Copyright 2021 by Rockridge Press, Emeryville, California
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, Rockridge Press, 6005 Shellmound Street, Suite 175, Emeryville, CA 94608.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The Publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the Publisher is not engaged in rendering medical, legal, or other professional advice or services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the Publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an individual, organization, or website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the Publisher endorses the information the individual, organization, or website may provide or recommendations they/it may make. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (866) 744-2665, or outside the United States at (510) 253-0500.
Rockridge Press publishes its books in a variety of electronic and print formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books, and vice versa.
TRADEMARKS: Rockridge Press and the Rockridge Press logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Callisto Media Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Rockridge Press is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Interior and Designer: Linda Snorina
Art Producer: Hannah Dickerson
Editor: Cecily McAndrews
Production Editor: Ruth Sakata Corley
Production Manager: Jose Olivera
Photography 2021 Marija Vidal, food styling by Victoria Woollard Author photo courtesy of Kyle G. McLaughlin
Cover: .
ISBN: Print 978-1-63807-900-2
eBook 978-1-63807-970-5
R0
To Erin , my recipe bouncer-offer,
Katie , my eternal cheerleader, and Brad , my never-ending dishwasher and taste-tester.
Contents
If I want you to know that youre special, I will bake for you.
I got into cake decorating when my grandparents had their 50th wedding anniversary. I thought it would be special if I made the cake for their party. I taught myself how to bake from a cookbook and eventually created a four-tier cake completely from scratch. I was absolutely hooked.
After that cake for my grandparents, I continued practicing and eventually opened my own bakery. We sold all the typical fare you would expect in a place dedicated to sugar: cupcakes, brownies, French macarons, cakes, and pies. Eventually I decided that my adorable bakery was more than I could handle. My career path meandered after that, including co-owning a restaurant, working as a pastry chef at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Library, operating a ghost bakery from a warehouse, teaching baking at a technical college, and eventually operating a cottage bakery specializing in wedding cakes.
Theres a saying: Once you know the rules, then you can break them. I spent the time learning the rules; now Im cutting the corners, but not the quality. And while its not unusual for me to spend days creating something really special, I dont always have that kind of time to invest in a baked good. There are times you realize that a new neighbor has joined the community, a family member is popping in from out of town, or you just need some sugar quickly. Thats what these recipes are all about.
In my house, I do all the baking and my husband does all the cleaning, and while he loves the desserts I make, he does not love the mess. Enter one-bowl baking. The majority of these recipes are mixed in a single bowl and then baked in another pan. After all is said and done, all there is to wash is one bowl, one mixing utensil, usually one measuring cup, and then some sort of baking pan. No sink full of dishes! And at the end, I have something beautiful, flavorful, and full of love to share.
Whether you picked up this book because the cover was cute, because you have always said I cant bake; its too hard, or because you already know your way around the kitchen and you just wanted a fresh take, welcome! Ive packed this book with a variety of flavors and techniques, including everything from cookies and quick breads to cakes and even a few yeasted breads and savory bakes. Grab your favorite bowl and a whisk and get ready to learn my best one-bowl baking secrets. Ive got some things to show you.
You might feel the urge to skip over this chapter, but dont. Here I outline the tools you will need for one-bowl baking success, the ingredients you will use most often, and some of the motivation behind why I bake and how these recipes came about. Can baking be easy? Less daunting? Less messy? But still flavorful and fun? Yes. Let me show you how.
Welcome to Easy, Mess-Free Baking
One-bowl baking is just that: Every recipe in this book uses one bowl to mix everything and then its transferred to a baking vesselwhat its baked in. I tried to stick to some simple, standard pans in most of these recipes: a loaf pan, muffin tins, an 8-inch square baking pan, a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, a Bundt pan, and, of course, a few baking sheets. I recommend having at least two baking sheets so you can be ready to pop the next batch of cookies in as soon as the first ones come out. And just for fun, I even have a recipe that is baked in the bowlcheck out my .
Speaking of bowls, I used two types of mixing bowls for these recipes. When I call for a medium bowl, I use a 3-quart bowl. And when I call for a large bowl, I use a 5-quart bowl. Typically that larger bowl is used for yeasted doughs to allow space for the bread dough to proof and double in size.
The recipes in this book are quick bakes. Most go from start to cooling time in under an hour. After that hour, youll have a delicious, made-from-scratch dessert without needing to clean your kitchen from top to bottom. Ive used my years of training to develop simple recipes that take out all the unnecessary steps. I pack in flavor and only use a few premade ingredients where absolutely necessary.
