A new Chad Robertson venture is always a big deal, and we have all the details.  

In May, Jessica talked to the Tartine co-founder for our episode all about his bread and the enormous influence it has had on baking around the world. During that conversation, Chad talked at length about his forthcoming bakery and cafe in Brooklyn, Altbau. But those details weren’t quite ready for prime time when the episode came out. So we held that part of the conversation back — until now. Listen as Chad gives us all the delicious details about Altbau, including the story behind it, and a preview of what to expect.  

This is a bonus episode of Things Bakers Know. We’re still on a between-season break, and will be back with more episodes in the fall. Until then, follow the recipe! 

Recipes and other links from this episode:  

Listen to our full episode about Tartine, featuring Chad Robertson 

Follow Chad Robertson and his work on Instagram  

Inspired to bake? Order a sourdough starter or make your own  

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. 

It’s bagel week on the show, and this time, David is bringing all the opinions.  

Together, he and Jessica discuss bagels in New York and beyond, including the burgeoning world of California-style bagels and the different styles that abound. Then, Southern California bagel maker Carlos Perez joins the show to share his perspective on West Coast bagels. Next, Jessica and David dive into your bagel-baking questions, including queries on shaping and boiling, before closing the show with a Jess-opinion about the right (and wrong) way to apply cream cheese and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

This episode marks the end of season three, and we’ll be back in the fall with more freshly baked episodes for season four! Until then, follow the recipe. 

Recipes and other links from this episode:  

Learn to make bagels in our On-Demand class, hosted by instructor Jonathan Frishtick  

Learn more about Carlos and Boil & Bake at boilbake.com 

Find our Gozney outdoor pizza ovens in our online Shop  

Pick up a bag of high-gluten flour  

Learn more about how to shape bagels  

What David’s baking this week: Small-Batch Chocolate Cupcakes  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Swirled Rhubarb Bars  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

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. 

Today, we’re dedicating a whole episode to a single loaf of bread. But not just any bread: the loaf from San Francisco’s Tartine bakery, which kicked off a sourdough revolution in the States.  

David and Jessica start the show by unpacking just what made Tartine and its bread so influential; together, they dig into the ways this loaf's impact continues to resonate today, plus their own personal relationships to it. Then, Jessica is joined by Tartine’s Chad Roberston, who shares his baking journey, the myriad inspirations that shaped his bread baking, and his thoughts on sourdough today. Finally, they answer some of your biggest sourdough questions before closing the show with this week’s Jess-opinion and the recipes they’re baking.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Pick up a copy of Tartine Bread and Tartine No. 3 (which Jessica cowrote!)  

Follow Chad Robertson and his work on Instagram  

Inspired to bake? Order a sourdough starter or make your own  

Read Carla Lalli’s newsletter, Food Processing  

Bake our Pain de Campagne recipe  

Learn more about autolyse  

What David’s baking this week: Chocolate Sourdough Babka 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Creamy Coconut Sheet Cake  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

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. 

Heat up your fry oil — today, we’re talking doughnuts! 

 After sharing a slightly traumatic, mostly doughnut-filled childhood story with David, Jessica talks to Fany Gerson of Fan Fan Doughnuts in New York. They discuss Fany’s relationship to doughnuts, her biggest sources of inspiration, and the enduring power of this timeless treat. Then, Jessica and David jump into your listener questions, including tips to fry without fear. Finally, they close the show with a freshly fried Jess-opinion and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

 Learn more about the history of the doughnut from Smithsonian Magazine 

 Bake our recipes for Yeast-Raised Doughnuts and Old-Fashioned Cake Doughnuts  

 Find our Pączki recipe 

 Learn more about Fany Gerson and her work at FanyGerson.com  

 Bake Fany’s recipes for Bigotes de Azúcar (Sugared Mustaches) and Puerquitos (Piggies) 

 Learn how to fry without fear 

 For a shortcut, get our recipe for Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Muffins 

 What David’s baking this week: Jelly Doughnut Cake  

 What Jessica’s baking this week: Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies 

 Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

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. 

With their shattering layers and honeycomb interior, croissants are perhaps the ultimate pastry achievement. And they’ve never been hotter than right now.  

In this episode, David and Jessica unpack what makes croissants so special, including the intricacies of the lamination process, the irresistible appeal of a perfect pastry, and the “croissant theory” that powers many patisseries. They are then joined by Elisabeth Berthasavage, an instructor from the King Arthur Baking School known for her croissant classes. She shares her insight on how to make a perfect croissant at home (and why you should try!) before David and Jessica jump into Ask the Bakers to answer more questions about making croissants directly from listeners. Finally, they close out the show with a Jess-opinion about a particular croissant mashup and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Read about The Croissant Theory in the Wall Street Journal  

Learn how to make croissant directly from Elisabeth in her On-Demand Class Intro to Laminated Baking  

Can’t get enough? Take our other croissant-focused On-Demand Class with instructor Wilhelm Wanders: Extra Flaky Croissants  

Find our recipe for Baker’s Croissants  

Read more about why more folds aren’t always better in croissants  

Subscribe to our new Substack: Things Bakers Know! 

What David’s baking this week: Salt Bread (Shio Pan) 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Weeknight Detroit Pizza  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

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. 

What can’t tortillas do? Whether they’re made with corn or wheat, masa or masa harina, homemade tortillas are a thing of beauty.  

