Tabla de contenidos para May/June 2018 en Bake from Scratch

BAKING ISSUE, and welcome to the home of Bake from Scratch magazine. We are based in Birmingham, Alabama, and while our mission is to feature the global baking community, it is finally time to showcase the amazing flavors and traditions that make Southern baking so exceptional. And before you even have to ask: Yes, there is a major biscuit feature in this issue (page 89). For me, baking began with biscuits. With my mom, in her kitchen, using the biscuit bowl (photographed) because that bowl is the visual indicator of a recipe that isn’t written down. Without that cherished Pyrex bowl, I couldn’t recreate “Mom’s Biscuits,” consisting of three ingredients: vegetable oil, buttermilk, and White Lily self-rising flour. And while they aren’t like any other biscuit (chock-full of butter), they…

THE BACK IN THE DAY BAKERY COOKBOOK (Artisan, 2012) by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day The retro-chic Back in the Day Bakery, located in Savannah, Georgia, has been a Southern favorite for the past 15 years, in large part based on the charming mix of nostalgia and modern whimsy showcased in owners Cheryl and Griffith Day’s baking. As much as it looks to the past, this book is also a bright illustration of the new Southern form of baking: sparkling innovation that doesn’t sacrifice tradition. TRIED-AND-TRUE CLASSIC: ’Nana Puddin’, their ode to a Southern classic that is completely scratch-made, from the thick, silky pudding to the crisp broken shortbread cookie layers. SOUTHERN CAKES (Chronicle Books, 2007) by Nancie McDermott Exploring Southern baking exclusively through the prism of cake, Nancie McDermott’s…

With her award-winning blog Wood and Spoon, Selma-based Kate Wood puts the “sweet” in Sweet Home Alabama, adding contemporary twists to classic Southern desserts. Growing up in Florida, Kate enjoyed her fair share of icebox pies as the frosty finales served at backyard barbecues and summertime birthday parties, but it was her grandmother Mimi who first taught Kate to bake when she was a little girl. “Some of my favorite memories are of baking with my Mimi,” says Kate. “I appreciate how Southerners take time to share their passions with the people that they cherish, and I plan to pass on my love of food to my two kids.” Chill out with an icebox pie, and revel in one of the greatest Southern traditions: baking for and with loved ones.…

Southern Semantics: The most efficient variety of biscuits, the drop biscuit is a no-cut, 20-minutes-or-less quick bread that Southerners have been making since baking powder became readily available in the late 1800s. Bakers quickly mix up a batter, drop their biscuits on to a sheet, and bake it off. As long as people continue to crave scratch baking on demand, the drop biscuit will remain a treasured part of the biscuit wheelhouse. DROP BISCUITS Makes 11 This recipe is a breezy wonder, with craggy peaked tops that offer a bit of crunch with the signature soft interior. The final brush with butter? Consider that its brush with greatness. ½ cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter 1¾ cups (219 grams) all-purpose flour 1½ cups (187 grams) cake flour 2 tablespoons (24…

BOYCE UPHOLT  Boyce Upholt is a freelance writer based in the Mississippi Delta. He was named a 2016 Writer of the Year by the International Regional Magazine Association for his travel and culture writing for Mississippi Magazine, where he serves as the small-town spotlight editor. Last year, he canoed from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Gulf of Mexico as part of his research for a book about the Mississippi River. Favorite Southern Dessert: “When I moved to the South 10 years ago, I fell in love with bread pudding—especially when topped with a good whiskey sauce.” ERIN AUSTEN ABBOTT  Erin Austen Abbott is a freelance writer and photographer. Her work can be found in such publications as Esquire and Bon Appétit. She published her first book, How to Make It:…

In the hallowed pantry of Southern ingredients, right next to the buttermilk and lard, perhaps towering above the two, is cornmeal. Derived from the very essence of sustenance, cornmeal is the versatile ingredient that has sustained native peoples (and, later, Southerners) since the first corn seed sprouted thousands of years ago. Sallie F. Hill wrote in The Progressive Farmer’s Southern Cookbook (1961), “To try to cook without cornmeal in the South is a lost cause.” Cornmeal is the result of grinding dried corn kernels into fresh meal. Before the advent of the mill, American Indians shared the work of processing corn into meal, pounding dried kernels of white, blue, red, and yellow corn in a mortar with a mighty pestle. Since its beginnings, cornmeal has fortified body and soul; the…

HUMMINGBIRD COOKIE BARS  Makes 24 These party-perfect bars are creamy, crumbly, and crispy all at once. For the best results, we suggest refrigerating overnight. But if you’re in a hurry, you can cut that time down to at least 1 hour before serving. 12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese, softened ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar 2 large eggs (100 grams) 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract ½ cup (114 grams) mashed banana Spiced Cookie Crust (recipe follows) 2 cups (400 grams) diced fresh pineapple 1⅓ cups (80 grams) sweetened flaked coconut 1 cup (113 grams) chopped pecans ½ cup (44 grams) broken banana chips ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle…

Southern Semantics: Like the drop biscuit, the roll-out biscuit refers to the overall method of creating these biscuits; you roll them out, punch them out, and bake. Roll-out biscuits have a thousand different variations, but the classic buttermilk is perhaps the one that most often comes to mind. Of all the Southern biscuits, this is the grande dame of them all. ROLL-OUT BISCUITS Makes 12 We took the formula for a roll-out buttermilk biscuit one step further and threw in a flaky twist. A quick brush with buttermilk and a tri-fold of the dough creates light layers in this golden biscuit, making it perfect to split open and butter. 1½ cups (340 grams) cold unsalted butter 2½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour 2½ cups (312 grams) cake flour ¼ cup…

