Tag Archives: kitchen

Have You Hugged Your Bread Today?

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We absolutely love when an author brings their talent and enthusiasm to our story time, but Pooja Makhijani scored an absolute first when she brought her personal starter to share along with her newest book, Bread is Love! Please enjoy my interview with Pooja later in the post, and at the very end, don’t miss a chance to enter an awesome little giveaway!

We read Bread is Love, written by Pooja Makhijani and illustrated by Lavanya Naidu (Roaring Book Press, 2026). It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for mama and her children to bake bread! With warmth and enthusiasm, we join the family through the entire process of bread making, from the oozy starter to a delicious fragrant loaf. There’s even a recipe in the back!

After she read her book, Pooja handed out stickers, pencils, and talked about the steps of bread making. Then she amazed us all by introducing a very special guest – “Mr. Willdoughby,” her 10 year-old starter. He smelled absolutely marvelous.

Wanting to get little bakers started on the right foot, we had them customize white aprons with fabric markers, and tucked a sample pouch of Model Magic “dough” into the pocket. Note the various bread-themed illustrations that bedecked some of the aprons.

There was a chunky croissant…

A fluffy muffin…

And a border of green croissants and blue baguettes!

After we finished our aprons, we were joined by a giant, extremely huggable, 30″ bread pillow. The hugging quickly evolved into an impromptu game of “Hug & Toss” which eventually became “Loaf Hide & Seek.” If you ever want to liven up a story time, by all means, introduce a giant bread pillow!

After the loaf was all hugged out, I caught up with Pooja to chat about her delightful work…

Hi Pooja! Please tell us a little bit about yourself!

By day, I manage communications and marketing strategy for the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, an academic department at Princeton University, and serve as co-editor of Princeton Int’l, an annual publication that highlights the University’s international initiatives and projects. Outside the office, I channel my creativity into baking and writing children’s literature! I’m the author of four books: Mama’s Saris, Bread Is Love, Together For Mama (June 2026), and Aunties (2027). My writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, WSJ.com, The Cut and Bon Appétit, among other outlets. A lifelong Garden Stater, I’m also a 2026 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellow in prose.

How did this book come to be?

Bread baking entered my life during a difficult divorce a decade ago. What began as a coping mechanism grew into a grounding ritual, one that calmed my anxiety, deepened my connections with others, offered weekly sustenance, and nourished me creatively as both an artist and a photographer. During the pandemic, I took stock of the creative work I felt called to do. Telling a story about bread, and honoring everything it had come to represent for me, like science and self-care to sustenance and sharing, felt like the most natural place to begin.

In early drafts, I mapped out the mechanics of making a loaf—gathering ingredients, mixing, fermenting, shaping, and more. With time and my editor’s guidance, I wove into those early drafts the elements they lacked—and that became central to the book’s message: patience, adaptability, and attentiveness as essential baking skills; the way baking itself nurtures hope; and how bread, in all its forms, connects us across cultures.

Not to spoil your beautiful Author’s Note, but can you tell us about how you “bake in” the new year?

In 2016, I founded a new family tradition: my daughter and I “bake in” the new year. Each year, on December 31, we choose a bread recipe—cinnamon raisin bread, milk bread, brioche—and make sure that our loaf of bread emerges from the oven at the stroke of midnight. (We aren’t always successful in this regard; bread can be temperamental.) The bread then becomes breakfast on January 1, topped with runny yolks or slathered with jelly or dipped in olive oil. This rite steeped in togetherness and warmth and bounty, reminds us that life has seasons and that time is supposed to pass. It’s also delicious!

Please tell us about the distinguished Mr. Willdoughby.

I’ve been a Janeite since I was 12 years old. Pride and Prejudice was my favorite book as a teenager; as an adult, I reread Persuasion at least once a year. It’s customary for sourdough bakers to name their starters; “Mr. Willdoughby” is my humble homage to one of the greatest writers in the English language.

Mr. Willdoughby has been my steady companion for 10 years. Ironically, John Willoughby, his namesake, was not constant. But I do believe he genuinely loved Marianne Dashwood, and his confession showed real remorse. Despite his lack of steadiness and discipline, he meant well. He’s also not as slippery as Austen’s other scoundrels, like George Wickham or William Elliot. Mr. Willoughby was also very handsome, attentive, and passionate—the perfect qualities for a starter.

If you had to eat only ONE bread for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This is an impossible question! I would have to say naan with ghee, minced garlic, nigella seeds, and fresh coriander. My homemade naan have a crisp exterior and a pillowy core, a wonderful “chew,” a slight tang and a distinctive char, and best paired with rich, aromatic grilled meats and curries. I’m hungry now.

