Are you sick of sourdough after 2020-2021? Too bad, we're not!! Of course we have to explore sourdough, a topic that occupies its own world in baking all to itself. Lots of excitement around microbes in this one, and of course clarification on the pre-industrial history of bread-baking.

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We're celebrating Roxie's birthday by baking a cake that literally came to her in a dream. Because the cake is complete with tempered chocolate decorations, we thought this would be a great introductory episode to some of the history and a lot of the science of chocolate in baking! Plus, a discussion of recipe development: how do we approach it?

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For all the inexplicable Star Wars jokes in this episode, not a single mention of Weird Al's version of American Pie. We're sorry and we hope you enjoy this episode anyway! We discuss the history of cakes and cake mixes in the U.S., and bake a goofy little cake from the turn of the century!

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The unexpectedly complex history of the iconic and delicious bagel and our very expected experience of making our own and learning quite a lot firsthand! Leave us a review of the show and let us know your favorite kind of bagel and your bagel order!

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Announcement about our release schedule, addressing our recent absence, and a bonus in which we discuss 1973's Jesus Christ Superstar. Our patreon will have lots of this kind of content: more casual and off-the-cuff conversations about baking and non-baking topics! Thank you for listening, we're looking forward to sharing more with you both on the main feed and with bonus content.

Malinda Russell was the first Black American to publish a cookbook and is a fascinating historical figure, despite the little information we have about her. We also discuss the task of adapting 150-year-old recipes and bake two of Malinda's: one successfully and one slightly foolishly.

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This week we examine the somewhat divisive topic of frosting, particularly on cakes. Frosted cakes are a relatively modern convention. Despite their short history, many types of buttercream have evolved. Plus, we make two types of frosting: German buttercream and Ermine flour frosting. We want to hear from you where you stand on the frosting divide: is it your favorite part of a cake or is it just too sweet and in the way?

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Why is brioche so good and how did it get like that? We dive into the science and history behind adding butter, eggs, and milk to bread to create tender, pillowy bready magic. Also, in case we're the first ones to tell you: no, Marie Antoinette never said that.

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Welcome to Season 2!! We're in the last slog of winter, and what could be better to take us through it than savory pie? But first, we test you by presenting the somewhat challenging history of savory pies. Birds do not get enough credit for their role in the history of savory pies. Maybe you're thinking we mean, like, chicken. As an ingredient. While that's true, it's just the tip of the birds-and-savory-pies-iceberg

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Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2011/11/17/142460593/for-the-origins-of-pie-look-to-the-humble-magpie#:~:text=Hourly%20News-,For%20The%20Origins%20Of%20Pie%2C%20Look%20To%20The%20Humble%20Magpie,assembled%20ingredients%20for%20their%20pies.

https://www.madisoniannews.com/community/cultural-history-pie

https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/03/history-of-pie-how-savory-meat-pies-evolved-into-americas-favorite-dessert.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humble_pie

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/d0orqm/why_did_savory_pie_culture_shepherds_pie_chicken/

Happy Holidays and Happy Season 1 Finale! We've officially brought our gingerbread house success rate up from 0% to 50%. In this episode, we share the history of gingerbread with each other and build a festive little house. We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable winter holiday season, and we'll be back in 2025 for season 2! We've got a bonus episode coming on our patreon all about the Christmassy bakes in our families, and we'll have more bonus content and recipes coming in the new year.

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