The History of Birthday Celebrations!
Baking the Best of It
Emphasis on Rome because Roxie went down too many wormholes on academia.edu. Plus, a very good cake. Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Japanese Milk Bread & Tangzhong Paste
Baking the Best of It
An exploration of Japanese Milk Bread and the game-changing magic of tangzhong paste! Is a roux crucial to delicate, pillowy treats? We think so! Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Mardi Gras & the King Cake
Baking the Best of It
Happy Mardi Gras! Roxie and Fiona both have New Orleans on the brain these days, with Fiona just having returned from a trip and Roxie planning a forthcoming one. So you'll understand we had to dive deep into some history of the city and the Mardi Gras classic bake, King Cake. Take a big bite into this episode and let us know if you find the baby! Don't choke!! Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Internet History: Recipe Blogs
Baking the Best of It
Recipe blogs have become a bit of a meme, known for lengthy personal anecdotes before recipes. But what's their place in internet history, especially from the perspective of our current place in the evolution of Online. Plus, we use this as an opportunity to bake something a little basic, and we love it.
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Stick a Fork In 2025 We're Done
Baking the Best of It
A more casual end-of-the-year wrap up plus a silly winter holiday baked goods quiz! Looking forward to baking and podcasting in the new year and sending everyone warm and safe winter wishes. Thank you for listening and supporting us!!
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It's Pumpkin October
Baking the Best of It
For each Halloween season we must select a theme, and this year Roxie's decided it's pumpkins! We don't really get to the baking of it all until over halfway through, but the history for this one was too fun not to dive into. A twisting and turning tale of the history of the jack-o-lantern followed by all of our favorite pumpkin bakes that aren't pumpkin pie. Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Baklava & Fiona's Birthday!
Baking the Best of It
It's Fiona's birthday so she chose this episode's topic and selected the deceptively easy-to-make baklava, one of our shared favorite desserts. Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Sourdough, The First of Many
Baking the Best of It
Are you sick of sourdough after 2020-2021? Too bad, we're not!! Of course we have to explore sourdough, a topic that occupies its own world in baking all to itself. Lots of excitement around microbes in this one, and of course clarification on the pre-industrial history of bread-baking. Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Dream Cake + Chocolate
Baking the Best of It
We're celebrating Roxie's birthday by baking a cake that literally came to her in a dream. Because the cake is complete with tempered chocolate decorations, we thought this would be a great introductory episode to some of the history and a lot of the science of chocolate in baking! Plus, a discussion of recipe development: how do we approach it? Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Hello Miss American Cake!
Baking the Best of It
For all the inexplicable Star Wars jokes in this episode, not a single mention of Weird Al's version of American Pie. We're sorry and we hope you enjoy this episode anyway! We discuss the history of cakes and cake mixes in the U.S., and bake a goofy little cake from the turn of the century! Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
info_outlineThe ratio of historical context to baking content in this extra-long episode is approximately 75/25 because we feel that's appropriate! Angel food cake is so much more than a dry ring of fatless sponge found on grocery store shelves across the United States, it's a distillation of the historical role of "housewife" and how it evolved post-Industrial Revolution. Fiona tells Roxie about how domestic labor roles have evolved in Europe and the United States over the last 800 years and how that evolution relates to capitalism, racism, and gender. Plus, Roxie learns to stop worrying and love angel food cake.
Sources:
More Work for Mother by Ruth Schwartz Cowan, Basic Books, 1983
The Farmer's Wife by Helen Rebanks, Harper Horizon, 2023
The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, Oxford University Press, 2015
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/work-requirements-are-rooted-in-the-history-of-slavery/