The late, great American cookbook author Marion Cunningham famously carried with her a photograph of a table loaded with angel food cakes, all slightly different: some tall, some short, some white and fluffy, some in a Bundt shape. The photo was taken at a meeting of the Baker’s Dozen, a group of pro bakers including Alice Medrich and Carol Field who met regularly to exchange problems and solutions. Each of the cakes was baked by the members from the same recipe. “If all our results were this different,” Cunningham sympathized, “think of the plight of the poor home cook.” This recipe in question is this one, from “cookie baker for the stars,” Tom Roach, adapted with a bit of Cunningham’s gentle advice.

This recipe originally ran alongside Christopher Hirsheimer’s 1999 article, Baking Lessons.

Order the SAVEUR Selects Artisan Series Angel Food Cake Pan here.

The post Tom Roach’s Heavenly Angel Food Cake appeared first on Saveur.

Let me share something with you: I love bread. Baking (and then consuming) a homemade loaf is one of life’s most enjoyable simple pleasures. I admit that the process does require a bit of planning—and a few hours of downtime. And yet the results are incredibly rewarding and absolutely worth the effort. As someone who, years ago, became obsessed with baking bread and then went on to work in a professional bakery, I always advocate for home cooks to try their hand at making their own bread at home. Learning how to make a baguette is a simple and straightforward starting point.

Much like the simple roast chicken or sky-high soufflé, a perfectly executed baguette is considered one of the best marks by which to judge a master of culinary craft. French President Emmanuel Macron successfully advocated to include the slender loaves in UNESCO’s list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage”—a process that took six years to provide the necessary documentation! Amateur bakers tend to test the waters by making boules, bâtards, and pan loaves. A baguette, on the other hand, can seem a bit more intimidating. In reality, these loaves require only a handful of tools and ingredients that you likely already have in the kitchen, and are achievable for anyone with a hot oven and some time. Though your first attempt might not look exactly like those at your local bakery, learning how to make a baguette is all about practice (and enjoying the fresh-baked results).

What you need:

Tools:

• 2 large mixing bowls or a stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment
• Digital Scale*
• Whisk
• Bench Scraper
• Cast iron skillet 
• Parchment paper
• Baking Sheet 
• Very sharp paring knife, razor blade, or bread lame

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups (355 g) warm (not hot!) tap water (between 105°F-115°F)
• 1½ tsp. (5 g) active dry yeast**
• 3¼ cups (462 g) all-purpose flour***  
• 1¾ tsp. (5 g) kosher salt
• Neutral oil, such as canola, sunflower, or vegetable, for greasing
• 2 cups boiling water (very hot tap water can also be used)

*I highly recommend investing in a digital scale for use in any home baking project. In a professional bakery, every ingredient is measured in grams. This is for a few main reasons: Multiples of 10 are incredibly easy to scale up and down as needed, and gram measurements are more precise than pounds and ounces and more accurate than cups and tablespoons. 

**Bread flour can also be used in this method, although its higher protein content will make for a “stronger” dough, with more elasticity when proofing and shaping.

***You are also welcome to substitute instant dry yeast for active dry yeast, just be aware that the fermentation time when using the instant version will be slightly faster. This will speed up fermentation and proofing times by about 15 minutes at each stage. I prefer to use active dry yeast in this recipe because a slower fermentation time results in a more flavorful final product.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Traditional baguettes are made using a type of preferment called a poolish. This mixture of yeast, flour, and water is mixed a few hours ahead of time, then added to the final dough to increase its “extensibility” (in other words, stretchiness, which makes shaping easier). It also lends the finished product a more complex and yeasty flavor than breads made with “straight doughs” mixed without preferments. The loaves are also often cold-proofed for several hours (and even overnight) to increase flavor depth as well. The method in this streamlined tutorial skips those steps, and instead shortens the entire process to about four hours. If you want to get a head start (and a more pronounced flavor), cover the shaped loaves with a tea towel and proof overnight in the fridge before scoring and baking them, as described below, the following morning. 

STEP 1: Mix and knead the dough.

