FLOUR
I use King Arthur Flour bread flour for every recipe in this book that calls for flour, unless otherwise noted. It has a higher protein content than their all-purpose flour, and I find that it gives baked goods a richer golden hue and a wonderful crumb.
SUGAR
My go-to for granulated sugar is Wholesome organic sugar. It is not as stark white as the bleached granulated sugars out there, but that’s okay. The soft beige of this sugar is actually the natural color of processed cane sugar; the other stuff is just bleached to be that stark white color we think of as normal for sugar. I like the organic one because it has a stronger sugarcane flavor, and I know that it was grown using organic farming methods.
SALT
I use Jacobsen Salt Company pure kosher sea salt anytime my recipes call for flake kosher salt in the book. I love the consistency of this salt, because it does have a wonderful flake to it that crunches when you bite down on it, but it isn’t so big that it makes it tricky to measure it correctly. I buy it in a big, cost-effective 2-pound (950 g) box and keep it in the pantry, refilling the salt cellar on my kitchen countertop, as needed. If you’re unfamiliar with a salt cellar, it’s basically a small bowl or jar that you store your salt in and leave on the countertop at all times for easy access. I highly recommend getting one.
OLIVE OIL
I use California Olive Ranch’s Everyday blend for every recipe in this book that calls for extra-virgin olive oil. First, I love that I’m supporting a U.S. business that works directly with small farmers who are passionate about what they do. And second, the quality is unreal. They have a variety of different olive oil blends based on the flavor profiles of the different olives they use, and they’re all delicious. You can even deep-fry with their olive oil, because it isn’t adulterated with other oils like many imported olive oils are nowadays, and the quality of California Olive Ranch’s flavor, texture, and processing methods is very high. You know you have a great olive oil when there’s a little dusting of deliciously cloudy olive sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
BUTTER
Hands down, my favorite butter in the world is Vermont Creamery cultured unsalted butter. It has a higher butterfat content than any other butter in the commercial marketplace, making for extra-flaky crusts and even richer meals. It can be hard to find at grocery stores on the West Coast, though, so if you’re looking for a different butter option, my second choice is Tillamook’s unsalted butter. The cows from this creamery are raised here in Oregon in the town of Tillamook and make some of the tastiest butter this side of the Mississippi.
CRÈME FRAÎCHE
I’m going to mention Vermont Creamery again here, but that’s just because I love them so darn much. If you’ve never had crème fraîche before, it’s basically heavy cream that has been cultured with bacteria in the same way that you culture milk to make yogurt, but in this instance, the cream turns into a crazy thick, silky smooth, and incredibly rich substance that is unrivaled by any other in the food world. Flavor-wise, it tastes kind of similar to sour cream, but the texture is much smoother.
GARLIC POWDER
This is my savory recipe secret weapon; it just adds a little bit of umami and richness that no other seasoning I’ve come across can supply, and you can learn how to make it yourself on this page.