#ube kouign amann

[hananuhbanana]

Pastry board

[quibbs126]

I am curious about the three new dragon ships in your inbox (and your current fankid list as a whole! Would you share them with the us?

I mean, I can tell you the three I mentioned, but as for the whole list

That’s uh

That’s kind of a long list

I mean I’ll do it though. Under the cut at least

But to answer your first question, the three dragon ships were

Lotus Dragon/Rambutan

Sea Fairy/Longan Dragon

Lychee Dragon/Stardust

As for the rest of my “requested but haven’t finished yet”, we have

Red Velvet/Crunchy Chip (Blackout)

Twizzly Gummy/Currant Cream (Gooseberry but looking to change)

Mint Choco/Rockstar (Mint Toothpaste, may be tweaked)

Pomegranate/Affogato (Pomegranate Sundae)

Dark Cacao/Affogato (Dark Cream)

Cherry Blossom/Herb (Myrtle)

Latte/Eclair (Beignet, but I think I was going to change it?)

Cherry Blossom/Black Raisin (Grape Vine)

Clotted Cream/Black Raisin (Scotch Bun)

Macaron/Cinnamon (Snickerdoodle)

Licorice/Capsaicin (Star Anise)

Popcorn/Banana (Banana Chip)

Kumiho/Crunchy Chip (Mallow Fudge)

Hollyberry/Pitaya Dragon (Red Pitaya)

Scorpion/Prune Juice (Juniper Berry, but looking to change)

Pizza/String Gummy (String Cheese)

Note on that last one, it’s a double, and I completed the first one months ago, that being Croissant/Roguefort (Beaufort), but I’m unable to show him bc it’s a double

Tea Knight/Vampire, though I’m strongly considering striking that one. I considered it because I assumed that the anon assumed Vampire was immortal and actually closer to Tea Knight’s age, but I now feel like that’s not much of an excuse

Peach/Banana (Pink Banana)

Milk/Purple Yam (Ube Ice Cream)

Red Velvet/Dark Choco (Cocoa Powder, also Strawberry Choco, we’ll see who I make first)

Clover/Carol (Pine Needle, maybe change to Fir?)

Captain Ice/Almond (Tortoni)

Pomegranate/Hydrangea (Spider Lily)

Kumiho/Snake Fruit (Ambrosia)

Abyss Monarch/Dino-Sour (Gummy Shark)

Wind Archer/Fire Spirit (Smoke Watcher)

Abyss Monarch/Black Pearl (Deep Turquoise)

Baguette/Coffee Candy (Coffee Bun)

Golden Cheese/Ananas Dragon (Golden Kiwi)

Truffle/Almond (Black Walnut, might change)

Longan Dragon/Pure Vanilla (Langsat)

Moonlight/Dark Cacao (Midnight Choco)

Red Velvet/Licorice (Black Velvet)

Almond/Latte (Almond Milk)

Blackberry/Adventurer (Blackberry Scone)

Red Velvet/Earl Grey (Teacake)

Herb/Currant Cream (Blackcurrant)

Shining Glitter/Herb (Bouquet)

Herb/Black Lemonade (Mint Lemonade)

Licorice/Royal Margarine (Butterscotch)

Dark Choco/Fire Flower (Choco Cosmos)

Electric Eel/Box Jellyfish (Blue Bottle, but it has to be changed now)

Ninja/Sakura (Mochi)

Burnt Cheese/Black Raisin (Raisin Bun)

Black Pearl/Frost Queen (Sugar Pearl)

Mocha Ray/Starfruit (Espresso Romano)

Raspberry/Chili Pepper (Raspberry Chipotle)

Financier/Pistachio (Florentine)

Milk/Black Raisin (Sweet Milk)

Blue Lily/Bellflower (Canterbury Bell)

Aquamarine/Herb (Sea Kelp)

Dark Enchantress/Timekeeper (Day Lily)

Espresso/Latte (Dalgona)

Starfruit/Stardust (Starflower)

Prune Juice/Capsaicin/Kouign Amann (Bloody Mary)

Black Pearl/Oyster (Pearl Oyster)

