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Hello, from here.

March 19, 2020 by Joy the Baker 40 Comments

I just lit a candle.  

I just lit a candle and took a lap around my house, passing shoes my feet discarded under the dining room table and a pile of dishes in the sink I’ve promised myself I’ll wash later. As is always true, there’s no escaping myself – especially these days. 

How are you? 

If you’re anything like me, you vacillate wildly and frequently between:

  • I’m an introvert this self-quarantine is like … totally fine, I have streaming television and a few dollars in the bank

and

  • This is not ok. I am not ok. We are not ok. Will I ever make money again? Will people I know get sick? Do I have enough pasta?

This is us.

I’m here to tell you with confidence today that I’m ok – and today you’re ok too. You’re not alone in this, the weirdest time we’ve ever experienced. 

I’m not here with a list of tasks for you to make this time super productive. I mean… maybe you want to sit on the couch and stare at your legs for 45-minutes. I’m not here to tell you that’s a bad idea. Sounds pretty chill if you ask me. 

It feels like we become our most human humans at times like these.  We revert to the thing that brings us comfort and happiness – the thing that helps us express who we are and how we feel, in all of the ways we’re feeling right now. For me that’s baking and sharing it with all of you.  For some of my friends it’s singing (find the #LiveFromHome concerts on Instagram). For some of us it’s writing poems for our souls to feel and no one to read.  Wherever your joy lies, find pockets of time to sink into those spaces. Just for the sake of itself… and for your sanity and to let your heart sing. 

Here’s what I’m doing to, ya know… BE: 

•  Walking to the park and doing yoga on my own.  I listen to this Mad About You playlist and do just a ton ton of sun salutations. 

•  I’ve been listening to some podcasts that are pretty out of my wheelhouse and I found real value in this particular podcast episode of Reality Riffing.  It’s not all my jam but there’s some interesting stuff in there. 

•  I’ve learned how to change my oil (I have an ’87 Jeep Cherokee) and charge / change the battery. I’m out here tryna learn about this car (because hey it kinda breaks sometimes). 

• Join in Julia Turshen’s #foodwritenow movement on Instagram. 

•  I’m connecting with my friends, all of them really, but especially the friends who have been laid off or had to close up shop, or layoff their employee friends. It’s all so unprecedented and all moving so quickly – checking in goes a long way. 

•  Re-reading An Everlasting Meal because it feels good and talks about onions and beans so reverantly. In related news, I’m eating a lot of beans, but that’s nothing new. 

•  Buying gift cards and product to support my food industry friends being hit very hard by these times. I strongly encourage you to do the same in your community. 

•  I’m committed to keeping us connected at The Bakehouse though that’s no longer possible in person. The hallmark of The Bakehouse has been to bring this sweet online community together in person. It’s been the highlight of my life to build a humble but hungry community and then invite them into my kitchen. I’m still committed to that task.  I’ve put together three (to start) Bakehouse Live Zoom classes (because we all live on Zoom now).  These are Bakehouse-style workshops that I teach live – from my kitchen to you in yours!  You can bake along or save simply watch and bake later on your own.  

I’ve priced the classes at what I hope is a reasonable rate because I want to make this accessible to you.  A majority of the proceeds will go to benefit the New Orleans Women’s and Children’s Center as well as Second Harvest Food Bank.  I also plan to support whatever nonprofit puts together a fund to support New Orleans restaurant staff suddenly laid off in these times. That is evolving and I’ll keep you updated. 

There are so many ways for us to stay connected. Let’s stay committed to it. Let’s observe our ability to contain ourselves and make small sacrifices for the common good. Let’s keep the faith in and for each other. 

My love to you.

Joy

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  1. Prissy

    April 8, 2020 at 9:56 am

    Take care, Joy!

    Reply
  2. Samantha

    March 30, 2020 at 8:04 am

    We’re all doing our best and this is the most important thing!

    Reply
  3. Virginia

    March 28, 2020 at 3:21 pm

    Thank you for this. I am in quarantine alone in NC. Just me and the dogs.. Baking your brown butter blueberry muffins was my once accomplishment today and the most comfort I have had in a week. I am going to make my way thru your cook books the next few weeks. Thanks for helping me feel a little less alone. Take good care in NOLA.

