I have been frequently asked if you can make macarons without almond flour. The other question I frequently get asked is if you can make macarons with flour. The answer is yes. Can you tell which one(s) are the imposter macaron on the plate below? You can make macarons without almond flour and...
Learning How to Macaronage Can Be Easy! Learning how to macaronage is one of the hardest parts of creating the excellent macaron. After finding a great macaron recipe you may still be struggling with the macaronage stage. We have created this tutorial at the request of a viewer to help beginners...
A Little Experiment on Macaron Oven Placement and Temperature We are going to have fun experimenting with macarons! A viewer recently asked for this tutorial (Hello, Jean-Charles!) so he would know what is the perfect macaron oven placement and temperature for these finicky little cookies. We will...
How to Save a Sourdough Starter without Feeding Do you need to go on an extended trip or plan to move cross country or just want to take a break from feeding your sourdough starter? You have options! First, you can store your sourdough starter without feeding it in the refrigerator for a good 5 -...
Difference in Grain, Equipment and Manufacturers Cause Discrepancies A cup of flour will weigh differently for a variety of reasons. One manufacturer will list 120 grams, whereas another 135 grams. Why is there such a discrepancy? The weight of flour can vary on a lot of factors. It could be the...
Today we will learn how to make clarified butter. In the last few weeks, we learned how to melt butter on the stovetop which was an easy process to do. By taking a little more time, we can clarify butter! What is the purpose of clarified butter? Glad you asked! When you cook with butter, it only...
Simple Syrup - What Makes it so Simple? A simple syrup recipe and even a rich syrup recipe should be easy to remember and be easy to make. After all, a simple syrup is simply a 1:1 ratio of equal parts water. That's why they call it simple! Similarly, a rich syrup doubles the amount of sugar to...
Not Everyone Owns a Microwave Have you ever come across a recipe that tells you to melt butter in the microwave? Not everyone owns a microwave. We often forget they are a luxury for many. What if you don't have a microwave, you cannot afford one, do not have the room, hate them or yours is broken?...
What is the Relationship of Water and Flour? Flour absorbs water like a sponge. The amount of water you use within a recipe is called the hydration rate. Adding water to flour hydrates the proteins, gliadin and glutenin, also known as gluten. The proteins will bind together and form chains not...
Why do your muffins look like bread! Or maybe your muffins look like cake. What happened? There are a few reasons a fabulous muffin recipe may turn out to look like the photos below. We will go over the most common reasons and how to prevent it in the future. Substituting ingredients, using a...
What do you do when your dough is too dry? You may have found our wet dough tutorial helpful but are now are struggling with dry dough. The problem with most American bread recipes is they give you vague instructions on how much flour to add and often times you end up with dry dough that is tough...
What do you do when your dough is too wet? You may be discouraged and want to throw it all away. But first, try kneading it using the slap and fold method. Many times, it's simply changing the technique you us to knead the dough that's the answer to your problems. But what if your dough looks like...
There are Two Types of Pokeweed There are two types of Pokeweed known of in America. Phytolacca americana var. rigida (formally known as Phytolacca rigida) and Phytolacca americana look very similar, yet there are subtle differences. What if I told you some of the photos in this post show look...
Can Sugar-Substitutes Really Work in a Recipe? Would you want to eat these "no-sugar" sugar cookies pictured? Yes, I said cookies. These are adapted from my fabulous sugar cookie recipe with only one change. The sugar was replaced in equal parts with sugar substitute. This well known brand has a...
The key to healthy baking starts with simple changes. Take a look at the picture above. What do you think is the most important thing you see in regards to your health? Perhaps your eyes went to the stand mixer. What if I told you that was placed there on purpose to through you off and this is a...