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Happy One Year Anniversary!
November 7 marked the one year anniversary of this blog, which has prompted pause for reflection on how it has changed my life and what value it has provided.
For one thing, it has eaten up a significant amount of time, but on the positive side the rewards have been well-worth it. I’ve long thought that a good teacher learns at least as much as the students and in this case, thanks to the terrific feedback and exchange of ideas, it is certainly so. But perhaps our blog ‘host’ said it best when he wrote in his newsletter that this blog has created a community of bakers.
What is most gratifying to me is that the spirit of this blog is in harmony with the slow food movement which implicitly counteracts that of fast food—the source of many evils. In place of the dumbed-down, simple, quick and easy message is the far more empowering one of competency, evolution, and challenge. After all it’s a truism that when one makes an effort to achieve something the rewards are richer and more long-lasting, whereas things that come too easily are far less valued and quickly forgotten. (I’m still mystified as to the appeal of “dumb and dumber.”)
Ironically though, I was thrilled by the appearance of the NY Times No-Knead Bread article which lead to the longest thread on the blog to date. I was thrilled because it got people around the world making bread and discovering that it really is possible to make fantastic bread at home “letting the bread do all the work.” And I’m confident that for many who got hooked on this easy method, which works so well for a particular type of rustic bread, it will now lead to other interesting and slightly more demanding bread possibilities.
My current concern (and maybe hope) is that there may be so much traffic on this blog there will be no way to keep up with all the responses and questions. But on the positive side, many of your questions and contributions are invaluable and the chances are ever increasing that eventually everything you’ve ever wondered about baking will be found with a quick search on the blog. Then, when everyone is busily and successfully baking, I can go back full-time to my most beloved activity after baking: Telling stories.
Happy Baking!
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Comments
I've been using The Cake Bible for about a decade ... long enough to need a new one last Mother's Day, as the first one was in tatters.
I have a quick question. I'm baking a special cake for a friend. I want to do the White Chocolate Whisper cake, but spice it up for the holidays. I am thinking I'd like to add just a touch of cloves, and maybe allspice or cinnamon, but am afraid of overwhelming the "whisper" in this cake. The filling will be a marscapone/whipped cream with chambord soaked cherries. I thought a white chocolate buttercream might bring up the flavor of the cake. Will this work? It will look beautiful, but I need it to taste GREAT. What do you think? Thanks. CLS
Reply to this Posted by: Cyndy Salisbury | December 8, 2006 10:24 PM #
thanks brian. i appreciate your appreciation.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 7, 2006 10:55 PM #
Rose,
I, too, want to thank you for taking the time to work on this blog. I know just getting the updates on the holy bread topic are hard for me to keep up with in my e-mail, so I can only imagine what it is like for you.
I'm new to baking, but I really love it, and my copy of your Cake Bible is already getting dog-eared. This site is an incredible resource, and the first place I search for any baking questions.
You are providing a wonderful service for so many people.
Thanks again,
Brian
Reply to this Posted by: Brian | December 7, 2006 10:13 PM #
i'm surprised i didn't know considering how many dear friends and relatives i have in the twin city area! apologies. but i'm glad to know that there is certainly a nearby w. sonoma. i think you'll be very pleased (or at least your bolivian son and his friend will certainly be)
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 7, 2006 9:22 PM #
merçi reeni!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 7, 2006 8:40 PM #
Happy blog anniversary!
Reply to this Posted by: Reeni Espino | December 7, 2006 8:17 PM #
is blaine a country?
my very fav. panettone is the chestnut raison one from italy that williams sonoma sells only around holiday time. if there
isn't one near you order it immediately! i came pretty close to the recipe in my book so your other possibility is to make it.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 7, 2006 8:12 PM #
I am not a baker, am traveling to South America for Christmas, and have had a request from my son to bring someone special an Italian Christmas bread. Where do I find a GOOD pannetone in Blaine? Rita
Reply to this Posted by: Rita | December 7, 2006 7:18 PM #
thank you so much steve for your very wise comments and suggestions.i think people trust their equipment to stay the same and they do go off and have to be monitored every once in a while.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 7, 2006 4:12 PM #
Terri,I have never made Friendship Bread. Not sure of the formula but,it sounds as if your oven is out of calibration. If you have an oven thermometer, put it into the oven center and leave for a while. Check against setting. One hour sounds like a long bake for a small loaf and how long has the dough aged before baking. Is this a new or proven recipe?
Steve
Reply to this Posted by: Steve | December 7, 2006 4:01 PM #
merçi robyn and renee!and thank you cindy for your contribution.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 7, 2006 11:48 AM #
Happy Anniversary, Rose! I have enjoyed your blog a great deal this year.