Giveaway alert! Readers who live in the United States can win a Bread is Love pencil and sticker set! Simple email cotsenevents@princeton.edu and tell us your favorite type of bread! Three winners will be randomly selected on May 26th 2026 and we’ll mail your prize to you! Good luck!

Dearest Gentle Eaters…

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Lady Katherine is at it once again, testing this season’s most delectable diamond, the official Betty Crocker Bridgerton crème puff kit. Will it be a scandal? Or a victory of the highest order? Take it away, Katie!

One might assume that a humble boxed dessert would inspire little more than passing interest. Such an assumption would be most misguided when the creation in question bears the elegant influence of Bridgerton.

This exclusive kit was acquired from Target at the modest cost of $7. The kit itself arrives thoughtfully assembled, providing the essential mixes, parchment paper, and even a piping bag, as though the baker is a person of leisure attended by unseen kitchen staff. One need only supply butter, eggs, milk, and water. In theory, it was simple enough.

Alas, dear reader, even the most straightforward recipe may betray the inattentive.

My first go was marred by an overindulgence of butter, which was a regrettable misreading on my part. The result was a batter so scandalously runny it would have surely set tongues wagging. It was, in short, a culinary catastrophe. No amount of hope, flour, or desperate stirring could rescue it.

But perseverance, as any devoted viewer of Bridgerton knows, is often rewarded. On my second attempt, armed with proper measurements and a far more discerning eye that was aided by reading glasses, the results were nothing short of triumphant:

The puffs emerged from the oven with a delicate golden-brown hue, though they did require a few extra minutes to achieve the desired color perfection. The pink whipped filling, mixed by hand, proved delightfully airy, if a touch unruly during assembly.

As for the taste? Divine. The pastry itself is tender and pleasantly buttery without veering into excess, provided one is able to avoid earlier mistakes. The filling offers a gentle sweetness that complements rather than overwhelms. The crème puffs are a dessert of quiet indulgence.

 

A word of caution to those who may try this mix: restraint is key. Overfilling the puffs leads to an unseemly escape of cream, a most inelegant affair. I would also advise allowing the assembled puffs to rest in the refrigerator for several hours, permitting the filling to set properly.

The Bridgerton crème puff kit proves a charming addition to any gathering, particularly where a light yet satisfying dessert would complete the meal. And despite my initial misstep, the final result is well worth the effort.

Recommended…most enthusiastically so!

This post was partially composed using this hilarious Bridgerton translator. 

Good Day, Sunshine Bread

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Who doesn’t love the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven? And thanks to a truly adorable book and recipe, you can also get a little sunshine front and center! Let’s head to Katie’s test kitchen for a look!

It was a snowy day, when the New Jersey skies were dark and gray, that I rediscovered the book Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven (Dutton Children’s Books, 2001 – read here by Camp WildWoodz). In the story, the animals of the town have experienced a long hard winter. They are all ready for the seasons to change and for the sun to return. The local baker decides to mix together her own sunshine from the cozy comfort of her bakery. The end result is delicious hot sun bread, which she shares to the delight of the town and their joy awakens the sun from its winter sleep.

I was surprised that my copy of Sun Bread did not have the recipe, which apparently was not included in later printings of the book. After a quick online search, I was able to find the recipe, along with a few personal minor adaptations and suggestions, in a blog post written by Lisa at Story of a Kitchen.

Bread is relatively easy to make. It just takes time, strong hands and a little patience to allow the yeast to work its magic. I had all of the ingredients in my pantry, so I got to work. I followed the instructions exactly as written by mixing everything together and kneading the dough, adding additional flour along the way.

After letting the dough rest and rise for an hour, I deflated and kneaded the larger ball of dough for a second time. I cut the dough ball in half and started creating my sun face. I decided to make the corona of my sun into simple little swirls.

I left the doughy sun to rise for another hour and then slid it into the oven to bake. I checked the bread after 10 minutes and I’m glad I did because it was already a nice golden brown and perfectly cooked through.

It didn’t take long for my teenager to descend upon the kitchen and ask to try a slice of sun bread. It was absolutely delicious! We tried it plain, with butter, and with a variety of different jams. It didn’t matter what we used as a spread, it was wholesomely good. I wish I could tell you how sun bread tastes the next day, but it didn’t last that long. My family snacked on it throughout the day, and we finished the small amount that was left that evening as garlic bread with our spaghetti dinner.

The sun bread recipe is ideal for parents to make with their children. It’s a super simple recipe to follow, you can be creative designing the sun face and corona, and the end result is scrumptious. And let’s be honest… any day is a good day to brighten your spirits with fresh sun bread!