bake chats with Rose Wilde
jack of all trades and literally a master of them too! + a giveaway!!
Interviewing Rose for bake chats is honestly kinda weird considering I sit down to chat with her at least once a week for our new podcast “Kitchen Tape” (shameshameshameless plug).
Rose runs a successful micro bakery here in Los Angeles called Red Bread- where she specializes in highlighting seasonal produce and grains from local farms. Offerings which include stacked clouds of fruit laden pavlova, expressive layer cakes and more. She is also a cookbook author with her first book Bread & Roses being named one of “The 23 Best Cookbooks: Fall 2023” by Bon Appetit. She also writes for her own newsletter, Eat More, which is a deep dive love affair into poetry, whole grains and botanicals. This is also just the life she lives now, prior to becoming a pastry chef Rose worked as a human rights lawyer. There is honestly nothing that Rose can’t do. I can’t wait to share more of her with you!
Hi Rosie! Your IG bio boasts “Master Food Preserver” AND “Master Gardener”. What does the process of becoming a certified master look like?
Both the Master Food Preserver and Master Gardener, are certificate programs run by land grant universities all over the country. They are very competitive to apply to, and range from 6-18 weeks in length. The goal is to educate a fleet of volunteers to then serve the city population through classes, community gardens, farmers markets and events. Masters are required to complete 50 hours a year of community service initiatives and ongoing education. I did the Master Food Preserver Program in 2011, along with 26 other people. It was thrilling to learn about the basics of food that are generally not taught in any culinary courses and you aren't exposed to unless you are in the very best fine dining restaurants that have preservation programs. I learned to make jams, pickles, ferments, cheeses, charcuterie and much more. Almost a decade later during the pandemic in 2020, I completed the Master Gardener program over the course of 3 months. It was intensive on soil, different farming and gardening practices, plant diseases and harvesting practices. If anyone is interested in preservation or gardening, I can not recommend the programs enough!
You’re a whole-grain savant in the kitchen, what was your introduction into the world of whole-grain baking?
My mother was a big lover of whole grains, so naturally I got it from my mama! She would identify much more as a cook than a baker, so I primarily enjoyed her savory preparations. She was a big fan of durum, millet and quinoa. I had more exposure when we moved to Ecuador for a large chunk of my childhood where corn and amaranth are paramount in the cuisine. Then it became something I chased whenever I travelled, an easy way to get to know new foodways I was unfamiliar with and to connect with native cooks. When I started baking professionally it was natural to do what I knew and share the flavors that excited me! I think it resonated with so many people quickly because it was much more flavorful than standard baked goods and for older generations reminded them of home.
Your book is absolutely stunning and teeming with information on all things whole-grain. It’s kinda hard to pick a bake from the book since every recipe is so enticing. What recipe do you recommend to someone who has no idea where to dive in first?
Thank you! The book is a culmination of almost 15 years cooking and baking professionally, I am so thrilled so many people have been excited about it and everyday I get tagged in a bake is honestly the best feeling I could imagine. The book is organized globally to share with people where the grains and produce featured in the book originate. For this reason, I usually tell people to start with whatever section of the book speaks to where they are from geographically or culturally! Each chapter is further built starting from simple cookies, to breads and all the way to showstopper cakes. So whatever skills you build in one section can be applied to another! As a cookie lover, that's always where I recommend starting in any book!
You encourage readers to play, to mix and match cakes and fillings, fruits and flavors. What are some of the ways you’ve recently remixed recipe pairings from the book?
It's especially exciting to see people put their voice into the recipes! I love seeing people mix and match. In my everyday baking I am always mixing and matching flavors, produce and recipes from multiple regions of the world. I am so grateful to live in a time of global exchange that allows me to pick from the abundance of all regions. One of the most popular cakes I make and sell right now is the Passionfruit cake, which uses the olive oil cake from the Northern Africa section, the Passionfruit curd and buttercream from the Americas, and the whipped cheesecake from the Europe section. I also love making the corn mango pink peppercorn cookies, swapping in apricots for the mangos.
What do you think a great introductory grain is for someone who is looking to venture out and add different flours to their favorite AP forward recipes?
My "gateway" grains for new bakers are corn, millet and sonora. All of them produce really tender crumbs and add a delicious golden buttery note to bakes enhancing the already luscious flavors. But more importantly I think any grain that you're excited about is going to be the best introduction. My advice is to use your favorite recipe and swap in up to 30% of the weight of the AP flour, with any grain of your choice. That amount won't make the recipe change structurally or your technique, but it will be explosive in flavor and nutrition.
Recently engaged, congrats again!! You’ve made so many stunning wedding cakes for other people but, are you insane enough to try and undertake making your own?
Ha! Honestly, I am a huge admirer of all the bakers and cake makers around the country. I love the opportunity to get cake from others whenever there is an occasion that calls for it. It's a delicious way to build community and learn what's exciting others. My fiance and I are thinking about a destination wedding, so either I'll find someone local or I might tap a guest if that's not too obnoxious. (hint hint) As elaborate as my cakes can be, I have always envisioned something simple and tasty for my own wedding.
I’m sure, as your own voice and vision as a baker changes your dream wedding cake changes alongside it. So as of NOW, what does your dream wedding cake look and taste like?
Right now it would be 5 feet long (yay! long!), a corn olive oil cake soaked with elderflower syrup, stuffed with sweet cream and roasted strawberry, enrobed in vanilla condensed milk swiss buttercream or german buttercream. And covered in a rainbow of flowers, like you might mistake it for a meadow or a jungle.
Outside of the projects and hats you juggle, what are some of your hobbies outside of the kitchen?
I love to paint! When I had more space I painted large abstract pieces primarily using a palette knife to load mixed colors onto canvas. It's a lot like frosting a cake. I also get really excited about repairing broken dishes with kintsugi, a Japanese practice of using gold resin to highlight breaks instead of hide them. Basically anything crafty and using my hands I enjoy doing. I also love hot yoga and going on hikes with my dogs.
Finally, What are you looking forward to sharing with the world in 2024?
My big project this year is.....A BABY due June 2024. I'm thrilled and terrified about this most complicated bake. I am also working on my next book proposal, so I hope I can share that news soon as well. Mostly I am looking forward to more collaborations with talented friends, traveling and continuing to build my substack community (EAT MORE) launched last year with a focus on more savory.
As an added bonus I am giving away TWO!! signed copies of Rose’s book “Bread and Roses”
To Enter:
Be subscribed to both bake chats and EAT MORE here on Substack- paid subscribers to either newsletter automatically get two extra entries.
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Comment the best thing you’ve baked so far in 2024
THAT’S IT!
Giveaway ends Monday March 18th 2024 at 11:59PM. Winners must be US based.
Hope you enjoyed getting to know Rose a little better! If ya want more of the both of us be sure to listen to Kitchen Tape on Apple and Spotify, be sure to follow too so you never miss an episode!
Be sure to follow Rose on Instagram to stay inspired and subscribe to EAT MORE for more recipes.
Best thing??? Honestly the funfetti doughnuts I baked just this past weekend. Learned how to finally make that classic, crackly glaze and I'm about to buy a countertop fryer per your recommendation! I guess you could say doughnuts and I? We're getting pretty serious.
Just made Natasha Pickowicz's lemon drizzle cake and it was so springy and lovely!