Tag: ZINGERMAN’S BAKEHOUSE
Have you heard the great news? Just last week, BAKE!, Zingerman’s Bakehouse’s hands-on teaching bakery, released a whole new schedule of classes for August 2017-January 2018. There’s already been quite the frenzy—almost all 55 of our Fancy Schmancy Holiday Cookie classes have sold out and many others are going fast, too!
We’re also offering a slew of classes we’ve never offered before. “After having very few new classes for the last year, we’re rolling out a busy fall with about a dozen new choices. Our Principal, Sara Molinaro, is a bread gal, and she’s developed three new bread classes!” says Bakehouse co-managing partner Amy Emberling. Naturally Leavened Breads 2.0, which will introduce students to the liquid levain method, is one of those classes, and Amy thinks it will be an enriching experience.
Here are some other fantastic new classes you won’t want to miss:
Mexican Treats: Learn to make conchas, the panaderia staple that look like sea shells, and cochinitos de piloncillo, pig shaped soft cookies sweetened with spiced sugar cane syrup. We’ll also demonstrate churros, a piped and fried cinnamon sugar pastry. Spots still available—sign up here!
Signature Sour Cream Coffee Cake: “For the first time in years we’ll be teaching our sour cream coffeecake recipe. Students have wanted this class for a long time and we’ve been waiting until the Bakehouse cookbook was published before teaching it regularly. Now’s the time!” says Amy.
Learn the recipe for our signature sour cream coffee cake with ribbons of cinnamon brown sugar and toasted walnuts. It’s a Bakehouse classic that graces the cover of our new cookbook (being released October 2017), not to mention our most popular mail order gift. In class you’ll also make the lemon poppyseed version. The sour cream coffee cake batter is a scrumptious start that can easily be dressed up with other mix ins at home. This is sure to be a treasured recipe in your house for years to come! Spots still available—sign up here!
Amy & Franks Favorites: Only two dates! After 25 years in business it will be impossible to choose favorites, but they’ll try. To celebrate the release of the new Zingerman’s Bakehouse cookbook (October 2017), Bakehouse owners and bakers Amy Emberling and Frank Carollo will guide you through making a couple of their favorite recipes (It’s the first time they’ve taught together in years!). Then they’ll sign your personal copy of our new 240 page book complete with Bakehouse stories and more than 60 recipes. Spots (but not many!) still available—sign up here!
And don’t forget our classic classes, like Mambo Italiano: Italian Breads, Detroit Classics, Pizza: the Other American Pie, Bake Me a Cake, and more. We’re not kidding, though, sign up soon because they sell out!
See the complete BAKE! schedule by class name.
See the complete BAKE! schedule by class date.
“How did I get the name ‘Breakfast Queen’? I gave it to myself!” announced Ina Pinkney. As we learned during the two demo classes she recently taught at BAKE!, the iconic Chicago restaurateur isn’t exactly one to sit around and wait for things to happen. And in truth, the regulars who flocked to her legendary Chicago restaurant Ina’s for over 30 years, probably wouldn’t argue with her self-proclaimed royal status.
Ina’s story, which she told as she prepared some of her most popular recipes, including her ultra-fluffy, sour-cream-based Heavenly Hots pancakes, is one driven by tenacity. Born in Brooklyn, New York in the 1940s, she was stuck with Polio at 18 months old, leaving her with permanent damage in her right leg.
“I knew the inner Ina would never match the outside world,” she said.
But the experienced gave her a sense of fearlessness, she says, which has followed her throughout her life—it’s what carried her through when she was disowned by her family for marrying a black man in the 1960s (when interracial marriage was still outlawed in many states), and what helped her meet the challenge of living in a new city when the couple moved to Chicago in 1977.
Once in Chicago, which she said felt like a “small town” compared to New York, Ina started a cake delivery business even though she’d never even beaten an egg. “If you can read, you can bake,” she says. As her following grew, she added restaurants to her client list. It wasn’t long before she decided to open a breakfast restaurant.
Ina’s became an institution in Chicago, so much so that a documentary called Breakfast at Ina’s was made about its last days in operation when Ina decided to close shop. When asked if she misses Ina’s, she’s not overly sentimental. “I think when you do something well, when it’s over, it’s over,” she told us, adding that the day-to-day stress of running a restaurant is exhausting.
She does, however, enjoy doing personal appearances like the one at BAKE! when the mood strikes her, and she was definitely in her element cooking and sharing anecdotes about everything from an ill-fated stint on a cooking competition reality show (they told her the ovens were pre-heated, but they weren’t) to making Governor Rod Blagojevich hang up his phone before she would serve him (the whole restaurant cheered).
