Things Bakers Know: The King Arthur Baking Podcast

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! 

We’re back, and we’re talking cheesecake! Jessica and David dive into a bit of the history behind this iconic dessert before Jessica sits down with TV host and cookbook author Carla Hall to chat all things cheesecake, including Carla’s best tips and tricks. Then, they answer your biggest cheesecake questions, covering everything from water baths to springform pans. Jessica delivers her Jess-opinion on the best style of cheesecake (hint: It’s not from the US!) before they close the show with the recipes they’re baking this week.   

Recipes and other links from this episode: 

Subscribe to our new Substack: Things Bakers Know!  

Find some of our favorite cheesecake recipes: NY Cheesecake, Cannoli Cheesecake, Irish Whiskey Cheesecake  

Pre-order Carla Hall’s upcoming cookbook, Carla Bakes 

Find our Basque Cheesecake recipe and Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake recipe  

Need a springform pan? Get one here!    

Find our recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Bars 

Get our recipe for light, fluffy Japanese-Style Soufflé Cheesecake 

What David’s baking this week: Super Protein Pancakes  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

Things Bakers Know, the official podcast from King Arthur Baking Company, is back with a ten episode second season — starting March 23rd! Join King Arthur’s Jessica Battilana and David Tamarkin as they explore every corner of the baking world. Each episode dives deep into a different baked good — its history and lore, tips and tricks, trends and takes — and they'll always leave time to answer baking questions from listeners. Along the way they chat with the best bakers in America to get their expert advice. Plus this season, we are on video! Things Bakers Know is available wherever you get your podcasts, and now on Youtube, or by going to KingArthurBaking.com/podcast!

We’ve officially unveiled our 2026 Recipe of the Year, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. Announcing: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza! 

In this episode, David and Jessica are joined by two of our Test Kitchen stars and the creators of this exceptional recipe, Sarah Jampel and Molly Marzalek-Kelly. They discuss how and why they landed on pizza as this year’s Recipe of the Year, the biggest challenges of recipe development, and the keys to this recipe’s unique success. (Hint: It includes butter.) Jessica and David then answer questions from our listeners about how to maximize their pizza success, from saucing to topping, before closing out the show with the recipes they’re making this week.  

This episode concludes our second season, and we’ll be back in March with the next batch of freshly baked episodes!  

Bake our 2026 Recipe of the Year: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza  

Find all of our past Recipes of the Year here 

Preorder King Arthur Baking Company's Book of Pizza: Recipes for Every Pizza Maker, publishing April 7, 2026  

What David’s baking this week: Delicata Squash Galette with Cheese and Herbs 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Ultimate Flaky Biscuits  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

Celebrating Holiday Cookies with Dan Pelosi 

‘Tis the season to bake as many cookies as you can!  

We kick off the show by unveiling King Arthur’s 2025 holiday cookie lineup before being joined by Dan Pelosi, a baker known for his annual holiday cookie party. He chats with Jessica about the keys to successfully throwing a cookie party, including his holiday cookie philosophy, then David and Jessica answer your burning baking questions with their advice for avoiding cakey cookies and making cutout cookies that actually keep their shape. In this week’s Jess-opinion, Jessica gives her thoughts on the controversial inclusion of chocolate chip cookies in the holiday cookie landscape, and we close the show with the best cookies she and David are baking this season. 

Introducing our 2025 holiday cookie platter  

Find our list of all the classic holiday and Christmas cookies you should bake 

Level up your cookies with our scoop set  

Learn more about Dan and his recent cookbook, Let’s Party, on his website  

Blog: Why you should always bake a few test cookies 

Find our Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies recipe  

We like decorating with this Simple Cookie Glaze  

What David’s baking this week: Rugelach and Piped Vanilla Shortbread Cookies 

What Jessica’s baking this week: Whipped Lemon Shortbread 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

We have a very special episode today. Ahead of the busiest baking season of the year, we’ve got an entire show dedicated to answering your biggest holiday baking questions! And we’ve invited some friends to help us. We’ve assembled an all-star collection of our King Arthur colleagues, including Molly Marzalek-Kelly and Sarah Jampel from our Test Kitchen, Amber Eisler from our Baking School, Martin Philip from our YouTube channel, and Melanie Wanders from our R&D team. Together, we tackle pressing questions like how to make holiday cookies ahead of time, what to do if your cream puffs keep deflating, and the best way to make whole grain dinner rolls that are still light and fluffy. Let’s get baking!  

Take Mel’s Cookie Decorating Essentials On Demand class 

Find Martin (and more King Arthur bakers!) on our YouTube channel 

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com. 

The recipes mentioned in this episode include:  

Latke Focaccia recipe 

Everyday Olive Oil Cake recipe 

Gingerbread Biscotti recipe 

Fluffy Frosted Orange Rolls recipe 

Buckwheat-Cardamom Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipe 

Olive Oil Sufganiyot recipe 

Jelly Doughnut Cake recipe 

Chocolate Bûche de Noël with Cookie Butter Whipped Ganache recipe 

It’s high time for pie, and we couldn’t be more excited!  

David and Jessica kick off the show by sharing some of their best pie tips and tricks, before bringing in a real pie expert — Stacey Mei Yan Fong, author of the award-winning cookbook 50 Pies, 50 States — to offer her advice. We’ve got some great Thanksgiving pie questions to answer, from the best way to prebake your crust to advice for preventing a runny apple pie filling, before closing the show with a Jess-opinion about the other dessert you should make for Thanksgiving and the pies Jessica and David are making this year.  

Read David’s article: How My Brother-in-Law Stole Thanksgiving—and How I Got it Back 

Find our Pies On-Demand Baking Class  

Check out all our pie resources: How to Bake Pie  

Learn more about Stacey and her book, and tune in to her Instagram page for her virtual pie hotline  

Find everything you need for your holiday pies in our Pie shop  

Mix it up this year with Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie  

Read PJ’s blog about baking pie crust upside down  

Find our Pie Thickener chart  

What David’s baking this week: Cranberry Chiffon Pie  

What Jessica’s baking this week: Classic Apple Tarte Tatin  

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here! 

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com.