Baking Basics

Just four main ingredients make a perfect, rich pastry dough for any savory dish you make; empanadas, chicken pot pie, crusty casseroles, beef tenderloin en brochette, etc. If you'd like to add...

Pastry dough flour is milled from soft wheat and, as far as protein content and baking characteristics are concerned, sits midway between all-purpose flour and cake flour. Pastry dough flour is...

Flour is usually made from wheat, but it can be made from any type of milled grain. Baking flour has a combination of physical characteristics that create the right texture in baked goods.

How to make pie crust from scratch? Apple, blueberry, strawberry, peach, cherry, rhubarb, pecan, peanut butter, sour cream raisin, pumpkin, custard, walnut-raisin and the list goes on... Who do...

Football shaped cakes can be baked for many occasions. They can be used for birthday parties, tailgating and Super Bowl parties. They've even been used as groom's cakes. You don't need special...

From years of teaching I have found that the eclair is one of the most intimidating recipes. People love this dessert but are terrified to make it, that's why bakeries can charge so much! This...

Have you ever wanted to spice up your soups, stews or chowders? Well, here is a great way to impress all of your family and friends with little effort. With a few easy steps you'll be able to...

Beautifully decorated cakes serve as the centerpiece of a celebration and elicit compliments from guests. Learning the basics of cake decorating enables beginners to create their own sugar...

A pastry blender is a device used to combine solid fat with dry ingredients when making pastry dough. It has thin, crescent-shaped wires fastened to a handle on each end. The wires help evenly...

You don't have to be a pastry professional to create fanciful cookies that look and taste store bought. Impress family, friends and guests with a batch of buttery, melt-in-your mouth, pressed...

Rice paper is made out of rice flour and water, and makes frequent appearances in Asian cooking. It may be purchased in larger supermarkets, but can definitely be found in your local Asian market....

Tartlets are small tarts. They look like a pie without the crust on top, with a pastry crust and many types of fillings. Now available around the world, today's tartlet has a history that is...

If you have always wanted to make a pie or a baked dessert that calls for a pastry shell, then it could really benefit you to know the correct way to use a pastry blender. Pastry blenders will mix...

As a small girl growing up my Mother and 2 of my Aunts were cooks, but my Aunt Laura was a pie maker, she made the best pies in our small town, maybe in the whole County, this recipe was hers and...

A basic pastry recipe for a double crust pie. Not just for sweet dessert pies either! Great for pot pies or quiche.

The price of biscuit mix makes it worth it to make your own. Making it yourself also assures the freshness of the mix.

Most of us have had pot pies in the frozen form from our local grocery store. Did you know that for about the same money, you can make your own delicious meat pies. You will also have the added...

Many recipes call for a pre-baked pastry pie shell. If you don’t want to make your own crust from scratch, a frozen pie crust is a great option. Frozen pastry pie crusts are available in the...

This traditional British pudding is perfect for a cold winters day. It is known as the Sussex Pond because when the crust is cut the melted butter and sugar flow out and form a pond on the dish...