In a large bowl, whisk together the water and active dry yeast, then set aside at room temperature until slightly foamy, about 10 minutes. (If the yeast does not begin to foam at the surface, it’s probably past its prime. Discard it and grab some fresh yeast before continuing.) Add the flour, then, using a fork or your hand, stir until all the flour is absorbed and there are no dry pockets. Set aside to allow the flour to hydrate for 20 minutes.*

Lightly flour a clean work surface. Sprinkle the salt over the dough, then transfer to the surface and knead until all the salt is incorporated and the dough is elastic and mostly smooth, 9–12 minutes. (If using a stand mixer, mix the dough on medium-low speed for 4–5 minutes.) Form the dough into a ball. Lightly grease a clean, large bowl, transfer the dough into it, cover, and set aside until the dough has nearly doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Note: The warmer and more humid the environment in your kitchen, the faster your dough will rise. During the colder months, one of my favorite techniques is to ferment the dough right in my oven with the pilot light on, or near a warm radiator. 

Letting the dough hydrate and rest before adding the salt is a process known as autolyse. This process allows gluten bonds to start forming gently—before you start working the dough—reducing kneading time and resulting in a more irregular, open crumb structure.

STEP 2: Stretch and fold the dough.

Imagine your dough ball as having four corners. Grab the top two corners (furthest from you) and lift them up and away from the sides of the bowl, folding them over towards you. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and repeat. Now do the same with the right and left sides, respectively. Your dough should now resemble a folded envelope. Carefully remove the “envelope” from the bowl and invert it, placing it back in the bowl, seam side down. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and return to a warm area until doubled in size again, another 45 minutes to an hour. 

You may be used to seeing bread recipes that instruct you to “punch down” the dough (in other words, deflate the dough of any gasses formed during the fermentation process). I don’t like to do that here, because removing these gasses can lead to a denser loaf. Instead, this folding process helps to both redistribute the entrapped gasses and ensure a more even temperature throughout the dough.

STEP 3: Cut the dough into three pieces.

Carefully transfer the dough to your lightly floured surface, once again taking care to not deflate it excessively. Place a large cast iron pan on the floor of your oven, adjust the oven rack to the center position, and  preheat to 450ºF. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, divide the dough into three equal pieces (extra credit here if you have a kitchen scale!). Roll each piece into a tight oval (the dough should be springy if you poke it with your finger). Cover the ovals with plastic wrap or a tea towel and set aside at room temperature until the dough is “relaxed,” 15–20 minutes.

STEP 4: Shape and final proof the baguettes

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, dust lightly with flour, and set aside. On your lightly floured work surface, lightly press and stretch one of the dough pieces into a rectangle. Pick up the top two corners and fold them towards you, stopping halfway. Repeat with the bottom corners (away from your body this time). The dough should now resemble a tube, with a seam running along the center. Place the tube seam-side-down, and repeat the process with the other two dough pieces. 

Then, go back to the first tube: Position your hands at the center, then carefully roll the log of dough back and forth, applying pressure toward either end and elongating the dough as you go. Repeat this process a couple of times until the loaf is about 16 inches long, and tapered at the ends. Continue with the other two pieces of dough, then place the baguettes seam-side-down on the lined baking sheet. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap or very slightly damp tea towel and set aside at room temperature until the loaves are slightly puffed up and the dough bounces back slightly when poked gently with your finger, 20–30 minutes.

STEP 5: Score and bake the baguettes.

After scoring your baguettes, you’ll want to move as quickly as possible when loading them into the oven, so be sure that it’s fully preheated before you proceed. 

Using a sharp knife or razor blade held at a 30 degree angle, cut four evenly spaced slashes along the top surface of each baguette. If you have a spray bottle on hand, give the loaves a light spritz of water, then, quickly and carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven, pour at least 2 cups of boiling water into the hot cast iron skillet, and shut the oven door. Bake the loaves until golden brown, 25–30 minutes. Remove the baguettes from the oven and do your best to let them cool before diving in. 

A steamy oven is crucial for achieving a good rise and a thin and crispy crust. The steam created from the initial heat of the skillet will fill the oven, then condense and settle over the surface of the baking loaves. That moisture keeps the outside of the dough hydrated and springy, allowing for more “oven spring” as the loaves bake. Without steam, the outer layer of bread “crisps up” before the internal temperature has risen enough to cause the gasses to expand, and your bread can end up dense, hard, and misshapen.

Tip: Most home ovens have vents that let out steam, usually above and behind the cooktop. In order to retain as much steam as possible, I recommend using a rolled up kitchen towel to block these vents while you bake—every little bit of steam helps!