    Reply
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🙋‍♀️ if you buy bananas just so they can 🙋‍♀️ if you buy bananas just so they can languish on the counter long enough to be baked. ⁣
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These Almond Flour Banana Bread cookies are stacked with walnuts and chocolate and one of the best way I know how to celebrate a speckled banana. Find the recipe linked in the profile! xo #bananabread #glutenfreerecipes #joythebaker #cookies #bakingrecipes
Just tryna get the most cheese on my most simple s Just tryna get the most cheese on my most simple small-batch bagel recipe. Get in on this with me: ⁣
⁣
2 Easy No Yeast Bagels⁣
1/2 cup self-rising flour⁣
4 tablespoons greek yogurt (plus a teaspoon or two more if needed)
1 large egg, beaten for egg wash⁣
1/3 - 1/2 cup grated gouda or gruyere⁣
Everything bagel seasoning⁣
3 tablespoons baking soda with 2 cups of boiling water. ⁣
⁣
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the paper lightly with nonstick spray. ⁣
⁣
In a small bowl, use a firm spatula to work together the flour and yogurt. Add a few teaspoons of yogurt if it feels dry and knead into a cohesive ball for 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle with a bit more flour if it gets overly sticky. Cover with a damp paper towel and gather your toppings. ⁣
⁣
Divide dough in two and roll each piece into a roughly 8-inch rope. Bring the ends around and pinch into a circle. ⁣
⁣
Sprinkle the bottom of the prepared pan with grated cheese in two spots.  Pour boiling water over the baking soda and float each bagel in the water for 20 or so seconds.  Use a slotted spot or spatula to transfer the bagels on top of the cheese.  Brush lightly with egg. Sprinkle with more cheese and everything bagel seasoning. ⁣
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Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until deeply golden and bubbling.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and smearing with cream cheese.
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Cinnamon Rolls but make ‘em Mardi Gras. 💜💛 Cinnamon Rolls but make ‘em Mardi Gras. 💜💛💚⁣⁣
⁣⁣
For the rolls: ⁣⁣
• 3/4 cup lukewarm milk⁣⁣⁣
• 1 large egg⁣⁣⁣
• 1 large egg yolk⁣⁣⁣
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened⁣⁣⁣
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting⁣⁣⁣
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast⁣⁣⁣
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar⁣⁣⁣
• ¾ teaspoon salt⁣⁣⁣
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract⁣⁣⁣
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For the filling:⁣⁣
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened⁣⁣⁣
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed⁣⁣⁣
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon⁣⁣⁣
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For the icing:⁣⁣
• 4 ounces softened cream cheese⁣⁣⁣
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar or glazing sugar⁣⁣⁣
• 1 tablespoon milk⁣⁣⁣
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1. To make the dough, place all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low until the dough begins to come together. You may want to speed up the process by first mixing all of the ingredients together by hand with a spatula before putting the bowl on the stand mixer. This will help the dough hook work. The dough will come together into a soft, though not too sticky dough ball after several minutes of hand mixing and stand mixer mixing.⁣⁣⁣
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Let rise for 60 minutes while you prepare the filling and icing.⁣⁣⁣
3. To make the filling: Combine the butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon into a paste. Set aside.⁣⁣⁣
4. To make icing, whisk together cream cheese and sugar. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.  Place in a small bowl and refrigerate. ⁣⁣⁣
5. Roll the dough into a 18 x 12 inch rectangle.⁣⁣⁣
6. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough.⁣⁣⁣
7. Beginning with one long edge, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 8 or 10 equal slices. Place the slices in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 30 minutes. ⁣⁣⁣
8. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.  Bake the rolls for 30 to 35 minutes, until they’re golden brown and bubbling. Remove the rolls from the oven.⁣⁣⁣
9.  Drizzle icing over the warm buns and enjoy! ⁣
I’ve taken these Little Banana Pancakes on as a I’ve taken these Little Banana Pancakes on as a personality trait. ⁣
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Full recipe linked in the bio or just take the concept and a box of pancake mix and I’ll see you at the kitchen table. Xo
This recipe is an essential life skill. Not an und This recipe is an essential life skill. Not an understatement. Two Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe linked in the bio, babes. Xo 🍪
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