Welcome to my journey in discovering the world through baking
“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.” —M.F.K. Fisher
My Journey Begins…
Born and raised among traditional southern home bakers, baking is in my blood. Summer Bakes the World is my blogging adventure all about discovering the world through baking traditional breads and dishes to better understand people and cultures. Ultimately, it’s a way to connect to others through food. In addition, this site includes traditional recipes and baking tips along with general kitchen hacks to make your life easier. Join me on this journey in reading about my experiences and participating in baking some of these incredible breads from around the world. I’ll do the hard part, the research and testing, and you can just sit back and enjoy the baking process. Let’s go bake the world!
On this site, you’ll find:
- history about the countries, cultures, and food,
- science behind ingredients,
- step-by-step pictures of the baking and cooking process,
- personal stories connecting to each bake or dish,
- a little philosophy connecting food to the human experience,
- YouTube videos of the bakes (check out my YouTube Channel entitled Summer Bakes the World),
- loads of baking tips (embedded in each post and video)
- plenty of kitchen hacks with posts and short videos all on their own!
Check out these posts.
Some of my favorite bakes…
About Me
Bonjour and welcome to Summer Bakes the World! As a teacher of French and English to international students, amateur baker, traveler (having studied and lived in France), life-long learner, and a cycling and hiking enthusiast, I believe I’ve found my next adventure. I have many years of experience in all of these areas as well as having moved and lived all over the country (US that is). I’m fortunate to have in my camp PhD level experts in the fields of nutrition, dietetics, exercise physiology, and sports nutrition whom I can lean on for advice and scientific-based knowledge. I’m excited to piece all of these elements together during my journey to provide honest and accurate information as well as my own potentially disastrous first-hand experiences, without edit, to demonstrate the reality of a new journey. Please join me in learning something new, in laughing at my faults, and in appreciating all of the perceived differences in the world.
Summer this is great! Love the content and background on all the recipes.
I was making a roux for a béchamel the other day and was wondering if you had any gluten free alternatives for this? Sometimes I use cornstarch to thicken things, but I don’t think it’s the same.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks Matt for the comment. You have a really good question. I just love making roux since it’s such a versatile cooking technique for making all sorts of sauces and thickeners. In a pinch, I think a standard gluten-free flour (like Namaste, Cup4Cup, etc.) will work; however, I have found that the gums added to those flours can be inconsistent and may not produce a smooth roux. Thus, I would recommend cassava flour as it doesn’t contain gums and the texture is much like regular flour so it can produce a smooth roux with that hint of nuttiness you expect. It works well for making either light or dark roux. If you wanted to try cassava, I would start with 1 part fat to 1.5 parts flour and adjust as needed. If you discover another good one, let me know. Thanks again!
I have made the Easy Sourdough Discard Bread: Perfect for the Bread Machine Recipe several times and in my opinion, this recipe is outstanding. Summer, Would you be willing to convert this recipe for bakers that do not own a bread machine?
Hi Joyce!
I’m so glad the recipe works well for you. It’s one of our quick favs. You certainly have a valid question. I’ll add a section to the recipe and blog describing how to make it without the machine. It won’t be much different other than kneading by hand, rise, punch down, place dough in greased/parchment-lined loaf pan, rise, and bake. I’ll provide the details, but this is a quick summary of those differences. Thanks for asking!
Hi Joyce,
I just want to let you know that the sourdough discard bread recipe post has been updated to include an additional, all new recipe for making sourdough discard bread without a bread machine (it can be found under the bread machine version). I hope it works for you. If you make it, let me know how it turns out and if you discover some helpful suggestions I might include in the additional recipe. Thanks for the comment and suggestion.
Summer…I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to convert the Easy Sourdough Discard Bread Recipe. Enjoy your “SUMMER” season and “Happy Baking”.
Hi Joyce!
You’re very welcome. I’m glad you found it. Thanks again for the suggestion and correspondence. I also wish you a happy summer. I can’t be the only one to enjoy it. HA! Until next time…