How to store leftover baguettes

Baguettes tend to go stale within a day or two, and leftovers are best kept at room temperature in a bread box or a waxed canvas or plastic bag. Fully cooled bread can also be wrapped tightly in plastic and stored in the freezer for several weeks. And should you find yourself with some stale leftovers, don’t throw them out. I like to cube stale bread, toast in a 375°F oven until golden-brown, then toss them in some olive oil and savory seasonings to make croutons. Or, simply pop the cubes in the food processor and blitz them down into homemade breadcrumbs. 

The post How to Make Baguettes appeared first on Saveur.

The madeleine is not a showy French pastry. Consider its humble shape: As standard a version of a seashell that can be imagined; the kind any beachgoer has seen thousands of times without a second thought. The flavor? A pure expression of its ingredients, what the Larousse Gastronomique says is simply sugar, flour, melted butter, and eggs. Set against a case of elaborate viennoiserie, jaunty mille-feuilles, and colorful macarons, the madeleine demures.

But at Le Comptoir, the barely year-old pâtisserie on the ground-floor of Paris’s historic Hotel Ritz, the dainty pastry takes center stage. That’s because the hotel’s head pâtissier (and Netflix’s “Chef in a Truck”) François Perret has kind of a thing for this understated sweet. In the cream-and-peach-hued boutique, I found the madeleine taking many forms: Palm-sized and filled with passionfruit, blackberry, and caramel; a classic version, but made XXL; blitzed into a milkshake. There’s even a madeleine-that’s-not-a-madeleine—an intricate trompe l’oeil entremet made up of mousse, custard, and cake fashioned in the shape of the far more modest treat. Madeleines even adorn the wallpaper (which is now my phone background). I brought home two boxes full of them—perfect keepsakes, oval-shaped and festooned with playful illustrations of César Ritz, Auguste Escoffier, and chef Perret himself.  

Back in New York, I’ve recently been served madeleines after both seafood (tiny, tried-and-true), and fried chicken (a cornbread riff). I can’t say I was upset by either. My sweet tooth is subtle at best, and these playful pastries are generally just the right amount of dessert for my taste. This version, adapted from Perret’s recipe, features two types of honey—floral acacia and richer, savory chestnut—and a thin, tart layer of glaze. What an elegant fall delight. The madeleine is ready for its close up.

The post Glazed Honey Madeleines appeared first on Saveur.

In spite of plenty of snobbery, tender white bread remains a beloved staple of cuisines all around the world. Editorial director (and ex-professional bread baker) Kat Craddock’s version is aerated and fluffy like North American packaged loaves, but with the enriched chew and structure of French pain au lait. She also borrowed a shaping technique from Japanese and Taiwanese bakers, which results in a delicate, feathery crumb. The result: an ethereally fluffy, generously buttery, and delightfully squishable loaf.

Get seasonal recipes, methods and techniques sent right to your inbox—sign up here to receive SAVEUR’s newsletters. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram at @saveurmag.

Featured In: How to Make the Fluffiest White Bread in the World

More Bread Recipes

The post The Fluffiest White Bread in the World appeared first on Saveur.

I never cared much for fresh fruit growing up in Dubai. My mother grew pomegranates, guava, and figs in our backyard and I clearly remember her spending warm summer afternoons looking over her crop, picking only the most perfectly ripe specimens to adorn our living room table. 

Back then, I didn’t so much consider fruit to be a “snack.” Even now, I tend to seek out sugary, often chocolate-covered treats over those “healthier” fresh options. I found figs, with their leathery skins and seedy interiors, especially unappealing. Whenever my mom bit into one of her freshly picked figs with joy, I crinkled my nose in disdain. 

But Arab moms have a knack for persuading their sons to eat just about anything, eventually. One day, after hours spent playing outside in the neighborhood gardens, I rushed into the house, hungry for a snack. Mom urged me to wash up in a hurry so she could make me a jam sandwich, one of my favorite treats. When I sat down at the table, I was so ravenous I didn’t even look at what was wrapped inside the soft pita she put in front of me.

From the first bite, I was overwhelmed. A deep and figgy sweetness contrasted against a buttery layer; a sprinkling of crunchy seeds shone through all the richness with a distinctly warm and earthy aroma. This was no simple jam sandwich. I gazed up at my mom with wonder and asked what  she had fed me.