Dolester Miles Highlands Bar & Grill | Birmingham, Alabama Once the consummate unsung hero of Southern pastry, Dolester Miles crafted world-class pastry for over 30 years before nabbing her first James Beard Award nod. Now that the long overdue accolades are pouring in, Birmingham locals can take pride in what they’ve long suspected is true: They possess one of the greatest pastry talents not only in the South but in the United States. Dol, as her friends lovingly call her, is a homegrown talent, taught at her mother’s Alabama table how to whip a fluffy meringue, cream butter and sugar, and bring together a to-die-for piecrust. Since 1982, she’s been shining at chef/restaurateur Frank Stitt’s three Birmingham institutions: Highlands Bar & Grill, Chez Fonfon, and Bottega. Dol creates masterful pastries…

BY HAND Method: Begin with cold butter, cold flour, and cold hands (plunged in an ice water bath and dried, if necessary). Slice cold butter into cubes or pats with a sharp knife. Scatter butter over flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Using your thumb and fingertips, rub butter into flour in a snapping motion until all butter pieces are small pea-size lumps and covered in flour. Pro: This method offers the baker the greatest amount of control in determining the size of their butter pieces, and it’s the best way to make sure you’re not overworking the dough. Con: The heat from your hands will threaten softening the cold butter, not to mention the process is the most time-consuming of the three. BY PASTRY BLENDER Method: Begin with cold…

Southern A to Z Page 52 Caramel cake courtesy Sugaree’s Bakery, sugarees.com. Photo of Edna Lewis by John T. Hill. Page 55 Assorted fruit kolaches courtesy Kolache Factory, kolachefactory.com. Page 57 Photo of ‘Nana Puddin’ by Squire Fox. Page 59 Photo of Patricia Barnes by Vicki Popwell. 10 Southern Bakers to Know Page 101-102 Photo by Kate Thompson. Page 103 Carla Tomasko photography by Andrew Thomas Lee. Carrie Morey photography by Jason Stemple. Page 104 Justin Burke-Samson photography by Jamey Price. Cynthia Wong photography by Andrew Cebulka. Page 105 Photo of Amanda Faber by Dasha Crawford. Cake photo by Amanda Faber. Photo of Phoebe Lawless by Lisa Gotwals. Scratch Bakery photo by Charles Samuels. Page 106 Lisa White photography by Andrea Behrends. Photo of Evrim and Evin Dogu by Roman…

ULTIMATE SOUTHERN CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE Makes 1 (10-inch) cake When you say “pound cake” to a Southerner, they usually think of something intensely rich, tall, and capped with a crackling crust of butter and sugar so good that people fight over it. In this cake, the butter, flour, and egg match in proportion, but the sugar is almost double the weight, which ensures that crackling crust and gives the cake the requisite sweetness that Southern palates are known to love. Cream cheese not only adds extra fat (flavor!), but also moisture, stability, and some tang to balance all that sugar. 1½ cups (340 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, room temperature 3 cups (600 grams) granulated sugar 1 tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla extract 1½…

SWEET CORN AND GRUYÈRE SOUFFLÉ Makes 1 (6-cup) soufflé or 12 (6-ounce) soufflés Imagine the lightest, fluffiest corn pudding you have ever tried. This is better than what you just dreamed up. Fresh chopped kernels elevate the texture and bring an earthy sweetness to this classic soufflé technique, made even more indulgent when combined with the undeniable umami of Gruyère cheese. Be careful not to overbake; the soufflé should be barely runny in the center when ready. ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter ¼ cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour 1 cup (240 grams) whole milk 1⅛ teaspoons (3 grams) fine sea salt, divided ½ teaspoon (1 gram) dry mustard ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground white pepper ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1½ cups (208 grams) fresh corn kernels, chopped in a…

There’s a romantic ideal of biscuit-making that most Northerners, and even some Southerners, have set in their imaginations. An elderly woman, inevitably somebody’s grandmother, elbows deep in the process of mixing her biscuits, cutting them with a glass, baking them without a timer, serving them piping hot to a table packed with greedy guts. It’s the Disney version of Southern biscuit-making and, while cute, doesn’t do the real thing justice. Southern biscuit-baking is a study in obsession, a relentless trial-and-error revolving around several simple ingredients and one perfect, golden quick bread. That Southern bakers make it look so easy is a part of the trademark. Fear not. Our essential primer rounds up the best Deep South wisdom to baking three biscuits central to the Southern repertoire. Because when it comes…

Southern Semantics: With three leavening agents—yeast, baking powder, and baking soda—you can guess how this light, heavenly biscuit got its name. Like a cross between a dinner roll and a biscuit, angel biscuits were sometimes called brides biscuits because they were so foolproof even a new bride could bake them. ANGEL BISCUITS Makes 11 A cross between a buttermilk biscuit and a Parker House roll, these Angel Biscuits will impress any and all at the dinner table. With its pillowy softness and golden buttery top, take one bite and you’ll never question its name again. ¼ cup (57 grams) all-vegetable shortening ¼ cup (57 grams) cold unsalted butter 2 tablespoons (28 grams) warm water (105°F/40°C to 110°F/43°C) 1 teaspoon (3 grams) active dry yeast 2 tablespoons (24 grams) granulated sugar…

What did “going viral” look like in the early 20th century? The story of how Lane Cake became a critical part of the deep Southern vernacular provides a good case study. Turn back the clock to 1898, when a woman named Emma Rylander Lane self-published a cookbook, A Few Good Things to Eat, containing a recipe for “Prize Cake.” Its standout feature was its filling, a rich mixture of egg yolks, sugar, butter, seedless raisins, bourbon, and vanilla extract that signaled it was meant to be enjoyed during the winter holidays. And while, yes, it was decadent, it was also economical as its four layers of sponge cake were made with egg whites left over from separating out the yolks for that custard-like filling. To finish, a boiled white frosting…