Baking Powder

Makes one 8-inch square This comes from our colleague Christine Lane, who calls it one of her "all-time summer favorites. " She likes to take it as a gift to hosts. It's essentially a muffin batter baked in an 8-inch pan, cut into squares. Butter (for the pan) Flour (for the pan) ¾ pint (1½ cups) fresh blueberries, picked over 1½ cups flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 stick (½ cup)

Makes 12 Great with pulled pork, on their own, or for breakfast with eggs. ½ pound sliced bacon 2½ cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, cut up ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut up 1½ cups cold buttermilk Extra flour (for sprinkling)

Makes one 8-inch square Lynne Wilson of Wilson Farm in Lexington makes this walnut-streusel-topped cake to serve with lobster dinners. TOPPING 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut up ¼ cup sugar ⅓ cup flour ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 1. In a bowl combine the butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and walnuts. 2. Work the mixture with a fork or your fingertips until it forms crumbs; refrigerate.

Makes one 8-inch square This comes from our colleague Christine Lane, who calls it one of her "all-time summer favorites. " She likes to take it as a gift to hosts. It's essentially a muffin batter baked in an 8-inch pan, cut into squares. Butter (for the pan) Flour (for the pan) ¾ pint (1½ cups) fresh blueberries, picked over 1½ cups flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 stick (½ cup)

The savory quick breads known as cakes sales are fixtures of French home cooking. Often served with wine and aperitifs, they also appear at picnics, potlucks, and other informal meals.   OLIVE AND ROSEMARY BREAD Makes 1 9-inch loaf Baking spray ½ cup coarsely grated plus ½ cup finely grated Parmesan 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder Salt and pepper 1½ cups pitted Kalamata olives, chopped 3 large eggs, beaten ½ cup plain yogurt (not nonfat)

Skillet-sizzled buttermilk cornbread Makes 1 thin 10-inch round This was the cornbread Crescent Dragonwagon made at the inn she ran for 18 years. "It is a basic African-American-style cornbread," she writes in "Bean by Bean," "not strictly Southern or Northern, but taking the best notes from both. " Vegetable oil cooking spray (for the pan) 1 cup unbleached white flour 1 cup stoneground yellow cornmeal 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons sugar 1 egg ...

Q. Can baking soda be substituted for baking powder in recipes? A. These two baking stapes are both leavening agents, but they work at different speeds and in different environments, so they are not interchangeable. Baking soda, or pure sodium bicarbonate, is required in recipes that have an acidic ingredient, such as molasses, sour cream, or chocolate. Baking soda reacts with the acid and moisture, releasing carbon dioxide and causing the dough or batter to rise, yielding fluffy muffins or cake.

Makes 1 loaf The crusty top on this unadorned cake comes from sprinkling with granulated sugar before baking. Butter (for the pan) Flour (for the pan) 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries, picked over 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Grated rind of 1 lemon ½ cup whole milk ...

Makes 16 The warm, sweet scent of cinnamon and butter emerging from the oven are irresistible. These two elements go into a bundle of flaky, tender triangular scones that are straight-forward to produce. When cutting the butter into the flour, make sure the bits of butter are reduced to small, thin flakes. And once the dough comes together with the buttermilk, knead very lightly. If your kitchen is warm, or it's humid out, refrigerate the rounds of dough for 1 to 2 hours to firm them up. Here, cinnamon is the central flavor, but you can add chopped toasted walnuts or bits of dried fruit for more...

Makes 1 cake Carole Cohen of Stoughton puts her berries in one layer in this Bundt cake, which makes a small round. The top is drizzled with an almond-flavored icing. CAKE Butter (for the pan) Flour (for the pan) 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries, picked over 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon rind 2 eggs 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon...

Makes 16 The warm, sweet scent of cinnamon and butter emerging from the oven are irresistible. These two elements go into a bundle of flaky, tender triangular scones that are straight-forward to produce. When cutting the butter into the flour, make sure the bits of butter are reduced to small, thin flakes. And once the dough comes together with the buttermilk, knead very lightly. If your kitchen is warm, or it's humid out, refrigerate the rounds of dough for 1 to 2 hours to firm them up. Here, cinnamon is the central flavor, but you can add chopped toasted walnuts or bits of dried fruit for more...

The savory quick breads known as cakes sales are fixtures of French home cooking. Often served with wine and aperitifs, they also appear at picnics, potlucks, and other informal meals.   OLIVE AND ROSEMARY BREAD Makes 1 9-inch loaf Baking spray ½ cup coarsely grated plus ½ cup finely grated Parmesan 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder Salt and pepper 1½ cups pitted Kalamata olives, chopped 3 large eggs, beaten ½ cup plain yogurt (not nonfat)

Q. Can baking soda be substituted for baking powder in recipes? A. These two baking stapes are both leavening agents, but they work at different speeds and in different environments, so they are not interchangeable. Baking soda, or pure sodium bicarbonate, is required in recipes that have an acidic ingredient, such as molasses, sour cream, or chocolate. Baking soda reacts with the acid and moisture, releasing carbon dioxide and causing the dough or batter to rise, yielding fluffy muffins or cake.

Skillet-sizzled buttermilk cornbread Makes 1 thin 10-inch round This was the cornbread Crescent Dragonwagon made at the inn she ran for 18 years. "It is a basic African-American-style cornbread," she writes in "Bean by Bean," "not strictly Southern or Northern, but taking the best notes from both. " Vegetable oil cooking spray (for the pan) 1 cup unbleached white flour 1 cup stoneground yellow cornmeal 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup mild...

Makes one 8-inch square 1 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs, separated ⅓ cup whole milk 1 ½ cups fresh wild blueberries, tossed with 1 tablespoon flour, or 1 ½ cups frozen wild blueberries (if frozen, do not defrost or toss with flour)

Makes one 8-inch square TOPPING ½ cup sugar ¼ cup flour ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ cup ( ½ stick) cold butter, cut up 1. In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter. 2. Work the mixture with your fingertips until well blended; refrigerate. CAKE Butter (for the pan) Flour (for the pan) 1 pint (2 cups)

Makes 1 rectangular cake Pat Concree and her husband, Jack, have owned the Blueberry Farm in Hanson for 25 years; the land has been farmed since 1763. Years ago, someone gave this cake to Pat; the original cake came from a woman known as Grandma Leighton. Concree says, “It can be served warm or cooled; plain or frosted with a lemon glaze. If I’m going to a party I will put a few fresh blueberries on top with a thin lemon twist.’’ CAKE Butter (for the pan)

Makes 2 loaves The Vardaros, who keep a vegetable garden, have been known to leave surplus zucchini on their neighbors’ porches under the cover of night. These loaves are another of their tactics to keep the prolific squash under control. The couple makes it with Picual olive oil, a mildly grassy, vegetal variety. And unlike some other zucchini-use strategies, this bread makes a welcome surprise for the folks next door. Butter (for the pans) Flour (for the pans)