Ina prepared four of her favorite dishes for the BAKE! crowd. In addition to those aptly named Heavenly Hots, which had most of us asking for seconds and thirds, she also whipped up a delicious Moraccan Sweet Potato Stew with Raisins, Pasta Frittata, and New Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Pound Cake. All of the recipes Ina demonstrated were easy to make and suited perfectly for brunches, potlucks, and weeknight dinners.
If you couldn’t make it to BAKE!, you can still try them out for yourself. Her book Ina’s Kitchen features these delicious dishes and more—it would make a great addition to any cookbook collection. Look out for the documentary Breakfast at Ina’s. It played at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2015 and will hopefully be coming to your favorite streaming service soon. You can see the trailer right here. And keep up with Ina with her breakfast column at the Chicago Tribune.
Want to take a class at BAKE? Check out the schedule! Want to meet other great chefs like Ina? Sign up for the BAKE! newsletter to keep up with special appearances.
Last month, we celebrated Women’s History Month by asking the women partners of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses to give us their best advice. We posted their responses on our Zingerman’s Community Instagram and thought it’d be fun to recap their wise words here. Here’s what they had to say:
Amy Emberling, Co-Managing Partner of Zingerman’s Bakehouse
“During my first experiences in the food world in the late 1980s, it was clear that in some restaurants gender bias lived strong, as is the case today. I thought it was bizarre. I just ignored it and forged ahead. I recommend this as a strategy. Don’t engage with it except if necessary to call it out. Don’t embody it!”
Ji Hye Kim, Managing Partner of Miss Kim
“I am not a native speaker. I am not a native. I’ve been a woman all my life, and I’ve been an immigrant ever since the age of 13. I had fancied myself as a fighter, with this idea that I have to go after what I want, because no one ever is going to hand it to me. In much of my personal experience, this has been true. But I know that with the right people and community like Zingerman’s, I can tune out all the noise, even internal ones calling me to be a fighter. I can just focus on being a leader and building something wonderful and delicious together.”
Aubrey Thomason, Managing Partner of Zingerman’s Creamery
“Do not be afraid, do not back down. If they tell you that you are loud, direct, abrasive, and competitive, you are probably doing it right! There are times to be soft and times to be hard, and over time you will learn to balance those things. But first you need to know what you are talking about, be fearless and direct, command attention.”
Grace Singleton, Co-Managing Partner at Zingerman’s Deli
“If I was going to give advice to any woman trying to move up the ranks or own their own business, I’d say believe in yourself first and foremost—you can do anything you set your mind to. Work hard. Nothing great comes easy, don’t lose sight of your goals—it’s easy to get sidetracked—and don’t be afraid to ask for help from others by sharing your vision of success.”
Toni Morell, Co-Managing Partner of Zingerman’s Mail Order
“Never let anyone tell you what is and is not possible. You can be confident and kind, strong and humble. You only learn from your mistakes—you will make them, so get ready to learn. Don’t be afraid to say what you think. You don’t have to know all the answers, but be willing to admit when you don’t. Let your passions guide you. You set the organization’s tone, so be careful you are setting the right one.”
Maggie Bayless, Managing Partner of ZingTrain
“I grew up in an academic family and for years thought there was something a little sleazy about being in business—that corporations were out to take advantage of people. As I found myself in a variety of different jobs, however, I began to see that there were good businesses as well as bad businesses….Now, 23 years after starting ZingTrain, I have the opportunity to meet entrepreneurs and business leaders from around the world, and I’m completely convinced that small businesses can be an incredible catalyst for positive social change.”
For the longest time, I just thought Hot Cross Buns was a song you learned to play on the recorder in 5th grade. Little did I know these specialties are a quintessential part of the Easter holiday season and a beloved part of Zingerman’s Bakehouse spring Special Bakes (items we only make once in a while).
Just as we in the Midwest commence the Lenten season with delicious packzi and other traditions like king cake, Hot Cross Buns are associated with the end of the Lenten season, eaten as a treat to celebrate Good Friday. Each ingredient in the bun is associated with a different part of the Easter story, and there’s quite a bit of folklore surrounding this sweet bun. It’s a tradition that can be traced back to the 14th century! Medieval Englishmen believed these buns had special medicinal properties—the ill who ate a piece were said to make full recoveries! While we can’t attest to the medicinal properties of these treats, we can say they can clear the winter blues.
Our Hot Cross Buns at Zingerman’s Bakehouse are soft, yeasted buns made with red flame raisins, currants and candied orange peel, all topped with an icing cross. These delectable breads can be found in England and Australia as early as New Year’s Day, but we only get to enjoy these precious treats four days a year! Beginning Thursday, you can find Hot Cross Buns at Zingerman’s Bakehouse or Delicatessen.