With a twinkle in her eye, she calmly replied, “Salted butter, caraway seeds…and figs.” I was stunned.

Since then, these three ingredients make up one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations, which I even love to incorporate into—you guessed it—sweet baked treats. If you’re a fig lover (or are on the fence about this magnificent fruit), I encourage you to try this simple yet elegant fig scone recipe. When fresh figs are not in season, feel free to substitute dried ones which have been soaked in warm water or tea for 30 minutes.

The post Sweet Caraway Scones with Salted Butter and Figs appeared first on Saveur.

I first met Anne Saxelby in 2008 when I was 23 and working part-time selling cheese at Brooklyn’s Greene Grape Provisions. I was picking up shifts on my days off from cooking at The Good Fork, where I had just gotten an internship that quickly became a job. I needed to pay my rent, but moreover, I needed to feed my insatiable appetite for all things culinary. Cheese was always something I adored, so the Greene Grape gig was a pleasure. My coworkers and I regularly geeked out about new arrivals and Anne’s name came up daily. Her young cheese stall in Essex Market may have been small, but—just like Anne—it was mighty, and even then I could tell she was unstoppable. 

Just about everyone in the cheese world seemed to know Anne. She was disrupting the American dairy industry in the best way, by showcasing domestic cheeses that could hold their own among the European stalwarts. Anne was larger than life, warm, charismatic, and of course, so excited to talk about cheese. She gave me my first taste of Harbison. She introduced me to Jasper Hill, and her beloved Cato Corner Farm. She taught me all about clothbound cheddars, washed rinds, and triple creams. She showed me how to make mozzarella with cultured curds from Pennsylvania, and then, even better, how to turn that mozzarella into stracciatella the next day. If you loved cheese even an iota as much as Anne did, you were an instant friend. She welcomed me on several occasions—beaming with pride—into her little cheese cave in Red Hook, feeding me slivers of whatever wheels her team was portioning for wholesale that day.

But Anne wasn’t just a knowledgeable cheesemonger and affineur. She led a cheese revolution. Her passion gave a platform and a spotlight to dairy farmers doing incredible work. She educated her customers and a new generation of cheese makers and mongers and, gradually, she changed the way the world regarded American farmstead cheeses. She mentored and loved so many, and championed the little guys out there, going out of her way for everyone in her orbit. 

When Anne passed away last fall, she left behind a legacy of education and sustainable agriculture. No one had integrity quite like Anne, and I can’t think of a more fitting way to honor her life and work than to continue celebrating her mission and passions.

I’ve put iterations of my chèvre cheesecake on menus since 2012, and it’s become one of my signature desserts. I was honored that Anne came to taste this dish over the years in various establishments—most recently at Gage & Tollner, where the tangy goat cheese serves as a seasonal canvas and a creamy endnote to dinner. This cake pairs with anything that is lucious and in season: Jammy late-season plums for early autumn; roasted pears and maple later in the season; candied citrus in the doldrums of winter; and macerated berries, cherries, and peaches as spring turns to summer. I hope you’ll make this beauty at home, with a good-quality goat cheese that Anne would approve of. Anne, this cheesecake is forever for you.

The post The Saxelby Cheesecake appeared first on Saveur.

Welcome to One Pot Bangers, Benjamin Kemper’s column, where you’ll find our freshest, boldest cooking ideas that require just one pot, skillet, or sheet pan. Busy week? We’ve got you covered with these low-effort, high-reward recipes from around the globe.

Centuries before sheet pan dinners flooded our Instagram feeds, Mediterranean cooks were devouring baked fish and potatoes with gusto. The classic formula, which I’ve borrowed from Catalan cookery, is as follows: drape seasoned fish fillets (or, if you’re not in a hurry, a whole fish) over a bed of par-roasted spuds, then bake everything together until the potatoes have sponged up the oceany juices. 

In Spain, the potatoes we eat with fish are usually thinly sliced, swimming in olive oil, and roasted until meltingly soft with brown, crackly edges. They’re called patatas panaderas—literally, “bread baker’s potatoes”—and they hark back to a time before most Spaniards had ovens. The town panadero would roast vats of potatoes for patrons to take home and serve with their meals. I sometimes daydream about this bygone era of peasants taking their daily catch to the town oven. What would they have chatted about while their fish sputtered in the flames? 

