In this conversation, we discussed why it’s essential that the Democratic Party supports women candidates, Jessica’s experience as a Democrat, a woman, and as someone who runs an amazing organization that helps women run for office, why we can’t overlook problematic behavior from Democratic candidates, and how there’s a double standard for men and women in politics.

Connect with Jessica: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Website

If you’re looking to unleash your potential, find your personal, professional, or political fire, and to connect with a community who is doing the same, click here to learn more.

In May, Jessica talked to the Tartine co-founder for our episode all about his bread and the enormous influence it has had on baking around the world. During that conversation, Chad talked at length about his forthcoming bakery and cafe in Brooklyn, Altbau. But those details weren’t quite ready for prime time when the episode came out. So we held that part of the conversation back — until now. Listen as Chad gives us all the delicious details about Altbau, including the story behind it, and a preview of what to expect.  

This is a bonus episode of Things Bakers Know. We’re still on a between-season break, and will be back with more episodes in the fall. Until then, follow the recipe! 

Recipes and other links from this episode:  

Listen to our full episode about Tartine, featuring Chad Robertson 

Follow Chad Robertson and his work on Instagram  

Inspired to bake? Order a sourdough starter or make your own  

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com. 

Together, he and Jessica discuss bagels in New York and beyond, including the burgeoning world of California-style bagels and the different styles that abound. Then, Southern California bagel maker Carlos Perez joins the show to share his perspective on West Coast bagels. Next, Jessica and David dive into your bagel-baking questions, including queries on shaping and boiling, before closing the show with a Jess-opinion about the right (and wrong) way to apply cream cheese and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

This episode marks the end of season three, and we’ll be back in the fall with more freshly baked episodes for season four! Until then, follow the recipe. 

Recipes and other links from this episode:  

Learn to make bagels in our On-Demand class, hosted by instructor Jonathan Frishtick  

Learn more about Carlos and Boil & Bake at boilbake.com 

Find our Gozney outdoor pizza ovens in our online Shop  

Pick up a bag of high-gluten flour  

Learn more about how to shape bagels  

What David’s baking this week: Small-Batch Chocolate Cupcakes  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Swirled Rhubarb Bars  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com. 

David and Jessica start the show by unpacking just what made Tartine and its bread so influential; together, they dig into the ways this loaf's impact continues to resonate today, plus their own personal relationships to it. Then, Jessica is joined by Tartine’s Chad Roberston, who shares his baking journey, the myriad inspirations that shaped his bread baking, and his thoughts on sourdough today. Finally, they answer some of your biggest sourdough questions before closing the show with this week’s Jess-opinion and the recipes they’re baking.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Pick up a copy of Tartine Bread and Tartine No. 3 (which Jessica cowrote!)  

Follow Chad Robertson and his work on Instagram  

Inspired to bake? Order a sourdough starter or make your own  

Read Carla Lalli’s newsletter, Food Processing  

Bake our Pain de Campagne recipe  

Learn more about autolyse  

What David’s baking this week: Chocolate Sourdough Babka 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Creamy Coconut Sheet Cake  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com. 

 After sharing a slightly traumatic, mostly doughnut-filled childhood story with David, Jessica talks to Fany Gerson of Fan Fan Doughnuts in New York. They discuss Fany’s relationship to doughnuts, her biggest sources of inspiration, and the enduring power of this timeless treat. Then, Jessica and David jump into your listener questions, including tips to fry without fear. Finally, they close the show with a freshly fried Jess-opinion and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

 Learn more about the history of the doughnut from Smithsonian Magazine 

 Bake our recipes for Yeast-Raised Doughnuts and Old-Fashioned Cake Doughnuts  

 Find our Pączki recipe 

 Learn more about Fany Gerson and her work at FanyGerson.com  

 Bake Fany’s recipes for Bigotes de Azúcar (Sugared Mustaches) and Puerquitos (Piggies) 

 Learn how to fry without fear 

 For a shortcut, get our recipe for Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Muffins 

 What David’s baking this week: Jelly Doughnut Cake  

 What Jessica’s baking this week: Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies 

 Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com. 

