Things Bakers Know: The King Arthur Baking Podcast

Today on the show, we’re investigating the surprising link between sports and baking — and to do so, we’ve got a special guest co-host: Things Bakers Know producer Rossi Anastopoulo is stepping in for David on this episode.  
From similar approaches to training to the mental flow state each can achieve to the many (many!) athletes who bake, Jessica and Rossi discuss how baking and sports have a surprising amount of overlap. Jessica sits down with a literal Olympian, celebrated cross-country skier Jessie Diggins, to talk about her baking journey and the way it fuels her training (literally and figuratively), then she and Rossi answer your listener questions, including one caller who wants to know all about how to hit those gains. Jessica shares a sporty Jess-opinion before she and Rossi also share the recipes they’re baking this week.   
Many thanks to sports psychologist Dr. Justin Ross for sharing his insight  
Listen to our segment on biscuits and basketball from this season one episode  
Learn more about Jessie Diggins and her work at jessiediggins.com   
Check out our new Baker’s Reserve Bread Flour  
Find our High-Altitude Baking Guide  
Get our recipe for Chicken and Apple Empanadas  
Find our recipe for Flaky Puff Crust Pizza Turnovers  
You have to make our beloved Ultimate Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats 
Looking to get some high-protein recipes? Try Multigrain Protein Bread, Super Protein Pancakes, Protein Pancake Bites, and Chili Crisp Cottage Cheese Flatbreads  
What Rossi’s baking this week: Harvest Pumpkin Scones  
What Jessica’s baking this week: Apple Pie  
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 
Follow along with us on Substack 
For 25% off any On-Demand baking class, use coupon code POD25 at shop.kingarthurbaking.com/on-demand-classes

What do cakes, cookies, brownies, blondies, and more have in common? They’re all made with eggs, one of the true backbones of baking.  
Today on the show, we’re celebrating the humble egg. Jessica and David each nominate their eggiest bakes before David sits down with cookbook author (and egg enthusiast) Nicola Lamb to talk more about the important role this versatile ingredient plays in all kinds of baking. Jessica and David then dive into your egg questions, covering meringue myths, egg sizes, and more. Jessica shares an egg-y Jess-opinion, and they close out the show with the recipes they’re baking this week.  
Recipes and other links from this episode: 
Read more about why we recommend folding eggs whites with a whisk 
Find David’s eggiest bake, Traditional Angel Food Cake  
Subscribe to Nicola’s wonderful Substack, Kitchen Projects, and learn more about her book, SIFT  
Learn more about our Grains for Good program  
Read our blog post on the best egg replacements 
Learn more about how to freeze eggs for baking 
Check out our blog on the best way to crack eggs 
Find our Ingredient Weight Chart for egg weights (and much more)     
What David’s baking this week: Cinnamon-Sugar Crunch Bagels (part of our Fall Flavor Edit!)  
What Jessica’s baking this week: Whipped Cream Dream Cake  
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 
Follow along with us on Substack 
For 25% off any On-Demand baking class, use coupon code POD25 at shop.kingarthurbaking.com/on-demand-classes

This week on the show, we’re gathering around the table and tearing into a big loaf of fluffy challah.  
David opens the show by sharing challah’s importance in his family and the broader cultural significance this bread holds for Jewish communities. He then sits down with cookbook author Laurel Kratochvila, who reports live from Europe to showcase the origins and evolution of this special bread, including its Polish cousin, chałka. Jessica and David dig into your listener questions, with advice on everything from braiding to proofing, and finish out the show with a Jess-opinion and the recipes they’re baking this week.  
Recipes and other links from this episode: 
Bake our recipe for Braided Challah  
Watch our challah-shaping videos for a 3-strand, 4-strand, and 6-strand loaf 
Learn more about Laurel’s latest cookbook, Dobre Dobre  
Order the Big Book of Bread for our go-to challah recipe and much more!  
Read more about instant yeast vs. active yeast  
Pick up some SAF Gold Yeast  
Read more: Why does my challah have stretch marks? 
Watch Martin make laminated challah  
What David’s baking this week: Old-Fashioned Maine Sourdough Waffles  
What Jessica’s baking this week: Vanilla Bread Pudding  
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 
Follow along with us on Substack 
For 25% off any On-Demand baking class, use coupon code POD25 at shop.kingarthurbaking.com/on-demand-classes 
This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com.  
This episode is sponsored by Red Star. Red Star has a yeast for every kind of baker. Visit redstaryeast.com to find a retail store near you or purchase their full line of products online.

