Matt Lewis - Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Running a bakery is demanding, and writing a book is difficult, but writing a book while running a bakery is insane. Thankfully, we had a small cadre of friends, acquaintances, and associates to help us along. We are forever grateful.

First and foremost, a big round of love to Alison Fargis at Stonesong. She is a wickedly funny friend and a superb agent, and we are so thrilled that she saw the possibilities for a Baked book many moons ago.

Another big round of thanks goes to Luisa Weiss and the entire Stewart, Tabori and Chang team. Luisa was kind and very, very patient with our haphazard schedules and slight A.D.D. Luisa is a shrewd editor and a fantastic recipe tester, and we could not have shaped this book without her. Thanks also to Alissa Faden for designing a book that embodies the Baked philosophy.

Laura Lehrman and Andrea Chin deserve special recognition for pushing the Baked lifestyle on the masses. They have been working with us since before we opened and they were always believers.

Tina Rupp is a dreamy food photographer and a saint. We decided to shoot the book without all the hoopla of a dedicated food stylist (to keep it real) and she was completely on board. Both Leslie Seigel, the prop stylist, and Teresa Horgan, the photo assistant, were huge assets during the frantic photography sessions.

Christina Vann is an illustrator extraordinaire who added just the right amount of whimsy to this book.

The backbone of Baked is our staff. Baking is in their blood and their talents are extreme. Some employees have been with us for many years and some just passed through, but we owe them all a big round of thanks.

Blair Van Sant, Eric Wolitzky, Jessica Bacchus, and Ryan Ermold are expert pastry chefs and they have elevated the Baked kitchen to new heights. Additionally, they each performed many duties on this book, from styling the shots to adapting the recipes.

Finally, we owe a great debt to the folks that keep Baked running smoothly on a daily basis. Janet Suki Olguin is a stern taskmaster who keeps the whole show running; Agatha Vassallo can ice twenty cakes in the time it takes to pour a cup of coffee; Stefania Rubicondo keeps the gears going; Jessie Sheehan makes a mean batch of granola; and Liz, Joe, Pascual, Monica, Emma, and Rafi all make Baked possible in so many ways.

We have to thank our persistent recipe testers, who tested when we just couldnt look at another cake or brownie. Sarah Copeland gave levelheaded advice, Joann Tamburro provided all manner of perspective (and photos), Elizabeth Moore somehow tested between her two jobs, and Nick Martin and Reid Thompson gave some of our slightly daunting recipes a try.

Special thanks to Leslie Heffler-Flick and Kristine Moberg for giving so much to a start-up bakery.

And thank you to Jacques Torres for all of his kind help, and Martha Stewart for giving Baked a big platform.

Matt would like to thank his dad, Larry, for being a sounding board and recipe tester; Matt Holbein for all the right reasons; and Gretchen, Nancy, Ann Boreali, Brad, and Steph Copper Pot.

Renato would like to thank his mom, dad, his sister Marisa and brother Nino for having faith in him; Sven and Tina, for being so nice to come home to; and Anne, Aaron, Michelle, Rocky, Stephen, and Sean for being great recipe testers and, more importantly, great friends.

This book is dedicated to our moms. They are the sweetest.

After years in the advertising business, MATT LEWIS and RENATO POLIAFITO decided to leave their day jobs and open a bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Baked opened in January 2005 to instant rave reviews. The authors have been featured on Oprah, the Food Network, Martha Stewarts daytime show, and the Today show. The bakery has been reviewed in countless magazines, both local and nationwide. Lewis and Poliafito live in New York City.

TINA RUPP is a New Yorkbased photographer who specializes in photographing food and children. Her work can be found regularly in Food & Wine, Everyday with Rachael Ray, and Parenting magazine.

Jacket photographs 2008 by Tina Rupp
Jacket design by Alissa Faden

Stewart, Tabori & Chang
An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
www.stcbooks.com

The varied recipes in this book run the gamut from our customers favorite biscuits to our award-winning cakes to our favorite boozy after-dinner drinks. In writing each recipe, it was our goal to make baking fun and approachable for everyone. We distilled our many years of dessert experience into each recipe, and we look forward to sharing them with you.

This chapter expands on some of the baking tools, terms, techniques, and tips we mention in the recipes in the following chapters.

You need only a few basic tools to produce every baked good in this book (and most baked goods in general). Here they are:

BAKING SHEETS: We recommend using heavy-duty, inexpensive, light-colored, rimmed baking sheets. We almost always bake on heavy aluminum half sheet pans (18 by 13 inches) at home, and you can pick these up at a restaurant supply retailer. Do not waste your money on the supposedly scientifically calibrated insulated cookie sheets or those with the nonstick coatings. They are worthless. Make sure you have a roll of parchment paper in your baking supplies to line your baking sheets.

BLENDER: A blender is a handy, though not necessary, tool to have around the kitchen. We use a blender to mix smoothies, shakes, and ice cream bases. Though not always an ideal substitution, a food processor can handle most of these tasks just as well.

BROWNIE AND BAR PANS: Most of the bar cookie recipes in this book are designed for a standard 9-by-13-inch light metal or glass baking pan. Why such a big pan? Its party-sized, providing almost twenty-four servings. And if youre not throwing a party, give the extras to neighbors or coworkers, or stash them in the freezer for later. Avoid dark-colored pans, as they will create unsavory, well-done crisp edges.

BUNDT PAN: Every baker should have at least one bundt pan in his baking collection. We use the basic 10- and 12-cup versions made by Nordic Ware. Theyre heavy, easy to use, and should last forever. There are also many decorative bundt pans on the market (rosettes, castles), and you can absolutely use them for our bundt recipes. Just make sure to grease all the nooks and crannies of the specialty pans so the cake comes out cleanly.

CAKE PANS: Keep it simple, straightforward, and economical. We suggest using professional aluminum cake pans, available from almost any kitchen supply store. Stay away from dark pans to prevent crisp cake edges.