In this episode, David and Jessica unpack what makes croissants so special, including the intricacies of the lamination process, the irresistible appeal of a perfect pastry, and the “croissant theory” that powers many patisseries. They are then joined by Elisabeth Berthasavage, an instructor from the King Arthur Baking School known for her croissant classes. She shares her insight on how to make a perfect croissant at home (and why you should try!) before David and Jessica jump into Ask the Bakers to answer more questions about making croissants directly from listeners. Finally, they close out the show with a Jess-opinion about a particular croissant mashup and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Read about The Croissant Theory in the Wall Street Journal  

Learn how to make croissant directly from Elisabeth in her On-Demand Class Intro to Laminated Baking  

Can’t get enough? Take our other croissant-focused On-Demand Class with instructor Wilhelm Wanders: Extra Flaky Croissants  

Find our recipe for Baker’s Croissants  

Read more about why more folds aren’t always better in croissants  

Subscribe to our new Substack: Things Bakers Know! 

What David’s baking this week: Salt Bread (Shio Pan) 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Weeknight Detroit Pizza  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com. 

No one knows that better than today’s guest, Pati Jinich. One of the foremost experts on Mexican cuisine, Pati has traveled all over Mexico and the US to eat tortillas. She shares her vast knowledge of these special flatbreads, as well as her top tips for making them at home. Then, Jessica and David answer caller questions, including queries about tortilla presses and the elusive tortilla puff. Finally, they close the show with a Jess-opinion about what she likes to call the “burrito stump” and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Get Pati’s recipe for Tacos Rojos (Red Tacos) 

Ready to make tortillas? We have recipes for Flour Tortillas, Corn Tortillas, and 50/50 Corn and Flour Tortillas 

Learn more about Pati Jinich, her work, and her upcoming book, Foods of La Frontera, at PatiJinich.com 

Get Pati Jinich’s tips for the best homemade tortillas 

What David’s baking this week: Masa Harina Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Lemon Tiramisu  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com. 

Today, we’re discussing all the ways you can make your brownies, from the ingredients you choose to the method you make them with. We also invite one of our favorite bakers, David Lebovitz, to share his thoughts on brownies, including his experience as an American brownie lover living in Paris. For our Ask the Bakers section, we dive into everything from cocoa powder to nailing the bake, before Jessica jumps in with a Jess-opinion all about a very specific type of brownie. And as usual, she and David close the show with the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

For a real hit of nostalgia, make our Easy Frosted Brownies 

Learn more about David Lebovitz and subscribe to his Substack at davidlebovitz.substack.com 

Find the recipe David mentions for Helene’s brownies  

Pick up the updated release of David’s The Great Book of Chocolate  

Get a box of our fan-favorite Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies Mix 

Find your perfect cocoa powder in our online Shop 

If you do like brownie brittle, we have a great recipe  

What David’s baking this week:  Sun Buns (Solskinnsboller)  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Mint and Cheese Ka’ak  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode. 

This episode is sponsored by Supernatural. Supernatural makes imaginative baking ingredients that are colored by plants, fully traceable, and totally free from anything artificial or synthetic. Learn more at supernaturalkitchen.com 

To prove our point, we invited one of the country’s biggest vanilla fans (and all-around star baker) Claire Saffitz to come on the pod and argue why we should all be giving vanilla its due. Then we answer your baking questions in Ask the Bakers, covering everything from how to substitute different extracts to the real difference between vanilla extract and vanilla paste. Jessica has an opinion on the surprising way to put your biggest vanilla bottle to use, and she and David close the show with the recipes they’re baking this week. 

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Learn more about Claire and her work at dessertperson.com 

Choose your vanilla: vanilla paste or vanilla extract (or both!)  

Follow Claire’s advice to use vanilla in custard and make Vanilla Bean Flan 

Find our Recipe of the Year: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza 

Get your own big bottle of vanilla for gifting  

What David’s baking this week: Ultra-Vanilla Cupcakes with Easy Vanilla Frosting  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Simple Stovetop Vanilla Pudding 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com. 

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode. 

