"baking bites" news and stories

I first learned that there was a world of sugar beyond white, brown and confectioners when I started watching Nigella Bites in the winter of 2002. She was always suggesting that you use a thing called demerara, which, when said in her delicious British accent, sounded particularly appealing. The closest I could get in the small city market near my apartment was a bag of turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw). I loved the turbinado for sweetening tea and to sprinkle on top of baked goods (I tend to sprinkle it on unbaked scones so that I don't have to create a glaze or frosting). I try to always have it on hand these days.

A few years ago a friend introduced me to Sucanant, (it stands for Sugar Cane Natural) and it's a less processed sugar that retains much of its molasses (and a few nutrients). It's become my go-to sugar for most baking projects, mostly because I like to believe that it is in someway slightly more virtuous than refined sugar.

This little rumination on sugar was inspired by Nicole (a Slashfood alum) at Baking Bites post on demerara, turbinado and muscovado sugars earlier today. For more information and details about those sugars, go check out her post.

Source

I typically have at least four or five different types of salt in my kitchen. There's a container of kosher salt next to the stove as well as some big grained sea salt. I also have lavender salt, smoked salt and some pink Hawaiian salt. I seem to be something of a salt lightweight when you compare my collection to this Artisanal Salt Sampler. It come with 24 varieties of salt and can be ordered over at Red Envelope.

This would make a terrific gift for the salt-crazed foodie in your life. Although if they are someone who often cooks for you, be prepared for taste tests and side-by-side comparisons.

[via Baking Bites]

Source

It's getting to be the time of year when our thoughts turn to baking apple crisps and pumpkin pies. Often times recipes for those desserts just contain a reference to a spice blend designed specifically for those dishes. But what if you don't want to buy a little plastic container marked "Pumpkin Pie Spice" and already have your own store of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice? Nicole at Baking Bites has posted recipes for Pumpkin and Apple Pie spices and includes tips for tweaking those recipes according to your particular tastes. So go forth and bake for the holidays, knowing that your spice blends are unique and fresh because you made them.

Source

There's a new kid on the blogs, you might be thinking. But look a little more closely and you'll see that Baking Bites is actually an old friend who's gone through an extreme makeover. Our very own bakerina Nicole Weston's personal food blog, Bakingsheet has been transformed (of sorts - technically, Bakingsheet is still out there) into Baking Bites, with a different name, a fresh look, and all kinds of delicious new things. Take a peek!