Reader Mike writes in with this interesting tidbit on where the word “pretzel” may have come from: When I lived in Germany, there was a little bakery at the bottom of the hill that made fresh pretzels every day – and this being the South, they were lye pretzels. Regarding the origin of the term, […]
READ ONNope. True, more than a few cheesecake recipes call for at least a little flour or corn starch. The reason for this is twofold. First, to absorb moisture. I’ve mentioned that cream cheese is 45% fat. The other 55% is mostly water. Add in a fair amount of cream or sour cream (which also have […]
READ ONA true New York-style cheesecake has no crust. Which is not to say you can’t add one if you like, but let’s worry about that a little later on. This recipe is dense and creamy, just like a New York cheesecake is supposed to be. Note that the reason for the creaminess is not an […]
READ ONI don’t really like cream cheese. Oh I don’t mind it, but I don’t just love it like some people do. I don’t especially like its plastic, putty-like texture. I’m not especially wild about its mildly-gamey-but-otherwise-bland, almost watery, flavor. I also don’t particularly enjoy the fact that it’s rich, rich, rich — about 45% fat. […]
READ ONLast week, an urgent communiqué was received from the European home baker’s underground via the Joe Pastry international signal station at Nova Scotia. It read: CHEESECAKE RECIPE NEEDED IMMEDIATELY. STOP. MUST BE NEW YORK-STYLE. STOP. NOT TOO HEAVY. STOP. NONE OF THAT GUMMY TEXTURE OR CHALKY DRIED-OUT EDGES NONSENSE. STOP. AWAITING REPLY. STOP. OVER. I’ve […]
READ ONSince I started pretzels over a week ago, I’ve been inundated with myths I’d never heard of before. There’s the one about the baker’s apprentice who burned some bread “braids” while his master was out on morning deliveries. There’s the one about how the Swiss gave them as gifts at wedding ceremonies, thus giving birth […]
READ ONHappy Super Bowl weekend to everyone! Back with more baking shenanigans next week!
READ ONIs this a Joe-style afternoon snack or what? Home made pretzels are another one of those things that will amaze you for their simplicity and make you wonder if you can ever be happy with the store-bought variety again. As you already know from the recipe below, my version calls for a stater. You want […]
READ ONReader Matthew chimes in with this key point: You’re missing one component in your discussion of why people use lye for pretzels. I learned this a few years ago when I compared several of the alternatives you mentioned against the lye-dipped pretzels. Only lye-dipped pretzels really taste like pretzels! It is a difficult flavor to […]
READ ONYou know we’re coming close to reaching the pinnacle of our civilization when even small local doughnuts shops are producing masterpieces like this: the maple bacon doughnut. I was given this artwork this morning and it was all I could do to contain myself long enough to take the picture. Crispy-sweet-salty-tender…oh mama, that’s the stuff.
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