New York pizza is one of the most iconic dishes in America, and this episode shines a spotlight on the unique history and culture behind each slice. And as a special treat, we have one of the most notable people making New York pizza today on the show: the legendary chef Wylie Dufresne. Wylie dishes on the secrets behind his incredible pizza, then Jessica and David are joined by The Book of Pizza co-author Martin Philip to dig into your listener questions and help you make this style of pizza at home. To close out the show, Jessica shares a Jess-opinion on a popular pizza side, and they finish up with the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Grab a copy of our new cookbook, The Book of Pizza 

Find our New York-Style Pizza recipe  

Try Wylie’s pizza at Stretch in New York City  

Learn more about our Grains for Good program  

For the crispiest pizza crust, bake with a pizza steel 

Watch Martin teach you how to make New American pizza  

To really nail your pies, take our New York Pizza On Demand Class, hosted by Martin   

What David’s baking this week: Rossa Pizza from The Book of Pizza  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Everyday Olive Oil Cake 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com. 

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode. 

Jessica and David dissect the current focaccia moment and how this simple bread has evolved from its Italian origins to something truly showstopping. Then Samin Nosrat stops by the show to share the story behind the viral salt-brined focaccia from her TV show Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and dish on her latest focaccia recipe, found in her newest cookbook Good Things. As always, Jessica and David answer your biggest bread baking questions in Ask the Bakers, then Jessica shares a Jess-opinion about sweet focaccia before closing the show with the recipes they’re making this week.  

Find our 2025 Recipe of the Year: Big and Bubbly Focaccia 

Pick up our Big Book of Bread for even more focaccia  

Order Samin’s latest cookbook, Good Things  

Find Samin’s salt-brined Ligurian Focaccia  

Get some bread flour to make Samin’s latest focaccia recipe  

Check out our Small-Batch Cheesy Focaccia recipe  

Read more about how to make an inside-out focaccia sandwich  

Make our Big and Bubbly Cinnamon Roll Focaccia recipe to hop on the sweet focaccia trend  

What David’s baking this week: Strawberry Lemonade Bars  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Karpatka Cake 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Subscribe to our new Substack: Things Bakers Know!  

Find some of our favorite cheesecake recipes: NY Cheesecake, Cannoli Cheesecake, Irish Whiskey Cheesecake  

Pre-order Carla Hall’s upcoming cookbook, Carla Bakes 

Find our Basque Cheesecake recipe and Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake recipe  

Need a springform pan? Get one here!    

Find our recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Bars 

Get our recipe for light, fluffy Japanese-Style Soufflé Cheesecake 

What David’s baking this week: Super Protein Pancakes  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

In this episode, David and Jessica are joined by two of our Test Kitchen stars and the creators of this exceptional recipe, Sarah Jampel and Molly Marzalek-Kelly. They discuss how and why they landed on pizza as this year’s Recipe of the Year, the biggest challenges of recipe development, and the keys to this recipe’s unique success. (Hint: It includes butter.) Jessica and David then answer questions from our listeners about how to maximize their pizza success, from saucing to topping, before closing out the show with the recipes they’re making this week.  

This episode concludes our second season, and we’ll be back in March with the next batch of freshly baked episodes!  

Bake our 2026 Recipe of the Year: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza  

Find all of our past Recipes of the Year here 

Preorder King Arthur Baking Company's Book of Pizza: Recipes for Every Pizza Maker, publishing April 7, 2026  

What David’s baking this week: Delicata Squash Galette with Cheese and Herbs 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Ultimate Flaky Biscuits  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

‘Tis the season to bake as many cookies as you can!  

We kick off the show by unveiling King Arthur’s 2025 holiday cookie lineup before being joined by Dan Pelosi, a baker known for his annual holiday cookie party. He chats with Jessica about the keys to successfully throwing a cookie party, including his holiday cookie philosophy, then David and Jessica answer your burning baking questions with their advice for avoiding cakey cookies and making cutout cookies that actually keep their shape. In this week’s Jess-opinion, Jessica gives her thoughts on the controversial inclusion of chocolate chip cookies in the holiday cookie landscape, and we close the show with the best cookies she and David are baking this season. 

