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Thank you for baking with me in 2023!
Hello everyone!
I hope this last week of the year is treating you kindly. As we finish up 2023, I wanted to thank you for baking with me via this newsletter and welcome those of you who have recently subscribed (hi, I’m so glad you’re here!).
When the year started, I wasn’t sure what direction to take my recipe writing and development. The constant changes to social media and traditional blogging left me feeling “meh” about continuing to share work in those spaces. While I initially started this newsletter to solve a specific problem, it quickly became clear this format was the fresh start I needed to revitalize my creative energy. I’m looking forward to more baking, more sharing, more creating in 2024.
I’d love to hear: What baking projects are you hoping to tackle this coming year? And did you have a favorite from this past year?
2023 Recipe Highlights
This year we finally took the plunge and bought an outdoor pizza oven, which led to buying more ricotta than usual, which led to a couple new ricotta-forward recipes. In particular, the almond ricotta loaf cake, a low-effort but high-reward bake, emerged as a new favorite in our kitchen and many of yours.
I made a lot of choux this year, as it’s one of those bakes you can whip up with relatively little planning. The croquant topping is a quick and simple technique that can add texture to choux of any shape.
Most of the cakes I made this year were built using the method outlined in this slab cake post. It’s the most efficient way I know how to make a layer cake, minimizing equipment and wastage. It’s also conducive to supporting lots of delicious creamy filling, so there’s no sacrifice in taste.
These sesame spelt cookies with prunes and white chocolate are my plea to start celebrating prunes in baking. A generous dose of whole grains and a gentle savory note from sesame oil and seeds add layers of flavor that I find irresistible.
Probably the recipe I baked most often in 2023 (almost weekly!), this hybrid sandwich bread includes a high percentage of sourdough discard for flavor plus a little instant yeast for predictable timing. A great everyday loaf.
Gonna make the slab in 2024!