Bronzino and gilt-head bream are the go-to fishes for preparing “al horno” here in Spain, but I like putting a Nordic spin on things by substituting salmon for its oily richness. It plays wonderfully with dill, but reach for whatever fillets look freshest at your local fish counter. The leftover roasted garlic can be swirled into buttery mashed potatoes, spread on crostini, or stirred into mayonnaise to make a mellow aïoli.

The post Sheet Pan Salmon with Dilly Potatoes and Quick Roasted Garlic Sauce appeared first on Saveur.

Jamaican beef patties are loaded with flavor, history, meaning, and opportunity. For many Jamaican immigrants, patty-making is a connection to home, while for others, opening a bakery or “patty shop” abroad can be a path to financial independence and even citizenship. When the pandemic closed borders and businesses, many dove into sourdough baking. I found comfort crimping golden dough around boldly spiced beef. Inspired by patty pros and perfected during lockdown, this step-by-step guide will show you how to make Jamaica’s favorite pastry at home.

Before you begin

The trick to making perfect patty crusts is cold fat, cold tools, and ice water. Heat is the enemy of laminated doughs, so chill your mixing bowl, paddle attachment, and rolling pin in the freezer. 

Step 1: Make the dough.

A standard patty crust gets its flakiness from beef suet and shortening in equal measure, but you can swap in cold butter or coconut oil if desired. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together 3 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of Caribbean-style curry powder (or 1 teaspoon of turmeric), 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. With the mixer on low, work 1 cup of your fat of choice into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles peas or coarse crumbs. Gradually add ¾ cup of ice water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing continuously until you have a smooth dough that comes together in a ball, with visible flecks of fat. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.

Step 2: While the dough chills, make the filling.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, fry 12 ounces of ground beef in a tablespoon or so of oil. Stir occasionally to break up any lumps. When no pink remains, add ¼ cup of finely chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 chopped scallion, 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon of minced Scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds, just flesh!), 1 teaspoon of allspice, and a few grinds of black pepper. Feel free to up the chiles or spice according to your preference. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook the mixture until everything’s soft and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Add enough breadcrumbs to absorb the liquid and loosely bind the mixture. I usually wind up stirring in around 1 cup—enough for a juicy filling without creating a “soggy bottom” situation (hat tip to Mary Berry). Once the mixture is cool, it’s time to get to work.

Step 3: Roll out the dough.

The warmer your counter is, the faster you need to work. Tear off half of the dough and place it on a floured surface. If you’re concerned about turmeric stains, slide a piece of parchment under the dough. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about ⅛ inch, then punch out rounds with a bowl with a 5-inch-diameter lip. If you want to make daintier patties, go with a 3-inch diameter. Transfer the rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. 

Step 4: Fill and seal the patties to ensure no liquid escapes.

Fill each dough round with ¼ cup of the filling (or 2 tablespoons for mini-patties), mounding it in the center, then fold the round in half to form a crescent shape. Using the tines of a fork, crimp the edges to seal, then set them an inch or two apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Step 5: Bake until puffed and golden. 

Bake the patties in a preheated 350ºF oven for about 45 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through cooking. The crust should be golden and flaky. 

Step 6: Serve the beef patties. 

You’re supposed to wait a few minutes before taking a bite, but few Jamaicans practice what they preach. Just try not to burn your mouth.

Recipe

Jamaican Beef Patties

Get the recipe >

The post How to Make Jamaican Beef Patties at Home appeared first on Saveur.

Ground almonds and full-fat cottage cheese lend body and flavor to this delicate and creamy strawberry cheesecake from Asa Johansson, a gardener and writer who lived on the Swedish island of Oland. For the Midsummer holiday, she served the cake with clouds of whipped cream and ripe berries.

Featured in: “A Midsummer’s Dream.“

The post Swedish-Style Strawberry Cheesecake appeared first on Saveur.

This classic British dish gets its name from the romantic notion that it was eaten by shepherds in the northern England long ago. In keeping with that spirit, we make our classic shepherd’s pie recipe with lamb. When made with beef, the humble casserole is sometimes called cottage pie.

The post Shepherd’s Pie appeared first on Saveur.