Contrast is at the center of many popular culinary trends. There's also a strong emphasis on contrasting textures within a single baked good. For example, soft milk breads and laminated doughs that have been hard-baked create exciting combinations.
I like to fold the bag over my hand as I fill it with frosting and I press everything down towards the tip as I am filling. This gives more control over the bag and allows her to apply pressure and remove the air.
Dough Hands will be taking over the kitchen in the Shipping Container, with a fresh new menu that includes pizza, made with regenerative flour from Shipton Mill and Wildfarmed, by the slice or whole 20-inch pies.
If freshly baked focaccia is one of your vices, you'll want to check out Liguria Bakery in San Francisco. This Italian-owned bakery has been open since 1911, and not much has changed about the location since. It's placed on a modest street corner, has large vintage windows, and the interior is small with just enough room for customers to line up and place their orders.
One Redditor, who claims that they used to work at Sprouts, says that Sprouts' bakery items actually arrive at the store frozen. That may lead you to believe that you're not actually getting very good quality, but the commenter said that, despite that fact, the cookies and pastries are actually quite delicious. They specifically called out the jalapeño-cheddar muffins as being especially tasty.
If there's an earthquake? You'll need a bolillo pa'l susto (a bread roll to calm the nerves). Constructing your Day of the Dead altar? Make sure there's a sugary, orange-flavored pan de muerto on there to guide your loved ones back to the land of the living. And lest we forget the rosca de reyes-oval-shaped sweet bread topped with jellies and dried fruits that's served on Kings' Day (January 6) and contains hidden baby Jesus figurines.
As a European immigrant in New York City, I remember a time, at least 20 years ago, when American bread and pastries, bagels aside, felt nearly inedible. Sourdough was not a thing. Croissants or any kind of viennoiseries were a punchline. There were regional specialties, sure, but broadly speaking, bread culture in New York was bleak.
I ended up moving back to New Jersey and outfitted my mom's garage into a baking studio. And that's when I started doing custom orders and pop-ups and filming TikToks and stuff like that. From there, it was just kind of the snowball effect.
Using phyllo dough instead of traditional shortcrust for quiche changes the whole personality of the dish. The paper thin sheets of phyllo dough becomes light, flaky, and crunchy when baked, swapping rich, buttery heft for a lighter quiche with a crispy shell that shatters a little when you cut into it.
The pretzels are next level. Seriously though Lidl's bakery has no business being as good as it is. One customer described Lidl's brownies as life-changing, and another shopper called Lidl's pain au chocolat the best found outside of Paris.
One donut shop in Saint Anthony, northeast Minneapolis, is delighting donut lovers with creative approaches to classic recipes. Opened in 2025 by Seneca Little, Waddup Dough's signature style serves scoops of ice cream inside a sliced donut before the creation is quickly pressed together in a warm panini press. The result is a brightly colored and super sweet ice cream sandwich.
Even though we will always defend the viewpoint that the best way to eat Nutella is with a spoon straight out of the jar, this beloved creamy hazelnut spread actually has many creative uses in the kitchen. It's super easy to bake with and handy to have in the pantry when you're craving a rich chocolatey dessert that tastes homemade without taking hours to prep. For example, the easy-peasy two-ingredient chocolate puff pastries.
If I were to rank my top biscuits of all time, Viennese fingers would sit firmly in my top three. There's not too much going on: just a good, buttery crumb, melt-in-the-mouth texture and chocolate-dipped ends, which are a must. While they're pretty straightforward to make, issues often arise when it's time to pipe the dough, and it can be tricky to strike a balance between a consistency that has enough butter but still holds its shape once baked.
London's bakery scene has got to be one of the best in the world right now. As well as an abundance of croissants and sourdough, there are bakeries doing everything from Italian maritozzi to Japanese milk bread and pretty much everything in between. The weekend pastry run has become a ritual (bonus points if you literally run to the bakery) and bagging goods from Toad or Chatsworth Bakehouse before they sell out is a social flex.
Let's talk about holiday baking that goes beyond cookies! These are the festive winter bakes to try. The list includes an ultra fragrant gingerbread cake, a bright citrus loaf, and the perfect flourless chocolate cake. Few people love baking holiday cookies more than me, but a good amount of my favorite December baking happens outside the cookie platter. Think fragrant spice cakes, all things citrus, buttery, and bright - or deep, melty chocolate on the frostiest nights.
Ilcha, a Korean restaurant in the Marina that's been lauded for its fried chicken, is closing after Valentine's Day, and the SF Business Times has news of its replacement. Coming soon to 2151 Lombard will be Kava, a restaurant serving Nepalese, Himalayan, and Indian cuisines, from Nepalese owner Kamal Kandel of North Beach's Yarsa Nepalese Cuisine. The menu, which will have some similarities to Yarsa, will feature Nepalese curries, momos, chaat, tandoori, and biryani dishes.
Onsu, an Asian-inspired bake house and patisserie, opens its doors in Soho on January 15. The sweet treat haven at 55A Dean Street is fronted by chef Michael Kwan, a multi-title pastry champion and the former executive pastry chef of the Dorchester. Kwan's career has also included stints at Ladurée, Hakkasan, and the three-Michelin-starred The Fat Duck. The new spot will combine Asian flavours with classical European style baking.
There is something inherently comforting about a bakery. Walking past one early in the morning, breathing in that warm, sweet scent, can bring back memories of childhood or at least provide some solace on a cold day. But that scent also sets up expectations, and there's nothing worse than following your nose into a bakery just to find that the donuts are stale, the cookies are old, and the bread tastes mass-produced.
Originally from Sicily, cannoli are handheld treats of fried dough filled with a creamy, slightly sweet mixture, sometimes topped with a wide variety of items like mini chocolate chips or pistachios, and can come in other flavors as well. A bite into a perfect cannoli begins with the cracking of the crisp pastry shell, followed by the rush of the cool, decadent filling, along with the textures and flavors of any toppings.
Everything feels more expensive these days, especially when it comes to eating out. One place in particular where you might have noticed an increase in prices is at bakeries as owners continue to battle the rising costs of staple ingredients like butter and eggs. But no matter how much your local bakery is charging, you can at least rest assured that there are people paying a heck of a lot more out there, especially at Cedric Grolet in London.
Antonina's Gluten-Free Bakery has added a fresh new flavor to the mix with its first gluten-free and dairy-free muffin, a Lemon Streusel muffin that's soft, moist, and topped with a light, sweet crumble. It's the kind of simple, classic flavor that fits into any morning: breakfast on the go, weekend brunch, or a quiet coffee break. For anyone avoiding dairy or simply looking for an option that works for more people at the table, this muffin delivers familiar flavor and texture without compromise.