Boo!

I’ve been racking my brain to try to figure out what would be best to blog about for Halloween week, and determined that the scariest ingredient in the baking world is, hands-down, rye flour. More on exactly what’s so scary about rye as the week progresses.

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Do try this at home.

Another good comment comes in this morning from a reader: I do believe you when you say that fried items aren’t unhealthy just because they’re fried. But doesn’t it depend on how you fry them? If what you say about temperatures and the age of the oil are correct, it would seem smarter to eat […]

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Hey, all you baking science nerds…

(And if you’re not one, why on earth are you reading this blog?) There’s a great new book on baking science just out, Bakewise by Shirley O. Corriher. Actually I don’t know for a fact that it’s great, since I don’t own it yet. However if it’s anything like Ms. Corriher’s kitchen science title, Cookwise, […]

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What other kinds of fruits make good fritters?

As as rule, you want fruits that stand up reasonably well to heat and aren’t too wet, so citrus is out altogether. Of what remains I’d say bananas are a good choice, fresh peaches, pineapples, even firm ripe pears will work. Stay away from berries, despite what some recipe writers will tell you (they melt […]

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Can’t it be a bake-er?

Instead of a frit-ter you mean? No, it can’t. I know, there’s a certain contingent of food alarmists out there that is forever seeking to de-joy life’s most elemental pleasures, but there’s simply no cooking technique out there that rivals frying for things like fritters or doughnuts. Oh yes, I can just hear some of […]

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What exactly IS a fritter?

Interesting you should ask that since there’s quite a lot of confusion on the matter. What shape should authenitc fritters be? Should they be more doughy or more crispy? Sweet or savory? Fruit or vegetable? Unfortunately there is no authoritative answer to any of those questions, since a fritter is literally just a “fried thing”. […]

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Apple Fritters

Now there’s a picture of fall, if I do say so. I usually get these (or something very much like them) at the Covered Bridge Festival in Rockford, Indiana. I didn’t make it there this year, sadly, but a warm plate of them on the back porch this morning — accompanied by a hot cup […]

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It’s medicinal!

All that talk of drinking made me think, well, why not do a beer batter? They’re as good for sweet fritters as they are for savory fry-ups like fish. All you need is a little sugar in the mix, and to replace the herbs with spices. Like so: 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar […]

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Why not a sourdough version?

Why not indeed? Ever since friend and reader Kristin wrote in to suggest I employ my bread starter to make onion rings, I’ve been battering everything in sight with Kentucky sourdough. Of course, not being made of San Francisco critters, my Midwestern starter can’t properly be called “sourdough”, but “sourdough apple fritters” sounds a lot […]

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For all you RSS junkies…

It’s now much easier to subscribe to joepastry.com. Just click the RSS link at the bottom of the right side menu, click the “Subscribe in Mail” link on the next screen, and every last Joe Pastry post will go straight to your email box! O lucky you! Of course if you wanna just keep on […]

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