january faves + a love letter to croissants
lovin' it #4 an update post cake life
Hello!
And happy national croissant day!! What a doozy this month has been. January always seems to zip by at full speed but also as slow as molasses. This was my first full month not taking cake orders so there’s been a decent amount of adjusting to new work flows and schedules. Which can be very hard when you kinda, uh don’t really know what you’re doing. I’m confident in my skill and work as a freelancer but just organizing it all in a sustainable way is TOUGH.
I worked on a few small recipes for the newsletter this month (cannoli cheesecake coming next week, I promise) but, my biggest undertaking and my main focus this month has been working on developing the croissant recipes(!!! yes two separate recipes) for Out of Thin Air here in Los Angeles. Which has been such fulfilling work to be apart of. Alex is a great friend and I’m so honored to be a small part of the OOTA story. I can’t dish too many deets right now, but there is a tight timeline to get this pastry program up and off the ground. We’ve completed one week of testing and have one of the recipes *almost* completely dialed in. The other is a pain in my ass and is gonna drive me insane.
We are working to highlight come whole grains from Camas Country Mill; yecora rojo hard red and amarillo hard white. The rojo was the one I was most worried about working with but has been my golden child. The amarillo has been a little more finicky. The thing about whole grains, is they don’t really act in the same ways conventional flours do. They tend to be thirstier, needing a hydration % that is higher than the “standard”. Their level of “thirst” also fluctuates depending on the season the flour was harvested and milled. Finding the right level of hydration for the amarillo has got me 8 tests deep within just as many days. But, we are getting close. The flavor though is amazing, very buttery with faint notes of corn. It’s gonna be utilized for the savory offerings like ham and cheese. Where as the yecora rojo will be used in sweeter applications like chocolate croissants since the notes are a little maltier. Unless, of course I can’t get both dialed in by the deadline, then we trudge forward with the rojo alone until a further date. Fingers, toes, everything crossed because I cannot abandon my dough children.
This past Sunday, Alex sneakily unveiled our first round of test croissants at the Atwater Village Farmer’s Market. Because testing and consulting isn’t just, okay here’s a croissant recipe… bye. We also have to figure out the logistics of proofing and baking them off in conjunction with the ebb and flow of the bread bake off. I’m not promising there will be more discounted croissant samples at the market this Sunday, but there might be. If there isn’t, well at least you got out of the house and can get some bomb ass loaves of gochujang sourdough idk. Maybe I’ll throw some freebie misc croissant boxes up on the paid sub group chat… *wink wink*
You may not know this but viennoiserie is my all time favorite category of baking and pastry. You could sit me in front of a sheeter, shaping plain croissants every day for the rest of my life and I would be so content. My wrists would be wrecked worse than they are now, but I would know peace. It can seem so daunting, and it is. But, when you get it, you truly get it. Damn, is it satisfying. All the right turns and folds of just butter and a simple dough, make the most technically challenging, yet beautiful honeycomb. It’s entrancing- mesmerizing. You get lost in it. 3 days later, your efforts are rewarded. Sure you can get it done in 2, and if you’re insane you can shoot for 1. But, they need time- to relax. Just like you. In a 2 day process you achieve the relaxation the dough needs. But, in 3, you get the flavor you need. It develops slowly. So, don’t rush any part of the process. It’s true, the best things in life take time and this is no different.
Now time for the round up of January Faves!!
*This post has a few affiliate links, which if you click and purchase from I receive compensation at no additional cost to you. Sometimes the link also includes a few bucks off for you, a real win/win, if you ask me. I’m not here to aggressively peddle crap unto you, I still only link products I actually use, test with and enjoy*
Food & Drink:
Peads and Barnett Chorizo- I’ll admit i’ve been living under a rock because I did not have Peads and Barnett pork until this past month. Years of going to SMFM and just waltzing on by what is some of the most delicious chorizo I’ve had in a while. Gonna be a staple for breakfast from now on I think. So flavorful and the texture is great. Don’t skip it like I did.
Joe and the Juice Spicy Tunacado- Another time where I just was under my rock unaware of what I was missing out on. Had my first, second, third through seventh tunacado this month. I get the Spicy tuna but add avo. I was a little fixated on it ngl. That bread? I don’t get it but damn is it good. Kinda crunchy and doesnt get too soggy from the tuna. Love it. Also, apparently tuna for brekkie is insane?? Idk, I love tuna first thing in the morning… hbu?
Chili Bomba Sour Watermelon- I got them in my Feed App mystery snack box (use code “ibakemistakes” to save $20 off your first order of $35+) and like sure, it’s just watermelon SPK with a little chamoy and tajin on them but… like that’s my ideal snack. I like these because they’re lightly coated in chamoy. Pretty balanced.
Large format desserts for sharing- Went to a little pastry picnic over the weekend. Made a jumbo creme brulee to share with everyone and honestly, long cakes, jumbo brulees. Everything bigger, better, and more shareable. While we’re at it, more impractical picnic offerings. Because, really, who the fuuuuck is torching a cb in the park, that’s right ME.
caramel, malted milk powder, cardamom and star anise all lovingly infused into my creme brulee recipe, sans the tea leaves.
Books:
Ratio by Michael Ruhlman- I’ve know that baking is all about percentages and ratios. But, I’m a huge fan of learning more from different perspectives and voices any chance I get. So, when Lo suggested it on their stories I immediately had to get a copy. It’s a great resource if you want to get into creating something out of nothing in the kitchen. It essentially teaches you how to go about it.
Lune: Croissants All Day, All Night by Kate Reid- I’ve been neck deep in all things croissant, reading up on as much as I could get my hands on to supplement the knowledge I already have. This book of course was the first one I picked up. I’ve been a huge fan from a far of Lune (They’re actually the one’s responsible for creating the cruffin- Mr.Holmes is credited for popularizing it). Stunning book with a laminating process that I think would be incredibly helpful to the home baker as they approach croissants. The boeuf bourguignon croissant recipe intrigues me…
Tech:
Notion- In an attempt to keep my life organized- from recipe ideas, to notes on testing to bake chat interview questions to content calendar nonsense. I have been using notion to keep everything in line. My life this past month would not have been possible without Notion. Don’t get me wrong I love my hand written notes but it’s 2024 and I have my phone on me 110% of the time- it’s been much easier to open the notes and jot something down really quickly. Then later I can go back in and shuffle the notes about and put them in order. It’s nice.
Misc:
Palisades Park- I dog sat for booties and I would take him for walks along Ocean Ave in Santa Monica and down along the beach. It’s a nice place for a little hot girl walk action with stunning views and nice hit of that salt sea air.
Boots in general. Not evenly a monthly fave. All time fave.
See ya in a month for another round up! xoxo, kassie ♡
Boots is so cute, that face!! Also screaming over your croissant work, it's so beautiful.