1.22.2011

Coming Soon: Martha Bakes!


On January 31 the first episode of "Martha Bakes" will air exclusively on the Hallmark channel. The 13-episode, half-hour series will focus on a number of baking techniques. What distinguishes the series from other baking-related shows is that each half-hour installment, covering themes from pound cake to pâte brisée, will begin with a recipe’s basic foundation then explore how the addition of certain ingredients or the use of a new technique will help to create not one, but multiple dishes. The thoughtfully edited collection of Martha’s personal favorites, from savories to sweets, demystifies everything from how to make the perfect, no-crack cheesecake to how to create the ultimate devil’s food cake. The show is hosted by Martha, of course, and was filmed in Martha's home kitchens at Bedford. Below is a full breakdown of the episodes, courtesy of Hallmark. (Anyone else hoping for a DVD and book based on the series, or perhaps a similar series on decorating?)
























EPISODE 1: YELLOW CAKE
PREMIERES MONDAY, JANUARY 31 AT 11:00AM ET
Yellow cake might be thought of as the “everyman” of baked goods, but only because it’s so versatile; a great yellow cake like Martha’s is the foundation for many memorable desserts. In this show Martha bakes her father’s favorite birthday cake, one she often made for him, filled with orange curd and coated with a delectable chocolate frosting. She makes upside-down cakes with stone fruits, and strawberry cupcakes (baked with fresh strawberries) with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream frosting. She also teaches how to create even cake layers, and the best way to frost a cake.
EPISODE 2: PATE BRISEE
PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7 AT 11:00AM ET
Martha’s pâte brisée (also known as “shortcrust pastry”) is a must for homemade pie. Martha demonstrates how easy it is to make her pâte brisée perfectly every time: tender and flaky. Then she uses it in her Mile-High Apple Pie, a mountain of apples flavored with cinnamon and sugar. She wraps sweet poached pears in pastry and bakes them for a rustic, yet elegant dessert. She also uses pâte brisée in a savory tomato tart with roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic and Comté cheese.
EPISODE 3: CHEESECAKE
PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 AT 11:00AM ET
There’s nothing like good cheesecake, and there’s no cheesecake like Martha’s. She demonstrates how she makes creamy, no-crack cheesecake that comes out perfect every time. She makes classic New York cheesecake with a graham cracker crust; a rustic ricotta cheesecake with orange peel; and individual cheesecakes with plump Bing cherries.
EPISODE 4: POUNDCAKE
PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT 11:00AM ET
For the best buttery rich pound cake, look no further than Martha’s recipes. Her classic pound cakes rise to a beautiful golden-brown center, and they’re perfect for an easy dessert or even with breakfast. She creates a variation on the classic pound cake by adding Meyer lemon zest to the batter and topping it with a lemon glaze, and also makes a moist pound cake with cream cheese. Finally a recipe she learned while traveling through Asia: Semolina Cake, a unique twist on pound cake made with semolina, vanilla powder, almonds, and orange zest.
EPISODE 5: PUFF PASTRY
PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 AT 11:00AM ET
Few things intimidate the home cook more than puff pastry. In this episode, Martha de-mystifies this delicacy and demonstrates how anyone can make it with a minimum of fuss. Martha then uses the pastry in some of her favorite recipes: Pithiviers (a glorious round pie filled with almond cream), butterfly-shaped palmiers, cheese straws, and Napoleons layered with pastry cream and fresh berries.
EPISODE 6: ANGEL FOOD
PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 7 AT 11:00AM ET
Light and airy, angel food is a cake known for its delicate and sweet flavors. Martha creates a classic version served with fresh raspberries, then gets more creative with a Coconut Cloud: angel food cake filled with Swiss meringue and coconut, and frosted with the same. Finally, miniature brown sugar angel food cakes that have a hint of molasses flavor served with chocolate espresso ice cream and an easy homemade hot fudge sauce.
EPISODE 7: DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE
PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 14 AT 11:00AM ET
Martha’s recipes and techniques make it easy to treat yourself to devil’s food cake. She shows how to create it from scratch, moist and full of flavor. She makes the best chocolate cake even better by finishing it with the perfect topping: a delicious, creamy, homemade milk chocolate frosting. Martha uses the same batter for Hi-Hat cupcakes: chocolate cupcakes topped with a mountain of meringue that is then dipped in melted chocolate to create a hard yet delicate shell. Finally she shares her secret for the best brownies: fudgy with a crackly top.
EPISODE 8: PATE A CHOUX
PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 21 AT 11:00AM ET
Pâte à Choux is a light dough used for cream puffs and éclairs. It’s simple to make, using only four ingredients, and it is versatile. Martha uses it to create her version of a classic cream puff – filled with ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. She also demonstrates how pâte à choux can easily be turned into éclairs, piped full of sweet pastry cream and topped with maple-espresso icing. Finally Martha adds spices and cheese to her pâte à choux to make gougeres, savory hors d’oeuvres that are quite addictive.
EPISODE 9: MERINGUE
PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 28 AT 11:00AM ET
Fluffy and sweet, meringue can be crafted many different ways from just a handful of ingredients. Martha has three meringue recipes she loves – and viewers will love them too. First, a treat from Down Under: pavlova, a cake-like meringue which has a crunchy shell and a soft, moist interior, topped with whipped cream and passion fruit. Martha demonstrates the perfect (and easy) way to make the extraordinary French treat ile flottante (“floating island”): an island of meringue drizzled with caramel and served in a pool of crème anglaise. Finally, she makes Huguenot Torte, a crisp meringue baked with nuts and diced apples and topped with whipped cream.
EPISODE 10: PATE SUCREE
PREMIERES MONDAY, APRIL 4 AT 11:00AM ET
The sweet pastry known as pâte sucrée is what most people know as tart dough. Martha shows us it is easy to create elegant desserts by starting with a fully baked homemade tart shell. She creates the shells and uses them in two desserts: first, a lemon mousse damask tart in a fluted shell with candied lemon peel. Then, a black bottom tart made in a shell brushed with chocolate, filled with custard and whipped cream. Plus, Martha creates a chocolate tart shell layered with homemade caramel and chocolate ganache, finished with a sprinkling of sea salt.
EPISODE 11: YEAST DOUGH
PREMIERES MONDAY, APRIL 11 AT 11:00AM ET
Yeast dough requires a little bit of waiting, but as Martha demonstrates this doesn’t mean it’s difficult to work with. Martha will demonstrate her yeast dough made with butter and sour cream: it’s rich and tender. With whole pecans she turns the dough into sweet and gooey sticky buns. By adding cinnamon and sugar she creates simple but fun sugar buns. And she uses a Bundt pan to turn her dough into sweet, pull-apart monkey bread.
EPISODE 12: BISCUITS AND SCONES
PREMIERES MONDAY, APRIL 18 AT 11:00AM ET
Biscuits and scones are the perfect start to any day, and with Martha’s recipes they’re easy to make anytime. There’s plenty of variety to be had including flaky herb buttermilk biscuits with dill, chives, and rosemary; angel biscuits (made with yeast) which are light and airy; and tender and fluffy cream scones made with two types of flour and flavored with juicy currants soaked in orange liqueur.

