BAKERY NERDS
FEBRUARY EDITION
Welcome to the blog for those who share a passion for the ever-evolving world of baking. Few things are as satisfying as the baking calendar — the natural shift of ingredients through the seasons, and the breads and bakes that mark holidays and celebrations along the way.
One of my favourite parts of weekly menu planning is aligning that seasonal calendar with what we’ll be serving you at the weekend. February, in particular, is rich with tradition, indulgence, and a touch of ceremony — so here’s our round-up for the month ahead.
MARDI GRAS = KING CAKE
I had never heard of King Cake before moving to Arkansas. Even then, it didn’t truly enter my world until I made my first Cajun friend. Come February, there was no question — a King Cake had to be brought into the office.
King Cake captures the jubilation and joyful chaos of Mardi Gras in bread form. An enriched dough is swirled with a cinnamon- and speculoos-spiced filling, braided, baked, and finished with sour-cream icing and vibrant sugars in traditional Louisianan Mardi Gras colours. Once baked, a tiny plastic baby is hidden inside the cake — find it, and prosperity is said to follow for the year ahead.
We made this with our kids, who loved every step — from mixing and filling to braiding and decorating with the colourful sugars. It was devoured over a leisurely brunch and I'm sure will become a fixture in our household, returning faithfully each Mardi Gras season.
SEMLA
Semla will be with us throughout February, and if you’ve had one before, you’ll understand why this is such welcome news. Originating in Sweden, semla was traditionally eaten to mark the final day of indulgence before the beginning of Lent.
The bun itself is quietly exceptional — an enriched dough lightly scented with cardamom. Once baked, the top is cut away and the bun is filled with creamy almond paste and whipped cream. Its “hat” is returned, finished with a dusting of icing sugar, and it’s ready to be enjoyed.
Semlor in all it’s glory
We’ll be serving semla all month long. If you haven’t tried one before, consider this your invitation.
FASTELAVNSBOLLER
This beautiful word entered my life last year — much to Tim’s dismay, as he’s now tasked with pronouncing it for every customer. Each February, Scandinavian bakeries enter full competition mode, vying to create the most inventive fastelavnsboller. In fact, there is an annual half marathon called the ‘Fastelavn Bun Run’ in Copenhagen, where you run from bakery to bakery, trying each establishments interpretation of the beloved bun! Possible Arcade class trip in the future??
At its core, a fastelavnsboller is a filled bun, but the interpretations are endless. You might opt for a classic brioche filled with crème diplomate and dipped in chocolate ganache, or something far more technical — cross-laminated croissant parcels layered with curds and creams.
These buns are traditionally served until the start of Lent, and we’ll be offering one each week throughout February.
PANCAKES
No February would be complete without a nod to Shrove Tuesday — the day we set aside winter weariness in favour of the simple joy of a pancake dinner.
Toppings of choice? I’ve always been a butter-and-sugar purist — none of the OTT Biscoff or Nutella here. Simple. Classic. I hope you make a few memories this year flipping pancakes at home. Below you can see our beautiful grown up pancake platters pre-children, to our little pancake in anticipation for our growing bun in the oven, and then…the messy torn up pancakes of little children! A meal for everyone that doesn’t discriminate!
As a quasi-American household, we take our pancakes seriously. This is a recipe we return to often, largely because it reminds us of pancakes from Cracker Barrel (if you know, you know). It comes from Joanna Gaines’ A Magnolia Table, a cookbook that is unapologetically Southern in spirit, complete with toasted pecans and homemade maple butter.
PECAN PANCAKES WITH MAPLE BUTTER
Prep: under 15 minutes
Cook: under 20 minutes
Cool: none
Ingredients
1 cup pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Maple butter (see recipe below), for serving
Pure maple syrup, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Set a wire rack on a sheet pan.
In a large dry skillet, toast the pecans over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant (3–5 minutes). Remove from the pan and let cool completely. Coarsely chop and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the buttermilk and egg yolks and whisk by hand until just incorporated (there will be lumps). Add the vanilla and melted butter and stir gently. Do not overwhisk. (The batter can be refrigerated for up to 1 hour.)
Just before cooking, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form (about 1 minute). Gently fold into the batter.
Heat a large nonstick griddle to 300°F, or a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
Working in batches, ladle ⅓ cup batter per pancake onto the griddle. Cook until bubbles form and the edges brown (2–4 minutes). Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side (1–2 minutes). Transfer to the wire rack and keep warm in the oven.
Stack the pancakes, top with butter, sprinkle with toasted pecans, and serve with maple syrup.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight.
Makes 12 pancakes
MAPLE BUTTER
Prep: 10 minutes, plus 20 minutes chilling
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Beat the butter in a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy (4–5 minutes). Reduce speed to low and slowly pour in the syrup. Add the salt, increase speed to high, and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through.
Scrape the butter onto parchment paper and roll into a log. Twist the ends and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Slice into pats to serve.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Makes about 1 cup
