We bake and blog (and eat). Though baking takes up a lot more of our life than blogging.
Blog / recipes
October 18, 2018 / By Matt
This cookie, the Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookie from Sarah Keiffer, does not really need much of an introduction as it has already whipped much of the social media universe into a much-deserved frenzy. I made a mental note to make this cookie back when it was showcased in the New York Times (and a zillion…
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November 1, 2017 / By Matt
I make a lot of sourdough bread. An absurd amount really. But I also eat a lot of sourdough bread. For breakfast. With dinner. A slice dipped in olive oil and covered in shaved Pecorino Romano for a midnight snack. Most of the time I tend to make boule-like shaped, hearth-style sourdoughs (i.e. the kind…
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April 11, 2017 / By Matt
Honestly, this post was supposed to be about a pretzel. It was going to be a breathless retelling of my adventures in making the absolutely gorgeous Brezeln (aka Soft Pretzels) featured in Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss. There were going to be many photos of twisting and dipping and baking (a little random, rustic…
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September 13, 2016 / By Matt
above image from Better Baking by Genevieve Ko I am desperately trying to “Marie Kondo” my life right now, because I don’t really have a choice. My apartment is tiny by national standards and average by New York City standards and I am running out of room. Precious square feet are being eaten alive by big,…
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March 30, 2016 / By Matt
I have been in New York City for a very long time. Very long. And it will always be, in some sense, my home. But, because I am human and because New York is trying and filthy and expensive and aggravating in ways that only New York City can be, I slip into Didion daydreams….
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March 3, 2016 / By Matt
Kim Boyce’s Chocolate Chip Cookie is a workhorse. (And her book is amazing). It has been around awhile and it is simple and no fuss. No, you do not have to let it age in the refrigerator for 3 days to develop flavor as the flavor is provided by the inclusion of 3 cups of whole wheat flour…
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December 16, 2015 / By johannah
The Nordic countries share many food traditions, none more delicious than klejner, a deep-fried pastry that dates back to the middle ages and is a common Christmas treat across Scandinavia and Northern Germany. Some differences persist. Danish klejner are typically unleavened. The same is true for Swedish klenäter. In Denmark, we also have Norwegian klejner, which are…
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December 14, 2015 / By johannah
Entering the darkest two weeks of the year – when our days here in Copenhagen shrink to a mere seven hours and oftentimes seem much shorter – keeping the winter blues at bay can sometimes feel like a losing game. A friend who comes from the furthest reaches of northern Norway, where it stays dark…
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November 11, 2015 / By Brett Braley
The world goes on forever when you live in small towns. Some parts of Indiana look like a prairie and some parts look like a jail cell. It all depends on if you make eye contact with strangers passing by on the street. It all depends on if you can afford the generic medicine at…
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October 28, 2015 / By Brett Braley
I lost a tooth at a fair once. It was the Ripley County Pumpkin Show. I spit it in the dirt and someone kicked it under a game booth. I never got my Tooth Fairy money for it and blood ran down my chin that night. Midwesterners pray to a different set of harvest gods,…
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October 14, 2015 / By Brett Braley
[The second post from one of our fave guest bloggers, Brett of Fig and Bleu] Heirloom is more than the grocery store variety for those from the Midwest. You may inherit your grandfather’s name as your own and it becomes a relic of the Depression-era sensibility that still runs deep in your own blood. You finish…
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September 9, 2015 / By Matt
Fair warning: Pumpkin is coming. There is no escaping it. You will soon be swimming in a sea of pumpkin spice lattes and your best friend’s house will be warmed by the light of Yankee Candle’s Pumpkin Buttercream jar (yes, this really is a scent). And, make no mistake, Baked will jump on the pumpkin bandwagon…
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April 16, 2015 / By Matt
In terms of candy bars, it is hard to beat the Whatchamacallit. While the name of the bar is either genius or grating depending on your worldview, the bar itself is nearly a perfect execution of peanut/caramel/chocolate/crisp. You can’t argue that. Large parts of my life were fueled entirely by M&M’s (preferably the plain kind)…
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January 7, 2015 / By Matt
I don’t do resolutions. Not really. My resolutions are probably just watered down versions of presumably good ideas (i.e. eat only one bowl of ice cream per night, not two OR buy more lotto tickets). This year’s mini-resolution is something I have been working on (or meaning to work on) for the past couple of years: bake more with…
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November 25, 2014 / By Matt
Yup, our new store is open. You should come. It is awesome, but it has been a whole lot of insanity. And now Thanksgiving is nipping at the heels…and well, I am too old for this excitement and madness. I promise to spill more words about the buildout and opening shortly, but right now I…
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October 8, 2014 / By johannah
In my family we have a time-honored tradition: there has to be cake. However, when you make cake a part of your daily life, this ups the ante when there’s actually something to celebrate. No regular old cake will do. There must be layers. Frosting is mandatory, as is tasteful decoration. Of course, it…
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September 18, 2014 / By Matt
It’s almost fall. Leaf peeping, pumpkin picking, hot apple cider-drinking fall. This is a very good thing. Because as much as we love summer bike rides and pools and BBQs and beaches, we really REALLY love fall. Put away the shorts. Unearth the stretchy pants. Fall baking (and eating) approaches. We have much to celebrate…
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August 13, 2014 / By Matt
I really really like Nutella. Always have. Always will. It is part of my baking repertoire (Nutella scones anyone?) and it is the one hi/low foodstuff that is a constant in my pantry. However, over the years, I have been cheating on Nutella – experimenting with all sorts of homemade versions (including this one featured…
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July 23, 2014 / By Matt
I am not a great sleeper. In fact, I am a terrible one. I sleep in fits and starts – often with long stretches of sleeplessness (i.e. fidgety, eyes wide open, brain skipping/chugging) during the night. It used to bother me a good deal. It made me angsty and angry. But I have learned to give in –…
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July 9, 2014 / By Matt
You need to make these. You need to make these right now and all summer long. It is too damn hot to turn on your oven. And, I mean…homemade ice cream bonbons. Yes. Always yes to ice cream bonbons. I am THAT person. I am on my couch, watching TV (Veep over and over), eating…
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June 18, 2014 / By Matt
I am a toast person. Almost borderline “toast obsessive”. In fact, I pretty much start each and every morning with toast – slathered in homemade almond butter or Nutella or both. And, quite honestly, I’ll toast anything: classic sourdough, muti-grain, a baguette split lengthwise, a hunk of aging miche, even (on the rare occasion) cornbread. Give…
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