Hi Everyone - I hope you are all safe and healthy during this pandemic. I have a question about a pastry called a koeksister. I searched, and the name doesn't come up, so I will tell you a bit about them. They are a traditional South African, deep fried pastry, which is dipped into an ice cold sugar, cinnamon, lemon syrup. My question is: the syrup contains creme of tartar, and I am just curious to know why, and what does it do to the syrup. Thanks ..read more

Hello Everyone! I would like to share my recipe for perfect Macaron Shells using the Italian Meringue Method. Enjoy! MACARON SHELLS USING THE ITALIAN MERINGUE METHOD AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK "MACARON MASTERCLASS" BY JOEY E. PRATS FORMULA YIELD: MAKES 120 MACARON SHELLS (4.5 CM DIAMETER), GOOD FOR 60 MACARONS INGREDIENTS ... MACARON SHELL RECIPE (ITALIAN MERINGUE METHOD ..read more

I am being asked to place my cookies in a botique makers type store. I would be going there weekly to restock. Trying to decide on the best cookies to place other than biscotti, Gingersnaps and pizzelles. I individually heat seal everything and was thinking if I put 6 heat sealed cookies, like chocolate chip, in a box and shrink wrap it. Would that last 2 weeks? My biggest fear is stale cookies ..read more

Hello! I am a baker who does at least two vendor events a week but I do end up with leftover cookies that for freshness reasons I won’t sell. Any suggestions of what I can do or make with the not so fresh cookies ..read more

Good afternoon all, I currently make my own vanilla extract and would like to attempt making an emulsion. Might you know of a book, website or other resource that explains the process of making an emulsion? Thanks in advance. Joe ..read more

So, in our household, my wife is the cook and I'm the baker. I bake for holidays and just when I'm bored. My biggest thing in baking is experimenting and this week, I acquired an emulsion for baking. I understand the concept of what an emulsion is, but I would like to know about creating your own emulsions. As an example, I recently baked a cake that included soda pop in the recipe. However, upon baking it, the flavor seemed to "bake out" and it was barely noticeable against the taste of the... Homemade Emulsions for Baking ..read more

Hello All I have been playing in the kitchen with some shortbread recipes, family makes it alot over the holidays, and I want to join in the fun. However on the two recipes I have tried the end result is hard and very dry, not crumbly as short bread should be. The last recipe I used would not even need together, and I found myself adding more butter just to make a biscuit. I'm not sure what the issue is, I believe it is the recipes it self, but I don't know what to adjust to get melt in... very hard short bread ..read more

Hi All, I recently started a baking business and trying to find ways to increase our productivity. We currently use a 16 cup food processor to make our rough puff pastry for our pies. Wanted to know what people would recommend as an alternative to make larger batches as we are making upto 60 batches a day with this method and therefore very time consuming. My understanding is that using a large volume mixer like a hobart will result in the dough developing too much gluten and give the... Bulk Rough Puff Pastry ..read more

Hello - I am trying to make anise cookies and they aren't turning out right. My mother made them and they turned out right. They should have an icing on top but mine is just a solid cookie. I googled them and read some reviews hoping someond devulged the secret to success and people indicate they can be troublesome at times but no one has yet divulged their secret to success. Wonder if anyone here has had success making Anise cookies and could share their experiences? Tim ..read more

Hi everyone, I’m a beginner baker with experience primarily in home baking, but I’m passionate about turning it into a professional career. I’m considering enrolling in a program, but I’m stuck between two options: 1. Baking & Pastry Arts Management Course 2. Baking & Pastry Foundations Course both at george brown college in Canada I’d love some advice on the main differences between these courses. Which would be more suitable for someone transitioning from home baking... Advice Needed ..read more