound (226 grams) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced2 tablespoons (4 grams) fresh…

A Rough Puff How-To: The Letter Fold LEMON-BLUEBERRY PASTRY ROLLS Makes 24 pastries These puff pastry pinwheels are flaky, sweet, and tangy. With all the familiarity of buttery palmiers, these round treats boast dynamic flavors from lemon zest and crushed freeze-dried blueberries. 2¼ cups (281 grams) all-purpose flour1¼ cups (284 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed2 teaspoons (6 grams) kosher salt½ cup (120 grams) ice water⅓ cup (14 grams) freeze-dried blueberries, finely crushed¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar2 tablespoons (12 grams) packed lemon zest (about 4 medium lemons)1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 10 minutesLemon Glaze (recipe follows)Garnish: lemon zest 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat flour, cold butter, and salt at low speed just until butter is coated…

Ireland is an island full of rapturous baking traditions and flavors. At no other time is its sweet culinary soul more on display than during Easter, a time of family gathering and delicious breaking of bread. With our 2020 Authentic Ireland Issue being one of our most beloved issues of all time, we decided to catch-up with past Irish contributors to revisit the island we miss so much. We spoke with three baking icons of Ireland: Darina Allen, cofounder of Ballymaloe Cookery School; Shane Smith, a pastry chef and food writer; and Gemma Stafford, the baking entrepreneur behind the YouTube channel and blog Bigger Bolder Baking. Each shares an intimate glimpse of Ireland in springtime, from the mint and rhubarb growing in their gardens to the ornate chocolates you can…