Make Croissants with John and NordicWare

Pastry Chef John Kraus joined Nordic Ware to demonstrate step by step how to make perfectly crisp and flaky croissants at home. He highlighted the best tools to use like their Perforated Half Sheet which provides efficient, even baking of foods where a crisp outer crust is desired like croissants. John is a baker, chef, founder and the owner of … Read More

The Surprising Gift of Well-Baked Bread

by John Kraus · April 14, 2021 I met Ruth about 7 years ago.  She visited the bakery each week to pick up six loaves of our Levain and always preferred those baked on the darker side.  (In our trade, that’s known as ‘kissed with fire.’)  One day, I felt compelled to ask her, “Why so dark?”  I thought I … Read More

Welcome Spring and a much-needed breath of fresh air!

By John Kraus · March 16, 2021 Here is to the future. Spring always feels good. It reminds us that the season of fruits is on the horizon. Excitement arrives at the first sight of a rhubarb frond. Growing up in Kentucky, this happened much earlier than here in Minnesota, but it meant that we were moving on from the … Read More

Musings on The Galette des Rois

The cultural significance and culinary magic of a 700-year-old tradition By John Kraus · December 28, 2020 January 6th, the 12th day of Christmas, marks the day that the wise men, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar reached the manger to pay homage to the baby Jesus. This is known as the Feast of the Epiphany, or for us, the day we … Read More