Foundational Recipes and Techniques for Exceptional Home Baking
Years ago, when I first started learning how to write good recipes, I was struck by the realization that most recipes assume that the person baking the recipe has a basic understanding of baking terms and techniques.
Phrases like "grease and flour the pan", or "cream the butter and sugar" make perfect sense to someone who's been baking for a while. But, if you're a new baker, they can leave you feeling uncertain about what to do and how to do it.
That's what this page is about. It's an ever expanding collection of baking tips and tricks designed to deliver important information and techniques for great home baking.
Scroll down a little further on this page, you'll find a list of recipes I refer to as "Building Block Recipes". Building block recipes are tried-and-true recipes that I consider foundational to great home baking. Master these and even more complicated and intricate baking projects will become easy and familiar.
Building Block Recipes
Building block recipes are tried-and-true recipes that I consider foundational to great home baking. They are the kind of recipes I come back to over and over again, sometimes baking them as is, but often using them as a jumping off point to create something new.
Master these and even more complicated and intricate baking projects will become easy and familiar.
- Candied Orange Slices ~ Easy Recipe
- Easy Berry Sauce with Fresh or Frozen Berries
- How to Make Chocolate Ganache
- Simple Vanilla Icing Recipe {Vanilla Glaze}
- Vanilla Loaf Cake Recipe {Plus 4 Flavor Options}
- Almond Thumbprint Cookies
- New York Cheesecake with Classic Shortbread Crust
- The Ultimate Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits {All-Butter Recipe}
- Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream & Caramel Rum Sauce
- Everyday Buttermilk Pancakes
- Toasted Almond Pie Crust {All-Butter Recipe}
- Foolproof Pie Crust {Flaky, No-Fail Recipe}
- Perfect Pound Cake
- Roasted Fruit Sauce with Maple Syrup and Brown Butter
- Anything Cookies {One Basic Cookie Dough, Endless Kinds of Cookies}
- Easy Pizza Dough Recipe + How To Make Homemade Pizza
- Best Pastry Cream {Crème Pâtissière}
- Sinfully Rich Chocolate Devil's Food Cake {or Cupcakes}
- Spice Cake {intensely flavorful and moist}
- Quick, Super Creamy Chocolate Buttercream
- Spritz Wreath Cookies
- How to Make Profiteroles {French Cream Puffs}
- Homemade Dinner Rolls {Soft and Buttery}
- Easy Apple Butter Recipe {Crockpot Recipe - No Peeling Required}
- Salted Caramel Sauce ~ All Cream Recipe
- American Buttercream {with Butter and Heavy Cream}
- Best Tasting Vanilla Cake Recipe {Soft and Flavorful}
- Perfectly Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Napoleon Dessert | Mille Feuille Cream Pastry
- Vanilla Sugar Cookies {Soft & Chewy, with Cream Cheese}
- Italian Meringue Buttercream {Step-by-Step Instructions}
- 1 Hour Buttermilk Caramel Cupcake Recipe
- Homemade Flour Tortillas Made with Butter
- Classic {One Bowl} Banana Bread Recipe
- Honey Wheat Bread Recipe with Oats
- Simple Homemade White Bread {made with butter!}
- Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Homemade Maple Almond Granola
- Moist Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
- Champagne Cake with Champagne Italian Meringue Buttercream
- Best Butterscotch Sauce {3 Secret Ingredients}
- Homemade Cheese Crackers ~ Buttery, Tender, Flaky Crackers
- Doughnut Recipe | Overnight Homemade Doughnuts
- Perfect Chocolate Eclairs {Filled with Pastry Cream}
- Hot Fudge Recipe
- Best Apple Pie Recipe
- Buttery Brown Sugar New York Crumb Topping
- Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Substitute