EPISODE 13: MUFFINS AND POPOVERS
PREMIERES MONDAY, APRIL 25 AT 11:00AM ET
Muffins and popovers are comfort foods that are fun to make. Martha demonstrates why as she bakes some of her favorites: blueberry muffins studded with fresh blueberries; classic golden-brown puff popovers, perfect with butter or jam; giant cheese popovers, ideal for filling with her fried eggs, creamed spinach and bacon; plus, Martha will explain how to make the very best blueberry preserves.

12 comments:

Mr. Bill said...

Going to save EVERY episode!! Can't wait for this to start.

Gabriela Delworth - Instructional Designer said...

Hello Andrew,

Thanks so much for sharing this.
I wish I could watch it...:o(



~ Gabriela ~

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Me too, Gabriela! That's why I want a DVD!

Kenn said...

Have no fear, Andrew.. I'll record it for you..
I'm very excited about the series.. it will be a throwback to the "old days" when Martha provided instruction w/o the live audience stuff. Martha in her Bedford kitchen.. what could be better?

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Bless your heart, Kenn. Bless. Your. Heart. :-)

Anonymous said...

I can't wait for it to start. I am so looking forward to the cheesecake!

Maureen said...

This does sound like a good series. Honestly I feel like going through my old VCR tapes and watch the old Martha shows from the 90's for a refresher course:)

David said...

Im so excited to watch it! It looks like its going to be really good!

I really like this blog too! :D

Anonymous said...

I hope it's her actual Bedford kitchen, but I'm afraid it's not. During her specials, she cooked in a faux studio kitchen, perhaps located on the property, but it was bland and without character, and could have been anywhere. We all know what her real Bedford kitchen looks like, so we will be able to tell. I wouldn't mind it she duplicted it, as she did in her Conn. studio with two of her kitchens, but let's face it, most fans want to see Martha at home, not in some generic, souless studio kitchen!

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Anonymous, I feel your plight! Have no fear, though. The official press release specifically mentions that the episodes were filmed in her kitchens at HOME! :-)

Nadine said...

I am really looking forward to this. I love to bake but I want some further education. I live in Massachusetts and we have had a pretty bad winter here so I am taking the opportunity to bake more when I am "stuck" home. I wish I could know the ingredients beforehand that Martha will be using so I could practice some recipes after watching the show. Thanks for posting the schedule!

Ellen said...

Today the new season of Martha Bakes begins. I have saved all the episodes from the past season & obviously, I love this show!
What I do wish is that Martha & company would make a DVD of the season much like Americas Test Kitchen puts out a cookbook & DVD of each past season. These would be a great resource & from reading the previous comments, I think there would definitely be a market for this.
Hope someone at MSLO sees this & gives it some thought!