A (Re)Introduction
I'm currently covered in flour, so let's get (re)acquainted. Plus, what to bake (and cook) this week.
Hello y'all. My name is Martin, and I love to bake.
I penned this post to go out in the midst of the second photo shoot for my upcoming cookbook. Since I am baking everything for the photoshoot, with the help of Karis Stucker, I'm probably covered in flour and exhausted right now.
Over the past couple of months, a bunch of new readers have joined Great Bakes, so it's time for a little introduction. Plus a huge thank you to the folks who've followed me for the past two years.
A bit about yours truly:
I'm a home baker, writer, recipe developer, and (a wannabe) content creator. (In addition to other work in a completely different field.)
I'm a Hoosier (by birth and University) who lives in Chicago and spends a bunch of time in Michigan's pinky finger. I'm a proud Midwesterner and evangelist of the Fresh Coast.
I'm a big nerd about baking and food.
My first cookbook will be published next year!
I love corn, cherries, pudding, ice cream, and German bread.
I have a certificate in German Bread Baking, the only formal culinary training I've ever received.
Yes, I also cook.
Yes, I eat what I bake.
I have two gorgeous, sweet cats: Dani (Danube) and Rio (Rio Grande), who are named after small ships called Runabouts from Star Trek Deep Space Nine.
I won The Great American Baking Show, which aired in 2023. It's the American version of the beloved Great British Bake Off (AKA Baking Show) and is free to watch on The Roku Channel.
Last but not least, I have an archive of every single recipe that I’ve published. And here it is:
Recipe Index
Are you looking for a comprehensive list of my recipes? Here you go! Save this page for future reference. I organized the recipes by genre. A few of the links below have more than one recipe, so scroll through the post to find the recipe you seek.
What to Bake (& Cook) This Week
Peach & Sungold Gazpacho: The past couple of days have been sweltering here, and I need a no-cook dinner.
The Olympics + Peach & Sungold Gazpacho
Like many of you, I’m glued to the Olympics right now. Every four years, I clear my schedule and watch as much as I can. No, I haven’t gotten much work done this week. But I did think up this “r-essay-pe” (like recipe + essay…get it?), so here we go.
Chamomile Pudding with Honey Roasted Apricots: Eat more pudding.
Chamomile Pudding with Honey Roasted Apricots
I keep thinking about what cookbook author and chef Amy Thielen said on her gloriously Midwestern radio show Ham Radio that rings true to me. To paraphrase: In the winter, heartland cooks delve into recipes or cookbooks to decide what to cook for dinner or bake for dessert, then they head to the grocery store. In the summer, that gets flipped. We let the garden, t…
The Whipped Cream Berry Cake: A celebration of fresh summer berries, piled on top of the fluffiest, cloud-like cake, and a whipped cream frosting
The Whipped Cream Berry Cake
During this dreamy season, the height of summer, I get the pang to bake with every ounce of fresh fruit at the market. But sometimes perfect fruit is best served raw atop a blank canvas. Think of a perfectly ripe raspberry. You just want to pop it in your mouth. Or a peach. Slice it up, maybe macerate it with a sprinkling of sugar, and serve it alongsid…
Small Batch Peach Shortcake: Use this recipe, but swap the strawberries for peaches or nectarines and the tarragon for basil.
Small Batch Strawberry Shortcake
This weekend's recipe is silly-simple, but you should have it in your back pocket. And because we do not cook strawberries around here, they stay fresh.
Happy Baking,
Martin
YAY! I love all of this!
Good luck with the upcoming cookbook. Glad to see that you spend time in the great Wolverine State, Michigan… my home state. Have you had a chance to visit Mackinaw Island yet? —Stone 👨🏼🍳