Introducing Bake from Scratch: Volume Two

Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake
Brian's favorite coffee cake—Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake!

Our editor-in-chief, Brian Hart Hoffman, announces the arrival of his annual cookbook and shares some of his favorite (and exclusive!) recipes from the book. 

Editor-in-Chief Brian Hart Hoffman

I’m so excited to announce the second volume of the Bake from Scratch cookbook. With more than 600 recipes from Bake from Scratch magazine, this collection features endless inspiration and instruction for artisan baking from the comfort of your own kitchen. Order your copy today! The book will be available to ship March 15, 2018.

Bake from Scratch: Volume Two

My love for baking is what inspired Bake from Scratch magazine, and it’s what I look forward to most in my free time. Every weekend, I tie on my apron and head to the kitchen to bake. I enjoy embracing each season’s best ingredients and trying recipes from bakers I admire from around the world.

Boston Creme Cake
Amaretto Boston Cream Pie

This cookbook will be your go-to resource, whether you’re a professional baker or just starting out. You’ll learn how to roll out cookie dough, shape wreath breads, and weave the perfect pie lattice.

After you pull a warm cake from your oven, watch it cool on your countertop, and serve it to family and friends, enjoy the moment of sharing—that’s really what baking is all about.

Braided Mazanec
Braided Mazanec

Speaking of sharing, I wanted to give you a few of my go-to recipes from Bake from Scratch: Volume Two, including the Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake, one of my absolute favorites. (Although, honestly, anything hummingbird is delicious!) 

When you bake these delicious recipes from the book, we want to see them! Tag @thebakefeed in your photos on social media. I know you’ll have just as much fun baking them as I did!  

Plum-and-Pretzel Cheesecake Pie
Plum and Pretzel Cheesecake Pie Photography by Matt Armendariz Recipe Development and Food Styling by Marian Cooper Cairns

From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy every bit of this essential baking tome.  

Happy baking!

 

 

 

Brian Hart Hoffman
Editor-in-Chief

P.S. Follow me on Instagram (@brianharthoffman) to join in on my personal baking adventures!

Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake
Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake

This is your best excuse for having cake for breakfast. Browned butter adds depth to this unexpected twist on the classic Southern banana-pineapple confection. Pecan streusel is just, well, the icing on the coffee cake.

Browned Butter Hummingbird Coffee Cake
 
Makes 1 (8-inch) cake
Ingredients
  • Browned Butter
  • ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
  • Streusel
  • ⅓ cup (42 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (55 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon (0.75 grams) kosher salt
  • 3½ tablespoons (49 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (57 grams) pecan halves, chopped
  • Cake
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large banana, mashed
  • ½ cup drained crushed pineapple
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (162 grams) granulated sugar, divided
  • ¼ cup (55 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon (2.25 grams) kosher salt
  • ¾ teaspoon (3.75 grams) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon, divided
  • Glaze
  • ½ cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1½ teaspoons whole milk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch round deep cake pan with baking spray with flour.
  2. For browned butter: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook until butter turns a medium-brown color and has a nutty aroma, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
  3. For streusel: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Crumble with your fingertips until desired consistency is reached. Stir in pecans.
  4. For cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs, banana, pineapple, and vanilla at medium speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in browned butter.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon (1 gram) cinnamon. Gradually add flour mixture to browned butter mixture, beating just until combined.
  6. In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar and remaining ½ teaspoon (1 gram) cinnamon. Spread half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with one-third of streusel and cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with remaining batter, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with remaining streusel.
  7. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes, loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges of cake to loosen sides. Invert onto a plate, and then invert again onto a wire rack.
  8. For glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, and milk. Pour over warm cake.

 

Orange Currant Hot Cross Buns
Orange Currant Hot Cross Buns

If you love orange breakfast rolls, these tender buns are for you. Studded with tangy orange juice-soaked currants and slathered with a Honey-Orange Glaze, it’s pure citrus delight.