Introducing our 2025 holiday cookie platter  

Find our list of all the classic holiday and Christmas cookies you should bake 

Level up your cookies with our scoop set  

Learn more about Dan and his recent cookbook, Let’s Party, on his website  

Blog: Why you should always bake a few test cookies 

Find our Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies recipe  

We like decorating with this Simple Cookie Glaze  

What David’s baking this week: Rugelach and Piped Vanilla Shortbread Cookies 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Whipped Lemon Shortbread 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

Take Mel’s Cookie Decorating Essentials On Demand class 

Find Martin (and more King Arthur bakers!) on our YouTube channel 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

The recipes mentioned in this episode include:  

Latke Focaccia recipe 

Everyday Olive Oil Cake recipe 

Gingerbread Biscotti recipe 

Fluffy Frosted Orange Rolls recipe 

Buckwheat-Cardamom Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipe 

Olive Oil Sufganiyot recipe 

Jelly Doughnut Cake recipe 

Chocolate Bûche de Noël with Cookie Butter Whipped Ganache recipe 

David and Jessica kick off the show by sharing some of their best pie tips and tricks, before bringing in a real pie expert — Stacey Mei Yan Fong, author of the award-winning cookbook 50 Pies, 50 States — to offer her advice. We’ve got some great Thanksgiving pie questions to answer, from the best way to prebake your crust to advice for preventing a runny apple pie filling, before closing the show with a Jess-opinion about the other dessert you should make for Thanksgiving and the pies Jessica and David are making this year.  

Read David’s article: How My Brother-in-Law Stole Thanksgiving—and How I Got it Back 

Find our Pies On-Demand Baking Class  

Check out all our pie resources: How to Bake Pie  

Learn more about Stacey and her book, and tune in to her Instagram page for her virtual pie hotline  

Find everything you need for your holiday pies in our Pie shop  

Mix it up this year with Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie  

Read PJ’s blog about baking pie crust upside down  

Find our Pie Thickener chart  

What David’s baking this week: Cranberry Chiffon Pie  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Classic Apple Tarte Tatin  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

And who better to join us than Amy Guittard of Guittard Chocolate? For her, chocolate literally runs in the family. She explains everything from how chocolate is made to what the percentages on the bag really mean. Then David and Jessica answer this week’s listener questions, sharing their tips for better brownies and choosing cocoas. To close out the show, Jessica is back with this week’s Jess-opinion, in which she finally addresses the elephant in the room: white chocolate. And of course, she and David share the recipes they’re baking this week!  

Find our (surprisingly easy!) Rich Chocolate Mousse recipe  

Learn more about Guittard chocolate  

Find all of our chocolate and cocoa in our Shop (including Guittard!)  

On the blog: Types of cocoa, explained 

Also on the blog: How to make brownies with shiny crust (or just bake our Fudge Brownies) 

Learn more about tempering: A basic guide to tempering chocolate  

What David’s baking this week: Fugazzeta  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Jalapeño-Cheddar Pull-Apart Bread 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

Aran Goyoaga, author of the stunning new book The Art of Gluten-Free Bread, joins us to talk about her approach to gluten-free bread baking, including some of her favorite flours and tips and tricks. We break down the dizzying world of gluten-free flours, our tips for making gluten-free sourdough, and the differences between gluten-full and gluten-free bread doughs. And as always, we close out the show with Jessica’s Jess-opinion of the week and the (gluten-free!) recipes she and David are baking.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Find Aran’s book: The Art of Gluten-Free Bread 

Learn more about gluten-free flours: Which gluten-free flour should I use? 

Read: How to substitute Gluten-Free Bread Flour for regular flour 

What David’s baking this week: Gluten-Free Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberries 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Sunken Berry Almond Cake  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

We’ve been thinking a lot about baking with kids, because we’ve been hard at work writing a brand-new kids baking cookbook! And despite the mess and the chaos, we think it’s all worth it. So does cookbook author Samantha Seneviratne, who joins the show to chat with Jessica about baking with her adorable son Artie and the advice she has for anyone spending time in the kitchen with a young one. Then we have a very special edition of Ask the Bakers, featuring all questions from kids. (And boy, they’re some good ones.) Jessica shares a Jess-opinion all about the state of the restaurant kid’s menu, and we close out the show with the recipes she and David are baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Find our new kids’ cookbook: Sweet & Salty!   