Reply to this Posted by: Renee | December 7, 2006 11:39 AM #
Someone was looking for a pie crust recipe that called for an egg yolk and lard. I found one close to that in the "King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook." Hope this is what she is looking for.
"2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 to 3/4 cup lard, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 egg, and 1 to 4 tablespoons cold water. Blend flour and salt. Cut or rub in 1/2 the lard and then cut in the remainder. Beat lemon juice and egg into the cold water and sprinkle this over the flour/lard mixture blending it lightly with a fork until it holds together." I've abbreviated the instructions needless to say.
Reply to this Posted by: Babs | December 7, 2006 6:05 AM #
banana has more structure from the bananas.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 6, 2006 9:30 PM #
Happy Blog Anniversary! :)
Reply to this Posted by: Robyn | December 6, 2006 9:06 PM #
Hi,Rose,
I made your blueberry muffin yesterday and I find that it only calls for 3/8 tsp of baking soda and no baking powder as compare with the big banana muffin where both are used and in a larger quatity. What is the reason? The muffins came out good in taste but lack the dome shape appearance.
Thank you.
Reply to this Posted by: cindy | December 6, 2006 6:48 PM #
thank you very much christine!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 6, 2006 3:04 PM #
Congratulations and happy anniversary! I love this blog. I have learned so much more about baking from reading the posts and comments here. It has helped me become a better baker. Just ask my family!
Reply to this Posted by: Christine | December 6, 2006 2:14 PM #
one of my most popular cakes in the cake bible is the buttermilk cake and with buttermilk there's no need to use baking soda contrary to what many recipes say.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 6, 2006 1:48 PM #
At my wedding, the cake was a buttermilk white layer cake. I have been trying to find a recipe for something like it and have come up short. Everything with buttermilk seems to be a pound cake recipe, not a layer cake. So can I make a regular white layer cake, but substitute buttermilk for the regular milk; and do I need to adjust the baking powder to compensate for the acidity? Or should I just add a little baking soda to neutralize it? Thank you!
Reply to this Posted by: Elisabeth | December 6, 2006 1:31 PM #
thank you eva and amy!
emily--i don't think a génoise would be suitable to use as a cake roll which is why the biscuit (plain or chocoalte) is what is used if not a flourless cake.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 6, 2006 9:01 AM #
myriam, the little bubble are the result of "retarding" the dough as opposed to baking it the same day as mixing it. although it's technically considered a fault, many bakers including professionals aspire to it!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 6, 2006 8:59 AM #
Dear Rose,
I am rather new to baking cakes, last year I made my first Buche de Noel. It turned out good but I had a terrible time withe the cocoa lumping in the batter. This year armed with a copy of The Cake Bible I was set to tackle the cake again. There is a great recipe for chocolate genoise but no instructions for the jelly roll cake(quanity and baking time). You have a flourless chocolate cake recipe but I really wanted to make the genoise. Can I use another recipe for genoise and just use your technique, and do you have a more accurate baking time and temp?
Reply to this Posted by: Emily Phillips | December 6, 2006 7:54 AM #
Congratulations on the blog's anniversary! It was a happy day when I discovered that my "Bible Lady" had her very own blog. You've been a marvelous baking mentor to me and so many other people through your books, and your generosity in sharing yourself and your knowledge with us over the internet only makes me admire you more! Thank you, Bible Lady!!!
Reply to this Posted by: Amy | December 6, 2006 7:50 AM #
Dear Rose,
I just discovered your blog and wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed your books over the years and how excited I am to be able to read these conversations. Five years ago made my own wedding cake, which was much complimented, and that is entirely due to you. Thank you.
Reply to this Posted by: Eva Muhlhause | December 6, 2006 6:44 AM #
Hi Rose,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your wonderful cookbooks and for maintaining this blog. I have become quite an avid bread baker thanks to you, and I have had much success lately with sourdough! I have one question: my breads tend to develop tiny bubbles on the crust as they bake. Is this a defect? Do you have any idea what causes bubble formation? Thank you for inspiring me to bake bread!
Myriam
Reply to this Posted by: Myriam | December 5, 2006 10:43 PM #
thank you june and anna!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 5, 2006 9:50 PM #
I know it's winter when I pull out my baking books and warm the ovens again to bake something fabulous.
Thanks for the inspiration Rose (and everyone), it's made a big difference.
Reply to this Posted by: Anna | December 5, 2006 9:38 PM #
Delurking to wish you a happy blogiversary! I have really enjoyed reading your site (just discovered it a little while ago but have almost all of your books). Best wishes for another successful year.
Reply to this Posted by: June | December 5, 2006 9:21 PM #