episode 120
All About Baking Science
with Author & Food
Scientist Dikla Frances
Introduction
I have been eagerly anticipating this episode for well over a year now!!! I’m here with Dikla Frances, whom many of you already know as Dee of One Sarcastic Baker, and her first book Baking Science: Foolproof Formulas to Create the Best Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Breads and More is coming out very, very soon - April 5th, in fact!!! I’ve already pre-ordered 3 myself!!
Here’s why I’m so excited about this episode - first, Dee has been a true friend to me over the last few years, helping me from the very beginning. (See her first episode, Jewish Flavors, The World's Flavors about her family's Iranian, Moroccan, and Greek heritage, her immigration from Israel to the US, and the beginning of her food science/baking journey) . So, on a personal level I am *thrilled* to celebrate her huge, huge accomplishment today.
But beyond that, I have been waiting for her book Baking Science because..... I want to be a better baker!! I don’t feel I understand baking - and I know *this* book, which covers over 40 baking concepts (!!) is the one to teach me.
Dee is incredibly well qualified to write this book! She first started taking baking sciences when she immigrated to the US in 2008. In 2013, she took a food science class from Harvard that she admits she had to study over and over and over again before she absorbed all the information. Now, in this accessible, clearly-written book titled Baking Science, Dee acts as a translator from the science world to the baking world. She tells us why it’s even MORE important for home bakers to be scientists than commercial bakers and teaches us how to take the frustration *out* of home baking and to replace it with curiosity!!! Welcome, welcome, welcome, Dee - I am SO proud of you - and welcome to you, listeners!!! Thanks for being here!
Highlights
- Why Dee wrote the book
- Why understanding baking science is more important for the home baker
- Baking is learnable/teachable!
- When Dee started taking Baking Science classes (2008!)
- “I started getting compliments on my baking and I felt like a cheater”
- “We start from a place of love, passion, self-expression, and therapy…. We just want to bake.”
- How she verified every single scientific principle!
- When Dee’s camera broke after she photographer her first of 40 recipes!!
- The biggest lesson Dee learned in writing the book
Listen Now
Also listen on:
How To Contact Dee
Facebook: One Sarcastic Baker
Twitter: @DiklaFrances
Instagram: @onesarcasticbaker
Pinterest: @onesarcasticbaker
Buy her book on Amazon: Baking Science
Her website: onesarcasticbaker.com
This Episode's Storied Recipe
Recipe from Dikla Frances, Author & Food Scientist
Dee's Bakery Style Challah Bread
Challah, a traditional Jewish bread, is baked every weekend and braided in a fancy way to welcome the beloved Shabbat (Saturday). Dee grew up in Israel and has many memories of this bread. It is soft, sweet, fluffy, and crumbly. It’s great for French Toast, sandwiches, or just as is.
Recipe from Baking Science
Dee's First Book
Almond & Chocolate Swirl Cake
This Almond Cake recipe from scratch is delicious, easy and the best homemade almond recipe I can think of. The cake is tender, moist, and beautifully decorated with an interior of dark chocolate veins. If you love almonds and almond flavor, then this simple almond cake is for you.
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Related Episodes
Bonus Episode: Dee's Baking Tips for Beginners
Jewish Flavors, The World's Flavors with Dee Francis
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