Learn more about Sam and her cookbooks here, and bake Sam’s Maple Tahini Chocolate Skillet Cake and Sunken Berry Almond Cake 

Learn more about leaveners: What's the difference between baking soda and baking powder? 

What David’s baking this week: Easiest Sourdough Discard Crackers 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

First up, producer Rossi Anastopoulo and King Arthur editor Tatiana Bautista join David and Jessica to discuss our new list of the 49 Best Fall Recipes, Ranked. To no one’s surprise, there are a lot of opinions all around! Then cookbook author Rick Martínez stops by to dive deep into Pan de Muerto, the fragrant, buttery bread made to celebrate the fall holiday of Día de los Muertos. During our Ask the Bakers segment, Jessica and David discuss the big fall baking questions: Is it ever worth it to make your own pumpkin purée? What’s the difference between all the cinnamons out there? And is it pronounced PEA-can or puh-CON?! To close the show, we have a story about the oldest apple tree in America and the apple detective who found it (!), a freshly fried Jess-opinion, and the bakes David and Jessica are making this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Get baking with our 49 Best Fall Recipes, Ranked 

Our favorite fall recipes: Chili Crisp Cottage Cheese Flatbreads (Tatiana), Sweet Potato Sheet Cake with Marshmallow Frosting (Rossi), Honey Beer Miche (David), and Oatmeal-Date Smash Cookies (Jessica) 

Check out our Pan de Muerto recipe  

Find Rick’s cookbooks and learn more about his work here 

Visit our shop for Vietnamese cinnamon and Indonesian cinnamon 

Read more about John Bunker’s apple discovery: On a Maine island, historians discover one of the oldest living apple trees in North America and find his book here 

Find our recipe for Fried Apple Pies  

What David’s baking this week: Cinnamon-Crisp Coffee Cake  

What Jessica’s baking this week: recipes from Sweet & Salty, our new kids’ cookbook!  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

From bolo bao to dan tat, we can’t get enough of the gorgeous goods lining the bakery cases of Chinatowns across the US. So of course, we had to have cookbook author Kristina Cho on the show to share more about the history of these bakeries, their place in Chinese American communities, and her tips for making the best versions of these iconic bakes at home. Along the way, David and Jessica share their experiences eating in two of the best Chinatowns in the country, plus their answers to your biggest baking questions (with some crucial help from Kristina!). Jessica has a shockingly positive Jess-opinion for once, and she and David close out the show by sharing the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Find our recipes for Pineapple Buns (Bolo Bao), Hong Kong Egg Tarts, and Red Bean Mooncakes 

Learn more about Kristina’s two cookbooks, Mooncakes & Milk Bread and Chinese Enough 

For more on steamed buns, check out our blog: Everything you need to know to make steamed buns 

Find our Golden Milk Bread recipe in the Big Book of Bread  

And for more on tangzhong and milk bread, see our blog: What is milk bread? 

What David’s baking this week: Bagels (with help from our On-Demand Bagel Class) 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

Legendary baker Dorie Greenspan joins the show to share her thoughts on all things butter, plus some stories that will make you want to move to France immediately. David and Jessica dive deep into baker Nicole Rucker’s Cold Butter Method (CBM) and their tips for baking better with butter, before answering your questions, including their thoughts on softening butter quickly and making the most flavorful brown butter using a tip from our Test Kitchen. They then take a detour to the Minnesota State Fair, where butter carving takes centerstage, and close out the episode with the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Jessica and David’s summer bakes: Swirled Rhubarb Bars (double the recipe to make in a 9” x 13” pan!) and Toasted Marshmallow Whipped Cream  

Find Nicole Rucker’s book here: Fat + Flour: The Art of a Simple Bake 

Jesse Szewczyk’s blog: The secret to fudgier cookies? It's all about the butter. 

Dorie’s newest cookbook is almost out!: Dorie’s Anytime Cakes   

Lydia’s Ultimate Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats  

Blog: Creaming butter and sugar: How to get it right 

Blog: How to soften butter quickly  

Blog: The baking trials: butter vs. vegan butter 

Learn more about Gerry here, and find videos of him sculpting here.  

