While I  loathe shopping and I don't really like driving in NYC, I was designated driver on a mission this past Saturday to where? Sweden....well, ok, IKEA, in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. When forced into such labor my mind usually wanders to the food section of IKEA, generally for those deca...

Recently I successfully baked what I consider a wonderful Jewish rye bread from an equally  wonderful source of references and information for bakers. That loaf made me think of my Uncle Lester who died a couple years ago. We would talk a lot on the phone. He would always ask what I was baking or w...

No worries here, my friends. I am back and baking! I revved up my limp starters with a few quick feeds just to get at least one loaf just for a fix. God I'm like a junkie now! So I made some hybrid dough  to get my mojo. What a dud! It turned out to be a stiff D.O.A. from proof to fridge, out and i...

Besides writing about the larger world of professional kitchens, another aim is to re-create some of the wondrous breads that remind me of my travels abroad. This exploration has taken me to many blogs, one in particular is Deichrunner. Since I haven't found out this baker's name yet, I will say loa...

Using my new Mini SuperPeel to load the pizza onto the peel. NOTE: This is a long mish-mosh of stuff today! I'm going to be pretty busy until next week, so I thought I'd just post everything I have! I was fascinated by the SuperPeel, The Ultimate Baker's Transport Tool. It's a fantastic way to get p...

Over the Thanksgiving break, after stuffing myself like a turkey, I planned to bake some bread. The first loaf I baked was Amy Scherber's signature semolina bread with fennel, pine nuts and golden raisins. At work we offer it to our guests in their bread baskets, and often we slather something good ...

While anxious to bake whenever humanly possible, it's not always easy to schedule around my wife badgering me about flour here and there or with my work taking over my life. I try now to be frugal making smaller loaves and one at a time, in light of the current world picture and economics. My wonder...

PIZZA I have been craving a decent pie lately, as it seems my neighborhood joints don't make it the way that sings to me. Sign of the times, when there aren't even some Italian Pizzaoila's living in New York. What is a deranged home baking chef to do? Make it himself! Since I found myself regularly ...

I first heard about  Bäcker Süpke from my friend Nils and have since eagerly visited his blog. Challenged as I am in German , through translations, I can get a feel for his bread language. For those who bake bread, it's a kinship as old as the wheat or rye and maybe even older grain stock tha...

It's been some time since I have followed good baking advice, my own or someone elses. Being a lazy baker makes me the last authority on deciding with caution or precision on good baking habits and tips. I suppose making mistakes can eventually change bad habits, with the price of flour, fuel being ...