I really like the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

For the no sugar themed week, I made maple cornbread. Rather than using traditional sugar, the recipe uses maple syrup for sweetness. I got no hint of the maple flavor, which was a bit disappointing. I’m not the type that needs or wants a sweet cornbread, but with the recipe specifically mentioning maple in the title, I expected there to be a noticeable maple flavor. It was a good cornbread, but it was just lacking the maple flavor I expected.

---

Maple Cornbread

Recipe from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion; also available online

Makes 9 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup (4¾ ounces) yellow cornmeal
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup (8 ounces) milk, whole, skim or 2 percent
  
• ¼ cup (2¾ ounces) maple syrup
  
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick, 2 ounces) butter, melted
  
• 2 large eggs
  
  

  Directions
  

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan.
   
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined. In a small bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, melted butter, and eggs. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.
   
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cornbread for 20 to 25 minutes, until it’s lightly browned and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and serve it warm with butter and additional maple syrup, or with a main dish — red beans and rice would be nice.

There are a lot of great cookbooks out there, and I recommend getting several different ones that cover individual areas and ingredients. There is only one when it comes to baking, though: The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. The Challah and blueberry lemon buckle recipes are worth the price alone.

I would suggest doing some reading on the science of baking. I don't know if Panera taught you guys any of that, but it is SO helpful to know in my own baking, and just knowing a few small facts can show that you're really knowledgeable.

Some good options, if you have access to a library or want to spend the money on amazon - How Baking Works, King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion and The Pastry Chef's Companion are all good bets. Beware, though - The Pastry Chef's Companion is super involved and interesting but the science of baking stuff isn't very prevalent. It's there, but not as much as in the first two books.

Best of luck! Be honest with the interviewers and it will go great. Keep us updated on how it goes!

"When baking, keep in mind that natural and Dutch-process cocoa powders are not always interchangeable -- blindly substituting one for the other can upset the delicate chemical balance in a recipe, spoiling results and flavor (you don’t want your chocolate cake to taste like it was made with soap). Sometimes one cocoa powder can be substituted for the other in recipes. According to “The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion”: "

I was accused of greasing my chocolate cakes with soap as a young baker...never knew why till I became a baker...