What David’s baking this week: The Most Pumpkin Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Apple Pie Bars  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

Historian and food anthropologist Deb Freeman is here to teach us about biscuits’ riveting history, discussing their early role in American baking and the way Black bakers’ skill and knowledge have contributed to where biscuits are today. Then, Jessica and David answer your biscuit baking questions in Ask the Bakers, covering everything from the best flour to use for biscuits (with a cameo from our Reasearch & Development kitchen!) and how to pick the right butter. Our producer Rossi Anastopoulo joins the show to share the surprising link between biscuits and basketball in North Carolina, and David and Jessica close out the episode with a Jess-opinion all about biscuits at breakfast and the best recipes they’re baking this week.  

Follow Deb on Instagram and watch her PBS series, Finding Edna Lewis
Read Deb’s piece The rise: a history of American biscuits
Read Vonnie Williams’ piece Erika Council’s tips for better biscuits 
Find our new Buttermilk Biscuit Flour Blend 
Buttermilk Biscuits recipe
What David’s baking this week: Braided Challah recipe
What Jessica’s baking the week: Old-Fashioned Cake Doughnuts recipe
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

King Arthur’s very own Director of Baking Education Amber Eisler is here to share her considerable expertise. Amber baked in our bakery for five years and has taught at the Baking School for over 15 years, so needless to say, she knows her stuff. First, she and David chat about some of the biggest unexpected pain points bakers run into while making sourdough and how to solve them. Then, Amber sticks around to join Jessica and David for Ask the Bakers, answering your burning sourdough questions. We also have a special treat, a dispatch from our audience sharing the names of their sourdough starters. And, as always, Jessica and David finish up with a spicy (or in this case, sour) Jess-opinion and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

More on Amber’s Sourdough for Beginners On-Demand Class and the Baking School
Visit our Sourdough Savvy shop page for our favorite tools and ingredients 
Learn more about the Big Book of Bread  
Amber’s Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe 
Super Fudgy Sourdough Brownies recipe
What David’s baking this week: English Digestive Biscuits recipe 
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

We’re thrilled to have both Cheryl Day, award-winning cookbook author and former owner of Savannah’s famed Back in the Day Bakery, and Bronwen Wyatt, of Bayou Saint Cakes in New Orleans, join to share their top cake secrets and best tips for beginner birthday cake bakers. In Ask the Bakers, Jessica and David dig into your urgent cake questions, from demystifying the reverse-creaming method to what to do if your cakes keep sinking in the oven. And as always, they close out the episode with a big birthday cake hot take (featuring Jessica’s opiniated protege, our producer Rossi) and the best recipes they’re baking this week.   

Find Cheryl’s most recent book here: Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking   
Follow Cheryl on Instagram 
Follow Bronwen on Instagram and Substack
Visit our Cake Made Easy shop page for our favorite tools and ingredients 
King Arthur’s 2019 Recipe of the Year: Classic Birthday Cake
Try the reverse-creaming method with Vanilla Birthday Cake and Tender White Cake
Bake Cheryl Day’s Southern Caramel Cake and Old-Fashioned Coconut Cake
Find Rossi’s pie book, Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies  
What David’s baking this week: Big and Bubbly Cinnamon Roll Focaccia recipe
What Jessica’s baking this week: Mini Pizzas (aka Snacking Pizzas) recipe 
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

Best-selling cookbook author and one of America’s foremost pizza experts Dan Richer stops by the show to share his tips on baking your best pizza at home. Learn about his ideal home oven set up and his tips for nailing your bake. Then listen to David and Jessica answer your biggest pizza questions, from the best way to get a crispy crust to Jessica’s preferred method for reheating pizza. (Spoiler alert: It leaves David shocked.) Finally, they finish up with dueling Jess-opinions about pizza sauces and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode:  

Find Dan’s book here: The Joy of Pizza
Follow Dan on Instagram and visit his James Beard-nominated restaurant Razza in New Jersey
Visit our Pizza Perfection shop page for our favorite tools and ingredients
Our favorite baking steel: Brod & Taylor Bread Steel
King Arthur’s 2020 Recipe of the Year: Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza
What David’s baking this week: Giant Hostess Cupcake Cake recipe
What Jessica’s baking this week: Peanut Butter Brownies recipe 
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!