52 Weeks of Baking

Original reddit post

Flatbreads are, shockingly, quite flat and thin. They are usually unleavened (no yeast or rising agents), although there are some exceptions like pita. They alsp typically do not use rich ingredients like butter or eggs.

Quick to make, healthy to eat, they can be a great side to soak up sauce, pick up a dip or sandwich some meat / veggies. Since they are thin, they can be made on a griddle or grill instead of an oven.

There are a variety of flatbreads across cultures. Try pita and for bonus points make gyros. Or make some naan on a skillet - and discover how easy and tasty a base for pizza it can be.

For something richer and more substantial, try these flaky scallion pancakes

Let us know what you'll be making this week and what you're going to pair it with for a full meal.

Recipe

I made the mistake of not trying these when they were fresh. My mom did and thought they were great. I did not enjoy the following morning.

Original reddit post

This is another of those creative weeks. The sky's the limit on what you can bake, and extra points if it looks like the sky!

You can try focaccia art of flowers. Or cupcakes decorated with piped roses. Use dried flowers or herbs to decorate a cake. Make a chocolate mud pie with gummy worms. A galaxy cake to celebrate the night sky or the Northern lights.

It's spring in the northern hemisphere, a walk on a nature trail or a trip to the beach may bring unexpected inspiration. Good luck with whatever you choose to bring to life!

Recipe

Made for eurovision, and it was a fail in every way. The cake was top flat to cut in 3 layers, the custard never set, and, as you can see, the marzipan cracked apart.

Original reddit post

This week, pull out all the stops and dress (your bake) to impress! A showstopper is a dish that is delicious, elaborate and over-the-top gorgeous. So this is the week to stretch yourself : clear your calendar, get out your premium ingredients, put on your creative thinking caps and go at it.

If you're looking for inspiration, check out some memorable showstoppers from the Great British Bake-Off : https://www.lovefood.com/gallerylist/207527/ranked-great-british-bake-offs-most-spectacular-showstoppers-ever

Sorry for the infrequent posts. I lost my job and am trying to move out to Cleveland. Add some other personal stuff to the mix and it has been a rough month for me.

But these are a gift for my best friend's birthday this weekend. She's an absolute coffee fiend. I'm not big on tropical flavors at all so I'm not really impressed by them, but here's hoping she likes them.

Notes from baking these, but my powdered egg substitute was not useful. I had a lot of issue gettting the dough to come together and ended up using way more oil than is usually necessary for biscotti. They al holding shape, but they were definitely more crumbly than i was originally hoping for.

Recipe. Pretty standard bun.

Original Reddit post

This weekend is Cinco De Mayo - so perfect timing to celebrate the cuisine of Mexico. (At least that's what us Americans believe. This may well be one of those immigrant holidays that are more celebrated in the US than in the country of origin).

There is the iconic Tres Leches cake.

Or chocoflan.

And of course churros.

For something a little lighter try Conchas or Bolillo. Or Gorditas.

Whatever you make, consider pairing it with a good tequila for best effect :)

Einkorn cake recipe

This cake is delicious. If you're not big on overly sweet desserts, I recommend it. And if it's not sweet enough, a dusting of crumbled maple candy helps.

Original reddit post

Hi bakers! This week, we’re going tropical, by incorporating flavors and/or ingredients native to the tropics. There’s a wide range of produce that grows in tropical climates, including, but not limited to coconut, durian, guava, jackfruit, lychee, mango, papaya, passionfruit, persimmon, pineapple, rambutan, and tamarind.

Here are some recipes that utilize tropical flavors and ingredients:

Peach mango pies

Guava and cheese pastelitos

Pandan coconut cake

Tamarind millionaire’s shortbread

Vegan jackfruit casserole

Scalloped pineapple

Happy baking!

Original reddit post

Hello everyone! For week 17, we’re working with candied sugar and caramel creations. For this week, you could opt to make any sort of sugar-based decoration for a bake, like homemade marshmallows for these s’mores cupcakes, homemade honeycomb toffee for this salted caramel cake, or an elegant spun sugar decoration for a variety of different recipes. Or, you could choose to make a recipe incorporating homemade caramel or sugar confections, like this caramel-syrup-topped flan, these peanut brittle cookies, or these salted caramel brownies.

If you’re looking for some handy references, here’s a guide to each of the stages of cooked sugar: https://www.theflavorbender.com/cooked-sugar-stages-candy-temperature-chart/, and if you’re interested in using isomalt instead, here’s a reference on what it is, and how to work with it: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3588/what-is-isomalt.html

Happy baking!

Been meaning to make a baklava for a few months, and figured this was the perfect time to do it! The phyllo dough took me a bit to figure out, but once i realized you just need to starch the shit out if it while rolling and just keep stacking it, it worked out great! My bottom layer is fucked, the middle one a little thick, but the top layer was absolutely magical

Recipe

Made with the spinach topping and optional eggs. I used regular mozzarella and feta cheese. It was very good.

