raspberry | Simple Math Bakery

Fi-berry-nacci Pizza

By Jeanne, on October 17th, 2010

Fibonacci sequence on dessert pizza

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987…

Have you deciphered the pattern? Each term is the sum of the previous two terms, creating the Fibonacci sequence. I find the graphical representation of this sequence beautiful and intriguing. Using squares whose sides correspond to the numbers in the sequence, each consecutive square is placed in an outwardly spiraling manner. There is something satisfying about the way that each square nestles against the previous squares, and the pattern seems to contribute equally to the fields of mathematics and art. Since baking is a bit of both, I used this pattern as the inspiration for my berry dessert pizza.

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Daring Bakers Challenge: Pièce Montée

By Jeanne, on May 27th, 2010

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.
Pièce Montée with cherries

Assembling this pièce montée made me feel just a bit like a French pastry chef. Part of the fun of the Daring Bakers group is that we get to make many different recipes that some of us have only dreamed of making (or never dreamed of being able to complete)! A pièce montée is a dessert that I’ve admired on other blogs and in cookbooks, but never would have attempted under my own pretenses. Yet here it is, my latest masterpiece!

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Daring Bakers Challenge: Traditional British Puddings

By Jeanne, on April 27th, 2010

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.
Bacon Leek Pudding, sliced open

This challenge put me out of my comfort zone not only with a new technique, but with a new ingredient as well: suet. I rarely eat meat, so my first thought was to forge ahead with the vegetarian suet version or to just make a sweet sponge pudding.

But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to attempt the traditional version of the challenge. I put aside my objections so that I could try an authentic dish from another culture. And then I decided to try the sweet sponge pudding as well!

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Vegan Raspberry Applesauce Muffins

By Jeanne, on March 19th, 2010

Vegan Raspberry Applesauce Muffins

I’m learning to bake vegan. I really enjoy eating vegan goodies, so naturally the next step is to learn to make them myself. I baked a vegan cake last year (before I started blogging), and it was amazing! This time, I tried my hand at vegan muffins.

I don’t drink cow’s milk, but I do use buttermilk when it’s called for in a recipe. It helps keep muffins tender and lends a somewhat tangy flavor as well. So when I discovered that I could make vegan buttermilk with soy milk and a little apple cider vinegar, I decided to bake some muffins!

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