I love pita bread.  I especially love homemade pita bread.  It’s one of those breads that so many home bakers never think of taking on.  But it is one of the EASIEST breads to make.  It’s a quick mix and a quick bake, and the end result is a dozen or so pitas just waiting [...]

Deep dish pizza, especially homemade deep dish pizza, is one of those things that literally oozes with satisfaction.  To me, the perfect deep dish pizza crust has a slightly crisp outside edge, but a gooey, chewy, tender all around crust.  I’ve tried about ten different deep dish pizza recipes in the last few years and [...]

One of my favorite breads to have around the house is this Quizno’s flat bread copycat recipe.  If you’ve ever had a Quizno’s “Sammy” and loved the bread, then this is the recipe you’ll want to make at home. Not only is this recipe remarkably easy to make, it’s flavorful and good for so much [...]

Anyone who regularly reads food blogs has heard of Pioneer Woman.  She’s been in the food blog scene for a long time and she has wrangled herself plenty of fans.  As I have been on a mission to find the most perfect cinnamon roll recipe, I thought I would try the one that fans of [...]

While there are many reasons your bread dough won’t rise, I’m breaking them out into little posts all on their own.   Figuring out why bread doesn’t want to rise is like sorting out a complicated puzzle sometimes, so I figure a few tips to get you started might be in order. For this first possibility, [...]

One night before bed, I was paging through a borrowed copy of Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook when I stumbled upon a gorgeous loaf of what appeared to be a chocolate lover’s wonderland:  Chocolate Babka. My husband, seeing my wide eyes and the drool rolling down my chin, declared that it looked like something right up [...]

When it comes to home baking, there are few yeast breads that are as popular as cinnamon rolls or sticky buns.  For some reason, home bakers love to make them.  I love to make them, too, but I do have a pet peeve with most of the rolls coming out of home kitchens. I hate [...]

I think it’s easy to be intimidated by yeast breads.  That’s one of the reasons I started this blog.  What started out as a simple New Year’s resolution (50 new-to-me recipes in one year) became a love affair with all things yeast bread. While I feel I have explored some of the more intimidating breads [...]

Like many baked items in the yeast bread category, croissants are often intimidating.  Making croissants isn’t difficult and it can be done in stages, so this recipe is easy for people with busy lives. When it comes to baking croissants, there are generally two types you can bake: “croissants de patissier” and “croissants de boulanger.”  In France, [...]

One of the things that most intimidates bakers is the fear that their bread won’t rise. I know that fear.  I’ve had it on many an occasion.  But there are some things that will help the bread along and I want to share them with you. The first tip I have is something you have [...]

For someone who likes cooking and baking, a Cook’s Illustrated magazine subscription is a wonderful gift. And for someone like me, who likes to know the “why” and “how” behind the science of baking, a book like Baking Illustrated is a must-have in the kitchen. Both publications come from the gurus at America’s Test Kitchen. [...]

After I made a post about the different types of yeast, I received an email from a reader who was curious to know why someone would choose to use instant yeast instead of a rapid rise yeast.  Answers may vary depending on the baker, but here is my answer. Rapid rise yeasts were essentially developed [...]

One of the most common things people say to me when they hear that I make all of the breads for our home every week is, “But why? Buying it is so cheap?” But, thanks to my friends at King Arthur, I can tell them that, in fact, they’re wrong. No, you see, making your [...]

When my friends and family ask me questions about baking homemade bread, one of the most frequently asked questions is, “How do you know what type of yeast to use?” With many different types of yeast available – active dry yeast, instant yeast, bread machine yeast, and cake yeast – it is easy to see [...]

In 2008, my New Year’s resolution was to try 50 new recipes. That essentially boils down to one per week, and without an official tally, I believe I made it. One of the recipes I tried for the first time was the Amish Dinner Roll Recipe from King Arthur Flour. Now, nearly one year later, [...]