This week, we’re waking up early and starting the day the right way: with a big batch of pancakes.  
Jessica and David kick off the show by sharing a bit about the history of pancakes — which goes back much longer than you may realize. Then, things take a wild turn when David reveals a truly shocking revelation about his pancake consumption habits. Next, David sits down with cookbook author Carla Lalli to hear her opinions on pancakes, as well as the role they play in helping us get back in touch with eating like kids. David and Jessica then jump into answering your questions about making pancakes, including tips on getting a fluffier short stack, before closing the show with a Jess-opinion and the recipes they’re making this week.  
Recipes and other links from this episode: 
Find all of our pancake mixes, including David’s preferred gluten-free mix  
Learn more about Carla’s new book Food is a Feeling  
And read her Substack, Food Processing  
Read our blog: How to make fluffy pancakes  
What David’s baking this week: Ultimate Flaky Biscuits  
What Jessica’s baking this week: Popovers  
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 
Follow along with us on Substack  
For 25% off any On-Demand baking class, use coupon code POD25 at shop.kingarthurbaking.com/on-demand-classes 
This episode is sponsored by Cabot Creamery. Cabot is a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to making delicious, high-quality cheese and dairy products, and 100% of profits go back to the farm families that own Cabot. Visit Cabot’s website for recipes, pairing suggestions, and a curated selection of gift boxes for every occasion.   
This episode is sponsored by Snooze. Snooze is the OG Breakfast Bar, serving creative breakfast, brunch, and lunch with a mission to make mornings matter. With 65 restaurants across 10 states, Snooze brings a little more creativity and energy to mornings across the country. Find your nearest Snooze at snoozeeatery.com.

It’s fall, which means it’s time to talk about baking with apples!  
David and Jessica kick off the show by talking about apple pie versus apple cake, then dig into the best apples for baking. Unsurprisingly, they have a lot of opinions! Then David sits down with one of the best all-around bakers in the country and the undisputed pie queen, Erin Jeanne McDowell, to get her top tips for apple baking. Jessica and David answer your biggest apple baking questions before Jessica shares a Jess-opinion about caramel apples, and they close the show with the best fall-forward recipes they’re baking this week.  
Recipes and other links from this episode:  
Read our blog, The best pie apples: Here's how to choose 
Learn more about Erin McDowell and her brand-new cookbook, Bake Anything, at erinjeannemcdowell.com 
Want to learn directly from Erin? Take her On-Demand pie baking class  
Get fall’s best baking ingredient: Vermont Boiled Cider  
Read our blog on how to prevent the gap in pie crust  
Get our recipe for Apple Pie with Make-Ahead Filling 
What David’s baking this week: Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies  
What Jessica’s baking this week: Apple Crumb Cake 
Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 
Follow along with us on Substack  
For 25% off any On-Demand baking class, use coupon code POD25 at shop.kingarthurbaking.com/on-demand-classes 
Cabot is a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to making delicious, high-quality cheese and dairy products, and 100% of profits go back to the farm families that own Cabot. Visit Cabot’s website for recipes, pairing suggestions, and a curated selection of gift boxes for every occasion.  
This episode is sponsored by Supernatural. Supernatural makes imaginative baking ingredients that are colored by plants, fully traceable, and totally free from anything artificial or synthetic. Learn more at supernaturalkitchen.com