Raspberry Mousse/Rose (Raspberry Rose)

Longan Dragon/Dark Enchantress

Wildberry/Chili Pepper (Spiceberry)

Moonlight/Matcha (Moon Drop, but I’m not sure on it)

Matcha/Sea Fairy (Green Tea)

Kumiho/Werewolf

Raspberry/Caramel Arrow

Coffee Candy/Cherry Ball (Cherry Candy)

Golden Cheese/Pure Vanilla/Corpse Flower (Baklava Cheesecake)

Licorice/Black Raisin (Grape Licorice)

Roguefort/Pastel Meringue (Mascarpone)

Stardust/Cream Unicorn (Unicorn Ice Cream)

White Lily/Pomegranate (Amaranth)

Dark Cacao/Frost Queen (Hoarfrost)

Affogato/Cream Unicorn (Coffee Pavlova)

Fig/Cotton Candy (Candy Fig)

Custard III parent (Custard Sauce)

Cream Puff/Walnut (Pecan Pie)

Timekeeper/Longan

Dark Choco/Clotted Cream (Ganache)

Affogato/Sweet Cream (Bitter Cream)

Dark Cacao parent (still working on the new names)

Sandwich/Hero (White Tomato)

Shadow Milk/Moonlight

Shadow Milk/Cinnamon

Choco Ball/Cream Ball

Goblin/Pimento Cheese

Energy Drink/Jelly Sludge

Electric Eel/Lamprey (Moray Eel)

Royal Margarine/Grey Heron

String Gummy/Brunsgiver

Captain Caviar/Rocky Wolf

Shadow Milk/Lychee Dragon (Lychee Boba)

Cream Unicorn/Choco Ball (Cosmic Brownie)

Energy Drink/Ninja (Rice Milk)

Peeled Carrot/Host

Pastel Meringue/Popping Candy (Meringue Pop)

DJ/Pink Choco (Choco Blast)

Werewolf/Crowberry

Kumiho & Vagabond parent

Cappuccino/Truffle (Reishi)

Cocoa/Black Pearl (Cocoa Bomb)

Matcha/Baneberry (Teaberry)

Affogato/Licorice

Rye/Black Raisin (Raisin Swirl)

Cinnamon/Blackberry Tart (Cinnamon Tart)

Raspberry/Bumbleberry (Razzleberry)

Shining Glitter/Stardust (Shining Star)

Kumiho/Cherry Blossom (Mallow)

Tiger Lily/Pomegranate (Açaí Berry)

Rye/Hero (Graham Cracker)

Dark Choco/Sour Butter (Butter Fudge)

Dark Choco/Pastry (Violet Creams)

Crimson Coral/Stardust (Star Sapphire)

Eclair/Adventurer (Shortbread)

Licorice/Caramel Arrow (Swirl Taffy)

Mala Sauce/Bellflower (Horseradish)

The three listed above

Dark Choco alone

Espresso/Eclair (Coffee Cream)

Mala Sauce/Timekeeper

Frilled Jellyfish/Mystic Flour

Twizzly Gummy/Mozzarella

And I think that’s all of them. Unless I missed one that came in my inbox today

[sofiaalice]

Trending Bakery Items in 2024

In 2024, bakeries are looking to cater to a wider range of preferences with innovative twists on classics and health-conscious options. Here's a look at some trending bakery items:

Globally Inspired Flavors:

Swicy Treats: This trend combines sweet and spicy notes for a unique flavor profile. Think chili chocolate cookies or mango habanero muffins.

International Pastries: Expect to see more pastries using ingredients from around the world. Ube cheese tarts (from the Philippines) and black sesame yuzu kouign-amann (a French pastry) are gaining popularity.

Comfort Food Classics with a Twist:

Elevated Croissants: Croissants are getting a makeover with fun shapes, fillings, and flavors. Try cube croissants with pastry cream or squiggle croissants dusted with rosemary sugar.

Health-Conscious Options:

High-Protein Baked Goods: These cater to those seeking a more balanced treat. Look for breads and muffins packed with nuts, seeds, or even protein powder.