Available 4/13-4/16. Call 734-761-2095 (Bakehouse) or 733-663-3354 (Deli) to order yours today!
No leavening. No flour. Passover food rules have made desserts like flourless chocolate cake and macaroons traditional favorites for the holiday, and of course, at the Bakehouse, we love (and make) those treats. But, we also like bringing new traditions to the table, and one that we’re most excited about is Pavlova.
Pavlova is an iconic desert of Australia and New Zealand (there’s an ongoing argument over who exactly invented it), named after the Russian Ballerina Anna Pavlova, who performed in Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. It is light, luscious, fruity, sweet, and cloud-like—and, best of all, it sticks to Passover rules!
As beautiful as they are delicious, Pavlovas are made with a base of vanilla meringue, which is baked until the exterior is crispy, creating a luscious contrast to the soft, smooth interior. It’s then covered with a thick, silky layer of unsweetened whipped cream (Trust us! There’s plenty of sugar in the meringue.) and decorated with seasonal fruit. For Passover, we’re using mango, kiwi, and raspberries.
We knew of pavlova but hadn’t actually understood their magic until a few years back when Kristy Carre, an Australian food writer who came to Zingerman’s Camp Bacon with her husband, taught us how to make them at BAKE!, our hands-on teaching bakery. Amy Emberling, a Managing Partner of the Bakehouse, fell instantly in love, and we’ve been making them ever since. They work for every season, and we offer them at Christmas, in the summer, and right now, just in time for Passover.
Don’t miss out on this simple, unexpected dessert. One bite, and you’ll probably want to make it a tradition.
Pavlovas are currently available daily at the Bakehouse and the Deli’s Next Door. You can also order yours for Passover. Give us a call: 734-761-2095
Growing up, I remember my mom taking me to Zingerman’s Deli Next Door. They were our special mother-daughter outings. She would get her afternoon cup of coffee, and I picked out a sweet treat. Usually, I went with a Funky Chunky Chocolate Chip cookie. A standard kid pick.
That desire to pick a cookie or a brownie over something more adventurous stuck with me for quite some time. It wasn’t necessarily that I didn’t want to TRY something new, but when a big chocolate chip cookie and an unfamiliar pastry sat in front of me waiting for me to pick just one, I found myself leaning toward the cookie. Why? Well, I knew what to expect. And as silly as it sounds, there was no guarantee for the unknown.
Now, a few years ago, I became more immersed in Jewish culture. The man I was (and am) dating is Jewish. He brought me along to all of his family’s celebrations of the various High Holidays throughout the year.
I still remember the first one I went to. It was the first night of Hanukkah (and my first time ever celebrating the first night of Hanukkah). Since I was “new” to these family gatherings, I wanted to make a good impression. So, naturally, I did some Googling and learned that Zingerman’s Bakehouse made great pastries that I could bring to Hanukkah dinner. I remember driving to the Bakehouse, picking up an assortment of rugelach and hamantaschen to bring with me.
When I showed up, treats in hand, I knew I had made the right decision. The minute they saw the Zingerman’s bag in my hand, their smiles grew even bigger and they all began excitedly discussing what they thought was in the bag. When I pulled out the rugelach and hamantaschen, I could tell they were instantly touched by the gesture.
Not to mention, who doesn’t love getting a bag full of Bakehouse goodies (for any occasion)? I don’t know if I would go as far to say I was immediately accepted into the family. That happened after the next family dinner when I brought pecan pie.
Sitting at the table after dinner, with the assortment of pastries and goodies spread out in front of me, I decided it was time for me to try something new. Especially because I was the one who brought them. I looked back and forth between the rugelach and hamantaschen sitting prettily on the plates in front of me, trying to decide which to grab. Rugelach it was.
As I was holding the rugelach in my hand, I anticipated it being a hard, crunchy cookie with a too-sweet filling. Delicious, of course, but that was my initial thought. But the minute I bit into it, all of my preformed notions and judgements disappeared. The Bakehouse’s rugelach is far from the hard, crunchy cookie I initially imagined. Rather, it was a tender pastry dough with a perfectly sweet filling folded inside. The pastry dough was flaky, with a slight crunch, perfectly paired with the (not too) sweet filling. The combination of flavors from the dough to the filling left my taste buds singing.
I quickly ate a few more before they completely disappeared (everyone was reaching for one!). That moment changed my pastry-picking preferences forever.
It is safe to say, that night, among (basically) strangers, I developed a love of rugelach. And, now, when picking out a sweet treat, my go-to is rugelach. And while apricot is my favorite, I will eat any of them chocolate, raspberry or currant. Because, really, it’s hard to discriminate. With such unique flavors, there is one for every occasion.
Come get some! We have them at the Bakeshop and the Deli.