Orange Currant Hot Cross Buns
 
Makes 1 (15-inch) round
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups (288 grams) dried currants
  • 1¼ cups (300 grams) warm no-pulp orange juice (180°F/82°C to 185°F/85°C)
  • 1½ cups (360 grams) warm whole milk (105°F/41°C to 110°F/43°C)
  • 3 (0.25-ounce) packages (21 grams) active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, divided
  • 10 cups (1,250 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) kosher salt
  • 1½ teaspoons (3 grams) ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground allspice
  • ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  • 6 tablespoons (90 grams) freshly squeezed orange juice, strained
  • 4 large eggs (200 grams), divided
  • 1¾ teaspoons orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) whole milk ½ cup (120 grams) water
  • 3 tablespoons (45 grams) rose water
  • Honey-Orange Glaze (recipe below)
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine currants and warm orange juice. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 20 minutes. Strain, discarding excess liquid.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine warm milk, yeast, and ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together 8 cups (1,000 grams) flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and remaining ½ cup (100 grams) sugar.
  4. With mixer on low speed, add half of flour mixture to yeast mixture, beating just until combined. Beat in melted butter, freshly squeezed orange juice, and 3 eggs (150 grams). Transfer dough to a large bowl, and gradually add half of flour mixture, stirring with a spatula or a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. (Because this is such a large amount of dough, you will need to incorporate ingredients in a larger bowl.) Stir in drained currants and zest.
  5. Knead until smooth, about 8 minutes, adding up to ½ cup (63 grams) more flour as needed. (Dough should not be sticky.)
  6. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
  7. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 15-inch round pizza pan or stone with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
  8. Lightly punch down dough, and let rest for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, turn out dough. Divide dough into 18 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Arrange balls on prepared pan in a circular pattern, leaving little space between pieces. Cover and let stand in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until puffed and rolls are touching, about 25 minutes. (Rolls will rise to edge of pizza stone, but will not spill over during baking.)
  9. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and remaining 1 egg (50 grams). Brush tops of rolls with egg mixture.
  10. In a medium bowl, stir together remaining 1½ cups (188 grams) flour, ½ cup (120 grams) water, 2 tablespoons (30 grams) at a time, and rose water until a thick paste forms. Using a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton #10 tip, pipe paste over top of buns to form a cross pattern.
  11. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Brush warm rolls with Honey-Orange Glaze.

 

Five-Spice Molasses Cookies
Five Spice Molasses Cookies Photography by Joe Schmelzer Recipe Development and Food Styling by Rebecca Firth

These mouth-watering cookies by Rebecca Firth (of the blog DisplacedHousewife) are so delicious the whole pan will be gone in seconds. Muscovado, an unprocessed cane sugar, found in these cookies is perfect for holiday baking. It lends flavors of molasses, toffee, and caramel that pair wonderfully with a little hit of Chinese five-spice. That rich trio of tastes is the perfect contrast to the spicy notes of cloves, cinnamon, and Szechuan peppercorn found in the blend. 

Five-Spice Molasses Cookies
 
Makes 24
Ingredients
  • ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (110 grams) firmly packed dark muscovado*
  • ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, divided
  • ⅓ cup (75 grams) sunflower seed or other neutral oil
  • ⅓ cup (113 grams) unsulphured molasses
  • 2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (127 grams) bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon (6 grams) ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons (4 grams) Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cardamom
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, muscovado, ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, and oil at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, add molasses, eggs, and vanilla, beating until combined.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, ginger, baking soda, five-spice powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and cardamom. Fold flour mixture into butter mixture just until combined. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. (This dough is sticky; do not skip this step.)
  3. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C), and place rack in top third of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Place remaining ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, scoop dough, and roll into balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on prepared pan.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes. (You want to slightly undercook these.) Let cool on pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire racks.
Notes
*You can easily substitute dark brown sugar for the muscovado.

 

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Tonight I ordered the latest cookbook in print. I did not catch the promo code entry when ordering and missed out on the free shipping. Any way it can be corrected otherwise I will be sending back the book. and reorder. Thanks.

  2. I don’t know where else to turn to contact someone who could help me receive the December 2020 ‘Better Baking Academy’ lesson. I never received it and tried various e-mail addresses and phone numbers without success. Maybe you can help me find a contact. Thank you.
    Monika M. Paradi

  3. I am wondering if there is going to be more Volumes of the cookbook? I have the first 5 and the 6th one will be arriving this week.

    • Hi Sherry,

      We’re so happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed the cookbooks! Each cookbook is made up of recipes from the previous year’s magazines, so we release a new cookbook every year. Volume 7 will come out in early 2023 with all of the recipes from the magazines of 2022.

      Hope this helps, and happy baking!

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