When I started my first blog, Google’s blogspot.com was a good choice. But, alas, Google (the company that promised to “do no evil”!) stopped supporting their Blogger app for newer Apple devices. Trying to write or edit posts on my new iPad was fraught with frustrating snafus, and on my new iPhone my blog looked really weird. To avoid further damage to my teeth – constant gnashing wears them down – a major change was needed. Like many fellow bloggers, I chose WordPress. Fortunately, it provided me with a tool to easily import all the content from my two blogs.  My older posts, tran ..read more

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts Two weeks ago, I flew to Columbus/Ohio, to visit my daughter. In my carry-on I had a freezer bag with sourdough, hoping it wouldn't cause suspicion and confiscation at the airport security. Valerie had asked me to show her and her co-workers at "Two Caterers", how to bake a high hydration bread à la Chad Robertson of Tartine fame. "Tartine"-breads are known for their "holyness", and their excellent taste. They are great favorites of mine, and I bake them in all possible variations (Brewer's Bread, Acorn Levain) The next day I ..read more

When I first learned of genius entrepreneur Nathan Myhrvold's endeavor to create THE Ultimate Work on Bread Baking, pouring thousands of dollars in his state-of-the-art scientific laboratory plus baking station, I was rather skeptical. After Modernist Cuisine now molecular baking? But a presentation last summer at the Kneading Conference in Skowhegan/ME, with stunning photos of the process, was so convincing that I overcame my doubts (and qualms about spending so much money), and ordered my copy at Amazon. The massive metal box set (History and Fundamentals, Ingredi ..read more

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts To mathematicians the Greek letter π (Pi) is the symbol for the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. This number is so important that it has its own holiday day: Pi Day. Pi Day is March 14, since π starts with 3.14... and continues, irrationally, ever after. (But don't despair: for your daily use you can get by with just the first six numbers: 3.14159). Not only mathematicians observe Pi Day, bakers honor it, too. After all, the Greek letter sounds in English like pastry and, with the help of a little "e", it ea ..read more

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts (folgt noch) "Would you like to see my new book?" was the message from Heike Kevenhörster, a friend and former colleague from Public Address Press Agency in Hamburg (where I counseled students for many years, as online-"Dear Abby"). "Craft Cocktails by Val" Two weeks later I found my copy of "Craft Cocktails by Val: Drinks Inspired by Hillary Rodham Clinton", Heike's self-published book, in the mail. Bartender "Val", the alter ego of Hillary Clinton, played by herself in an episode of "Saturday Night Life", doles ..read more

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts Whenever I'm visiting my hometown Hamburg, I check out new bakeries. Two years ago I noticed people lining up in front of Bäckerei Jochen Gaues, in Eppendorf quarter, where my Mom lives around the corner. Taking this as a good omen, I joined the waiting line. The shelves full of loaves and rolls looked promising, all with fairly dark crusts - boldly baked, as Ken Forkish ("Flour, Water, Salt and Yeast') would call it. A paradise for crust lovers! Like Forkish, Jochen Gaues is a purist baker, his breads are made with flour, wat ..read more

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts Before my friend "The Rye Baker" Stanley Ginsberg went on his mission promoting European rye breads to American bakers, he had published another remarkable baking book: "Inside the Jewish Bakery - Recipes and Memories from the Golden Age of Jewish Baking". I was among his test bakers. One of my test recipes was the Polish Potato Bread - Poylner Kartoffelbroyt - with its unusually high potato content an interesting recipe, but, as I soon realized, somewhat challenging in its preparation. My first Post-It notes about the ..read more

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts This month Mini Oven challenged fellow Fresh Loafers to create a special bread to commemorate the upcoming total eclipse of the sun. Spurred by astronomic ambitions I began to ponder how to go about this. Just a new bread? Where was the connection to the total eclipse? A two-toned dough? Once I baked a marbled rye bread and found its taste rather underwhelming. Squid ink as a black dye? Not my cup of tea! So it had to be a two-toned decoration. Black and white sesame seeds are in my pantry. Only a suitable recipe was m ..read more

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts When I started reading American cookbooks and food magazines, I noticed that their recipes almost always call for large eggs, whereas the typical egg in German recipes is medium-sized (Kl. M). Though (supposedly) everything is bigger in the US, I was wondering about this. Why should American cooks and bakers in general use larger eggs than their European counterparts? My experiences with the differences between European and American flour types and dairy products taught me that I should better not automatically assume that a ..read more

My husband and I love pancakes! At least once a week we have them for lunch, made with all kinds of different grains, nuts and fruits. And, of course, our traditional family recipe, my Omi's German Pancakes. Emperor Franz Josef loved Kaiserschmarren I always cook a whole batch of them, even though we are only two, and I could just halve the recipe. There's a good  reason:: leftover pancakes can be easily recycled into an (almost even more delicious) dish: Kaiserschmarren! A famous Austrian dessert, Kaiserschmarren ("Emperor's Mess") is made from twice-fr ..read more