Recipe

I added a splash of vanilla. Served with cream or ice cream it's really good. My mom didn't care for it. Jovial has a lot of good looking recipes.

Original Reddit post

Hello bakers, welcome to week 16 – ancient grains week! So, what exactly are ancient grains? The Whole Grains Council states that, while there is no official definition of ‘ancient grains’, they define an ancient grain as one that has remained “largely unchanged over the last several hundred years”. Grains that fit this classification include quinoa, teff, farro, spelt, buckwheat, chia, millet, barley, amaranth, oats, and sorghum. King Arthur has a fantastic guide to baking with ancient grains, including common uses and textural effects of each ingredient, however if you’re looking for more suggestions, here are a few below:

Spelt bread

Oat and millet flour ricotta biscuits

Strawberry cream and coconut quinoa tart

Farro and ricotta tart

Amaranth, ricotta, and greens pancakes

Happy baking!

Original reddit post

Hi all! This week is another regional week, this time focusing on traditional and modern Turkish recipes! Turkey is a nation nestled in between the continents of Europe and Asia, meaning it has a wide variety of culinary influences, namely Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Eastern European. Popular baked goods include simit (Turkish bagels), börek (pastry made of layers of flaky dough such as filo), pide (flatbread that can be stuffed based on the region), baklava (layered filo, nuts, and sugar-syrup), knafeh (sweet cheese and sugar-syrup soaked spun pastry), and lökum (Turkish delight). Example recipes for these can be found below, and as always, if you’re from Turkey or are familiar with Turkish baking and would like to share more information or resources down below, we’d love to hear from you!

Mutlu pişirme! (Happy baking!)

Simit

Börek

Pide

Baklava

Knafeh

Lökum

Been super busy recently and have fallen behind on my baking so i decided to do a two-for-one and make zebra cakes! I even made the cake mix from scrath with gliten free flour so my friend with Celiacs could try one!

Original reddit post

Welcome to week 14!

This week's challenge is inspired by the International Edible Book Festival, a delightful celebration where literature and baking collide in the most delicious way possible.

Edible Book Day, celebrated on April 1st each year, encourages book lovers and bakers alike to combine their passions for literature and culinary arts, so let your favorite literary titles, characters, or authors inspire your baking creations.

Although the festival is mostly looking for book-shaped treats, feel free to use the books as inspiration in whichever way you’d like, book-shaped or not.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

How to make a book cake

Zucchini Brownie Spell Book

Decorated Book Cookies

Fruit leather books

Misc decoration ideas

Happy baking, and may your creations be as delicious as they are inspired!

Yeah they look more like mice or bears. I cobbled together 3 different recipes to make them with heavy vanilla flavor and tangzhong. Didn't occur to me that would affect their ability to hold a shape. Oh well, they taste good.

Original reddit post

Welcome to week 13, bakers! This week's challenge is all about animals. Whether you're making something animal-shaped, drawing inspiration from the animal kingdom, or whipping up treats for your furry friends, it's time to get creative.

Looking for some inspiration? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Animal decorated anything (here are a few ideas jammed together)

Dog Shaped Cookies (I almost died of cuteness overload when looking for ideas when I saw this)

Bear Claw Pastry

Zebra Cheesecake

The possibilities are endless, so whether you are going for decoration, flavor or name (think elephant ear cookies or pigs in a blanket), let us know what you come up with!

Happy baking!

I have never used any LLM's, and didn't fee like starting, so i went with a random recipe from my go to baking site. Unfortunately the batter ended up WAY too stiff and nothing i did allowed me to pipe these suckers out, so they just sorta ended up as regualr cookies, but delicious none the less.

I do think piping would have made them better though. The center of the cookies wasn't nearly as good as the crispy outsides, and piping them would have really increased the surface area.

Recipe. Was a big hit for my grandpa's birthday.

Original reddit post

Sponge Cake : Make a Genoise or Victoria or Angel Food or another type of sponge cake

Welcome bakers to week 12! This week, we're diving into the world of... Sponge Cakes!

Many cakes— Genoise, angel, chiffon, joconde —fall into the realm of sponge cake, which is basically a cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar that classically relies on air for leavening. The most basic version doesn’t contain fat, but variations will add it for moisture. Favored for its versatility, sponge cake is tender and bouncy and will soak up the flavors of anything it’s paired with.

Not sure where to start? No worries! Here are some ideas:

Angel Food Cake

Victoria Sponge Cake

Boston Cream Pie

Mamón

From Swiss Rolls, to cupcakes, Trifles, Batterberg, Pandan Cake, Cotton Cake, Tres Leches and foods from all over the world, there are endless alternatives for what to make.

Happy baking!

I had a strawberry cake that I needed to figure out frosting for. I asked for a lemon cream cheese buttercream and got a serviceable recipe. It didn't include salt, but I can't fault the AI for that, considering too many humans leave out the salt.

Cake has two different destinations, so I cut it in half and frosted the cut sides.