No one knows that better than today’s guest, Pati Jinich. One of the foremost experts on Mexican cuisine, Pati has traveled all over Mexico and the US to eat tortillas. She shares her vast knowledge of these special flatbreads, as well as her top tips for making them at home. Then, Jessica and David answer caller questions, including queries about tortilla presses and the elusive tortilla puff. Finally, they close the show with a Jess-opinion about what she likes to call the “burrito stump” and the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Get Pati’s recipe for Tacos Rojos (Red Tacos) 

Ready to make tortillas? We have recipes for Flour Tortillas, Corn Tortillas, and 50/50 Corn and Flour Tortillas 

Learn more about Pati Jinich, her work, and her upcoming book, Foods of La Frontera, at PatiJinich.com 

Get Pati Jinich’s tips for the best homemade tortillas 

What David’s baking this week: Masa Harina Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Lemon Tiramisu  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

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. 

Young or old, everyone loves a brownie. But we all have our own preferences: fudgy or chewy, edge piece or center. The options are endless!  

Today, we’re discussing all the ways you can make your brownies, from the ingredients you choose to the method you make them with. We also invite one of our favorite bakers, David Lebovitz, to share his thoughts on brownies, including his experience as an American brownie lover living in Paris. For our Ask the Bakers section, we dive into everything from cocoa powder to nailing the bake, before Jessica jumps in with a Jess-opinion all about a very specific type of brownie. And as usual, she and David close the show with the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

For a real hit of nostalgia, make our Easy Frosted Brownies 

Learn more about David Lebovitz and subscribe to his Substack at davidlebovitz.substack.com 

Find the recipe David mentions for Helene’s brownies  

Pick up the updated release of David’s The Great Book of Chocolate  

Get a box of our fan-favorite Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies Mix 

Find your perfect cocoa powder in our online Shop 

If you do like brownie brittle, we have a great recipe  

What David’s baking this week:  Sun Buns (Solskinnsboller)  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Mint and Cheese Ka’ak  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode. 

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 

We think vanilla has gotten a bad reputation, so we’re here to correct the record: Vanilla is anything but boring.  

To prove our point, we invited one of the country’s biggest vanilla fans (and all-around star baker) Claire Saffitz to come on the pod and argue why we should all be giving vanilla its due. Then we answer your baking questions in Ask the Bakers, covering everything from how to substitute different extracts to the real difference between vanilla extract and vanilla paste. Jessica has an opinion on the surprising way to put your biggest vanilla bottle to use, and she and David close the show with the recipes they’re baking this week. 

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Learn more about Claire and her work at dessertperson.com 

Choose your vanilla: vanilla paste or vanilla extract (or both!)  

Follow Claire’s advice to use vanilla in custard and make Vanilla Bean Flan 

Find our Recipe of the Year: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza 

Get your own big bottle of vanilla for gifting  

What David’s baking this week: Ultra-Vanilla Cupcakes with Easy Vanilla Frosting  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Simple Stovetop Vanilla Pudding 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

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. 

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode. 

While we love all styles of pizza, there’s a special place in our hearts for New York pizza — and not just because David lives in its home city!  

New York pizza is one of the most iconic dishes in America, and this episode shines a spotlight on the unique history and culture behind each slice. And as a special treat, we have one of the most notable people making New York pizza today on the show: the legendary chef Wylie Dufresne. Wylie dishes on the secrets behind his incredible pizza, then Jessica and David are joined by The Book of Pizza co-author Martin Philip to dig into your listener questions and help you make this style of pizza at home. To close out the show, Jessica shares a Jess-opinion on a popular pizza side, and they finish up with the recipes they’re baking this week.  

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Grab a copy of our new cookbook, The Book of Pizza 

Find our New York-Style Pizza recipe  

Try Wylie’s pizza at Stretch in New York City  

Learn more about our Grains for Good program  

For the crispiest pizza crust, bake with a pizza steel 

Watch Martin teach you how to make New American pizza  

To really nail your pies, take our New York Pizza On Demand Class, hosted by Martin   

What David’s baking this week: Rossa Pizza from The Book of Pizza  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Everyday Olive Oil Cake 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

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. 

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode. 

With its fluffy crumb, dimply dough, and endless spins, focaccia has stolen the heart of countless bakers — including us. So we decided to dedicate a whole episode to it.  

Jessica and David dissect the current focaccia moment and how this simple bread has evolved from its Italian origins to something truly showstopping. Then Samin Nosrat stops by the show to share the story behind the viral salt-brined focaccia from her TV show Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and dish on her latest focaccia recipe, found in her newest cookbook Good Things. As always, Jessica and David answer your biggest bread baking questions in Ask the Bakers, then Jessica shares a Jess-opinion about sweet focaccia before closing the show with the recipes they’re making this week.  

Find our 2025 Recipe of the Year: Big and Bubbly Focaccia 

Pick up our Big Book of Bread for even more focaccia  

Order Samin’s latest cookbook, Good Things  

Find Samin’s salt-brined Ligurian Focaccia  

Get some bread flour to make Samin’s latest focaccia recipe  

Check out our Small-Batch Cheesy Focaccia recipe  

Read more about how to make an inside-out focaccia sandwich  

Make our Big and Bubbly Cinnamon Roll Focaccia recipe to hop on the sweet focaccia trend  

What David’s baking this week: Strawberry Lemonade Bars  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Karpatka Cake 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!