Plant-Forward Pastries: Vegan and vegetarian options are on the rise. Bakeries are experimenting with ingredients like jackfruit and nut butters to create delicious and satisfying treats.

Ancient Grains and Superfood Seeds: Breads made with nutritious grains like spelt and einkorn, along with seeds like chia and flax, are becoming increasingly popular.

Overall, bakery trends in 2024 reflect a desire for innovation, with a focus on bold flavors, unique ingredients, and catering to different dietary needs

[xtina1988]

Ube + raspberry ice cream & A box full of goodness. • ferrero rocher cruffin • pineapple coconut cruffin • blueberry rosemary croissant • passionfruit curd doughnut • spicy NYC • Parisian flan • Berry pistachio croissant • sugar Kouign Amann So far, the passion fruit donut is 🤤🤤 And the salted chocolate chip cookie that didn't make it in the picture, but made it inside our stomach ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ @supermoonbakehouse (at Supermoon Bakehouse) https://www.instagram.com/p/CerxfmvLjZG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[brittanyinterviews]

Moriah VanVleet, the baker behind butter, sugar, flowers

Moriah VanVleet, the baker behind butter, sugar, flowers

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This interview was conducted via Google Hangouts on May 6, 2020.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Moriah: Sure. I grew up in Northern California (Sacramento) and lived mostly with my mom, who wasn't into cooking or baking much at all. I started working early, which included an ice cream shop and a bakery, which probably sparked my sweet tooth. I moved away for college up north for several years and then came to the Bay Area in 2001 with my soon-to-be husband. We weren't sure how long we'd stay here, but the doors started opening with work and friendships, and it soon felt like home. I've had office jobs all along, mostly at colleges, but having a creative outlet has always been important to me. I had an Etsy shop for several years and always enjoyed baking and crafting; and around 2010 I started writing up my recipes. For my birthday in 2011, a friend bought me a domain named after the title of one of my recipes. I posted my first recipe on my site in January of 2012 and have been doing so since.

Brittany: Have you always been interested in baking? Can you describe your first baking memory?

Moriah: I think my first baking memory was Toll House cookies straight from the bag at my maternal Grandma's house. It was very exciting, even though I disapproved of her adding walnuts! When I worked at a bakery briefly in my late teens, I saw how beautiful cakes and cookies could be, and how delicious ingredients could be—like the giant tub of Bavarian cream in the walk-in fridge we'd dip into! I started baking cookies and cakes as gifts soon after that, which I enjoyed doing more and more over time.

Brittany: Are you against using walnuts in cookies or all baked goods? This is important to know.

Moriah: Ha—I'm more open to walnuts now. I've learned that they need to be toasted. And if toasted and ground, you end up with a delicious flour / nut meal that's a great ingredient. But I still don't really want to see them in brownies or soft cookies. They were a filler in my other grandmother's Christmas stockings, which was always such a disappointment compared to candy, so I think I kind of harbor some resentment toward walnuts.

Brittany: Fair enough! Speaking of technique: are you a self-taught baker or have you taken classes?

Moriah: I'm pretty much self-taught. No classes yet. But I'd love to learn more.

Brittany: What do you want to learn how to make?

Moriah: I think about learning more about laminated pastries (croissants, kouign-amann), but we live in an area with excellent versions of these pastries, so I'm usually happy to leave it to the experts. I'd love to get better at pies and mousses, and most of all, just keep experimenting with new ingredient combinations. Learning more about the classic foundations would also be great, like the different types of custard and cream techniques and names. I have room for improvement there!

Honey Dijon Caramels

Brittany: That's true. We have so many good bakeries to choose from—b. patisserie and Tartine in the city, to name a few. Like you've touched on, on your blog you share recipes for everything from cakes, tortes, and cookies to pies, candy, and sorbets. How do you decide what to make? Do you bake based on seasonality of ingredients, cravings, mood? 

Moriah: My recipes usually start with an ingredient, sometimes seasonal but not always. I have a habit of seeing edible things through dessert lenses, so my recipes have started with everything from edible flowers known to be eaten in salads, to a bag of celery from a friend's garden, to a cocktail I tasted at a wedding, to a favorite tea, etc. My first question when I taste something tends to be, "Could I make a sweet treat out of this?" And sometimes it's even something wacky, like Dijon mustard (which became a favorite caramel candy).

