Quarantine Baking

One of Preheated’s bedrock principles, that we’ve adhered to from our very first episode, has been to provide a soft place to land in an often out-of-control world. We reaffirm our commitment to that foundational principle during this time of unprecedented global uncertainty. Here are just a few trusted resources requested by our Listeners that we’ve found helpful.

Sourdough Starter

With yeast shortages, there’s been a rise in requests on how to make your own sourdough starter. This is a good project to start while you’re at home. While the process does require flour to make the discard, you can use the discard to bake waffles, crackers, quick breads and other recipes that don’t require leavening.

Instructions for making sourdough starter

King Arthur Flour or The Kitchn or BBC Foods

Recipes using sourdough starter

Starter and bread in one recipe: Great British Chefs

No knead sourdough bread: Food 52

Recipes using sourdough discard

King Arthur Flour

Baking with Pantry Staples

Because of the podcast, the hosts’ pantries are probably better stocked than most. Here’s a list of bakes they each could make from their current pantry provisions. You may be surprised to find you can make most of them too!

Desperation Pies and Cakes

From the Chocolate Chess Pie in Episode 16 to St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake in Episode 26 to the Shoo-Fly pie from Episode 65, the hosts have long had a fascination with “desperation pies” or “pantry pies.” These bakes historically have been made when all of the ingredients needed were not readily on hand. (And yes, we realize St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake seems out of place, but it was originally created during the Great Depression after a baker made a mistake with butter ratios. Supplies were too limited for a redo, so the baker went with it. And the rest is history!)

Quick Breads Without Yeast

Running low on yeast? Try the Seed Cake from Episode 120, Beer Bread from Episode 136, Cocoa Swirled Banana Bread from Episode 141, Pineapple Coconut Curry Loaf from Episode 143, Smoked Gouda Dinner Muffins from Episode 146, and the Emmer Soda Bread from Episode 169.

You can also make our favorite Peasant Bread from Alexandra Stafford from Episode 67 with less yeast simply by allowing for an overnight rise. The regular recipe calls for 2 tsp. of yeast, we’ve been successful with 1/2 tsp. of yeast and a cooler temperature of water, followed by an overnight rise.

A bonus of all of these breads is that they freeze well! Once completely cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Place inside a food storage bag and enjoy within three months.

Egg-Free Bakes

No eggs? No problem! Click here for a look at how many egg-free treats we’ve whipped up over the years!

Flour-Free Bakes

Conserving your flour supply? You can still whip up one of these sweet delights. Please note: “No flour” doesn’t necessarily equal gluten free. Please be mindful of the ingredients in the recipe, as well as your own preferences and/or restrictions. Click here for links to our flour-free favorites.

Online Shopping

In Episode 164, Andrea and Stefin explored online grocery shopping before it became a necessity.

Online Learning

Slow Food USA: free live online classes on making starter, starting seeds, and zero waste minestrone.

Food52: featuring daily Instagram Live videos from their team.

Bread Ahead: online baking every day at 2pm on Instagram Live

Random House: Check out their Random Pantry live interviews with some of our favorite cookbook authors

Small-Batch Baking

Pantry supplies dwindling? We devoted an entire month to the topic of Small Batch Baking in January 2020.

Baking Substitutes

Andrea’s long been a fan of substituting ingredients and making do with what she has on hand, mainly because she rarely reads to the end of the recipe or checks her supplies thoroughly before starting a bake. Stefin, on the other hand, loves to follow a recipe exactly, but moving to London forced her to make some adaptations when she couldn’t source beloved ingredients without a trip to the (pricey!) American Foods Store. Check out these episodes where they discuss substitutions.

On Our Shelves: Book Recommendations

Stefin and Andrea have talked about a LOT of books since November 2016! Cookbooks, of course, but also a wide variety of food memoirs and novels about food (as well as novels that have nothing to do with food!). Check here for the titles mentioned since Episode 1.

On Our Screens: Media Recommendations

After a good book and a good bake, the Preheated hosts love nothing more than a good movie or TV show. Click here for the wide assortment of food- and non-food- related shows they’ve discussed since November 2016.

Stefin’s Essay On Why Baking Has Never Mattered More

Stefin wrote this anchor piece for the blog What’s Our Plan, which is compiling an international, anthropological time capsule of how people are coping with the COVID-19 crisis. Read on for an uplifting take on the silver lining to be found in our kitchens.