Malinda Russell & 19th Century Recipes
Baking the Best of It
Malinda Russell was the first Black American to publish a cookbook and is a fascinating historical figure, despite the little information we have about her. We also discuss the task of adapting 150-year-old recipes and bake two of Malinda's: one successfully and one slightly foolishly. Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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The Sweet and Buttery World of Frostings
Baking the Best of It
This week we examine the somewhat divisive topic of frosting, particularly on cakes. Frosted cakes are a relatively modern convention. Despite their short history, many types of buttercream have evolved. Plus, we make two types of frosting: German buttercream and Ermine flour frosting. We want to hear from you where you stand on the frosting divide: is it your favorite part of a cake or is it just too sweet and in the way? Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Brioche & Enriched Breads
Baking the Best of It
Why is brioche so good and how did it get like that? We dive into the science and history behind adding butter, eggs, and milk to bread to create tender, pillowy bready magic. Also, in case we're the first ones to tell you: no, Marie Antoinette never said that. Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social
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Thank Birds for Savory Pie
Baking the Best of It
Welcome to Season 2!! We're in the last slog of winter, and what could be better to take us through it than savory pie? But first, we test you by presenting the somewhat challenging history of savory pies. Birds do not get enough credit for their role in the history of savory pies. Maybe you're thinking we mean, like, chicken. As an ingredient. While that's true, it's just the tip of the birds-and-savory-pies-iceberg Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod / bluesky: @bakingthebestofit.bsky.social Sources: .
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Gingerbread: From Armenian Monks to Houses
Baking the Best of It
Happy Holidays and Happy Season 1 Finale! We've officially brought our gingerbread house success rate up from 0% to 50%. In this episode, we share the history of gingerbread with each other and build a festive little house. We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable winter holiday season, and we'll be back in 2025 for season 2! We've got a bonus episode coming on our patreon all about the Christmassy bakes in our families, and we'll have more bonus content and recipes coming in the new year. Support us on Patreon: Follow us on instagram: @bakingbestpod
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Baking Brian Jacques' Redwall
Baking the Best of It
The food in fantasy fiction is so important, and Brian Jacques was among the most memorable fantasy authors to write great feasts. These books are beloved by Roxie, and Fiona is a newcomer to them, so we compare our perspectives and discuss the series as a whole and the food in particular. We bake one of Redwall Abbey's beloved nut breads and enjoy it with a cheese, apple, and sage terrine!
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Pietatoes and Molasses
Baking the Best of It
If you've been listening for a while, you've probably gathered that we are pie afficionados. So we've finally done The Pie Episode! We also developed a new pie recipe based on Potatoes and Molasses from Over the Garden Wall (yes). This pie episode is truly exhaustive enough that we go above and beyond to make a pie nobody asked for.
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Halloween Food History & Brain Cake
Baking the Best of It
Roxie takes Fiona through some Halloween treat history before they bake a Charlotte Royale together! Come for the brain cake, stay for the hot takes about Halloween baking and style over substance. Happy Halloween!
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How Did The Bánh Mì Come To Be?
Baking the Best of It
The Bánh Mì is a perfect sandwich, a glorious harmony of crunch, acid, fat, freshness, and, of course: the shattery-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside bread. You may know that France's colonization (derogatory, always derogatory) of Vietnam contributed to the existence of the Bánh Mì, but the exact details of how are quite specific and, we think, fascinating. Fiona takes Roxie through the history before we detail how we made our own Bánh Mì bread and sandwiches!
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An Apple Episode That Is Definitely Not About Pie
Baking the Best of It
This episode might be a little bit about pie. Our intentions here were to cover autumnal apple bakes and recipes that are not apple pie, and we did do that! But because we're so passionate about pie, piessonate, we also talk quite a bit about pie. Plus, a little something called Concord Grape Corner. Cozy up with a mug of tea or mulled cider and enjoy! A good starter pie crust recipe: Sources: Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, edited by Darra Goldstein, Oxford University Press, 2015
info_outlineThis episode might be a little bit about pie. Our intentions here were to cover autumnal apple bakes and recipes that are not apple pie, and we did do that! But because we're so passionate about pie, piessonate, we also talk quite a bit about pie. Plus, a little something called Concord Grape Corner. Cozy up with a mug of tea or mulled cider and enjoy!
A good starter pie crust recipe:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/
Sources:
Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, edited by Darra Goldstein, Oxford University Press, 2015
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Spy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Delicious