Jicama Lime Cake with Tequila-Glazed Nectarines

Brittany: That's a great segue into my next question. You've used a lot of interesting ingredients in your recipes, like soy sauce in Brown Sugar Soy Sauce Cake and jicama in Jicama Lime Cake with Tequila-Glazed Nectarines. Can you describe a time when using an unusual ingredient went really well and another that went really wrong?

Moriah: I get a lot of positive feedback about my artichoke cake and cauliflower cake. On the other hand, I recently tried to use watermelon for a cake and its glaze, but it became really squash-flavored when cooked and the watermelon flavor was hard to capture. I gave up on that one.

Brittany: What ingredients do you get the most excited about incorporating into your recipes?

Moriah: All kinds! Anything new that is delicious on its own and has true potential for a dessert. Fruit is great. Tea, cocktails, and sometimes even savory meals or other desserts will inspire a new dessert.

Brittany: How has living in the Bay Area influenced your baking? 

Moriah: When I started sharing recipes, I was focused on things I found very nearby—nasturtiums in the yard, my neighbor's rosemary bush, the dried mulberries at the little shop down the street—and the generous people who share things from their Bay Area gardens, from homegrown celery to blackberry jam. This kind of richness continues to inspire me. I also love seeing the creative things people are doing in our area: the desserts at Craftsman and Wolves, the perfect croissants at Rotha. And the array of ingredients we have access to!

White Peach Campari Sorbet

Brittany: Speaking of recipes, can you describe the process of creating a new recipe?

Moriah: I usually find myself with something I want to turn into a dessert and I think about how its structure might play out, which helps me decide what kind of treat to make (cake, cookies, sorbet, etc.). I pair it with something complementary (citrus is one example), then start to experiment, often using one of my own recipes as a sort of skeleton or outline. Then I just stay open to how it turns out and refine the recipe in next versions. Usually my coworkers and the foot traffic in our office are taste testers along the way. Sometimes the trials go straight to the compost though!

Brittany: How many times on average does it take to perfect a recipe before you share both the dessert and the recipe?

Moriah: It really depends. If I'm lucky and like the recipe the very first time, I'll still make it a couple more times to test the recipe. But more often, I want to make adjustments and I'll play with it two or three more times before I settle on a final version. Looking forward, I want to go back to some of my earlier recipes and remake them, polish and clarify the recipes, and in some cases, take new pictures.

Brittany: Switching gears a bit, what do you eat when you're not baking?

Moriah: In terms of savory things, I love a good arugula salad, bibimbap, and I have favorite local Thai, Indian, and Mexican spots. Sweet things include juicy satsuma mandarins, and croissants and kouign-amann made by local professionals (but we've sort of covered that!). Ice cream too—black sesame ice cream is my favorite.

Brittany: Can you share some of these favorite bakeries and restaurants of yours?

Moriah: Definitely! In my own neighborhood alone, I love Akemi for sushi, Bua Luang Thai, Taqueria Talavera, Cafe Raj, Little Star Pizza (I forgot to say, their deep dish "Little Star" is on my shortlist of favorites). I love the croissants at Patisserie Rotha, the "Rebel Within" at Craftsman and Wolves, and I'm forever a fan of Starter Bakery's kouign-amann, which I first tasted at the former Pop Up General Store in Oakland, back when Samin Nosrat was running it.

Brittany: What a good list! What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Moriah: For recipes, part of that depends on what ingredients land in my lap, but I've been daydreaming of pairing ube with cocoa, working with pineapple as a main ingredient, and exploring more tea-based desserts. Going forward, I also hope to make my site more user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Brittany: Those sound like amazing combinations! I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Moriah: Thanks! I'm slower at it as my day job gets more demanding, but I'm also more focused on quality recipes over posting often. 

Brittany: That definitely makes more sense for a recipe writer. We want to know they're good!

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Photos provided by Moriah VanVleet.

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Special thanks to Moriah for discussing her baking with us. You can follow her baking on her blog, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.