This week, we’re waking up early and starting the day the right way: with a big batch of pancakes.

Jessica and David kick off the show by sharing a bit about the history of pancakes — which goes back much longer than you may realize. Then, things take a wild turn when David reveals a truly shocking revelation about his pancake consumption habits. Next, David sits down with cookbook author Carla Lalli to hear her opinions on pancakes, as well as the role they play in helping us get back in touch with eating like kids. David and Jessica then jump into answering your questions about making pancakes, including tips on getting a fluffier short stack, before closing the show with a Jess-opinion and the recipes they’re making this week.

Recipes and other links from this episode:

• Find all of our pancake mixes, including David’s preferred gluten-free mix
• Learn more about Carla’s new book Food is a Feeling
• And read her Substack, Food Processing
• Read our blog: How to make fluffy pancakes
• What David’s baking this week: Ultimate Flaky Biscuits
• What Jessica’s baking this week: Popovers
• Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!
• Follow along with us on Substack
• For 25% off any On-Demand baking class, use coupon code POD25 at shop.kingarthurbaking.com/on-demand-classes
• This episode is sponsored by Cabot Creamery. Cabot is a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to making delicious, high-quality cheese and dairy products, and 100% of profits go back to the farm families that own Cabot. Visit Cabot’s website for recipes, pairing suggestions, and a curated selection of gift boxes for every occasion.
• This episode is sponsored by Snooze. Snooze is the OG Breakfast Bar, serving creative breakfast, brunch, and lunch with a mission to make mornings matter. With 65 restaurants across 10 states, Snooze brings a little more creativity and energy to mornings across the country. Find your nearest Snooze at snoozeeatery.com.

It’s fall, which means it’s time to talk about baking with apples!

David and Jessica kick off the show by talking about apple pie versus apple cake, then dig into the best apples for baking. Unsurprisingly, they have a lot of opinions! Then David sits down with one of the best all-around bakers in the country and the undisputed pie queen, Erin Jeanne McDowell, to get her top tips for apple baking. Jessica and David answer your biggest apple baking questions before Jessica shares a Jess-opinion about caramel apples, and they close the show with the best fall-forward recipes they’re baking this week.

Recipes and other links from this episode:

• Read our blog, The best pie apples: Here's how to choose
• Learn more about Erin McDowell and her brand-new cookbook, Bake Anything, at erinjeannemcdowell.com
• Want to learn directly from Erin? Take her On-Demand pie baking class
• Get fall’s best baking ingredient: Vermont Boiled Cider
• Read our blog on how to prevent the gap in pie crust
• Get our recipe for Apple Pie with Make-Ahead Filling
• What David’s baking this week: Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
• What Jessica’s baking this week: Apple Crumb Cake
• Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!
• Follow along with us on Substack
• For 25% off any On-Demand baking class, use coupon code POD25 at shop.kingarthurbaking.com/on-demand-classes
• Cabot is a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to making delicious, high-quality cheese and dairy products, and 100% of profits go back to the farm families that own Cabot. Visit Cabot’s website for recipes, pairing suggestions, and a curated selection of gift boxes for every occasion.
• This episode is sponsored by Supernatural. Supernatural makes imaginative baking ingredients that are colored by plants, fully traceable, and totally free from anything artificial or synthetic. Learn more at supernaturalkitchen.com

We’re back with a brand-new season, and we’re celebrating with — what else? — cake!

Specifically, the best chocolate cake in the world, as made by this episode’s guest, James Beard award-winning cookbook author Helen Goh. Helen joins the show to talk about the recipe the New York Times named the “World’s Best Chocolate Cake” (spoiler alert: her family hates it) and the power of baking to help us find more meaning in our lives and community.

Jessica and David then dig into your cake questions, from the best way to freeze slices of cake to determining when cakes are actually done baking. As usual, Jessica brings the heat with a controversial Jess-opinion about chocolate and fruit, and the pair close out the show with the recipes they’re baking this week.

Recipes and other links from this episode:

• Read Tamar Adler’s piece, What Does It Actually Take to Make the Best Chocolate Cake in the World?, featuring Jessica
• Bake Helen’s World’s Best Chocolate Cake
• Learn more about Helen and her cookbook, Baking and the Meaning of Life, at instagram.com/helen_goh_bakes
• Find out more about Cake4Kids and how to get involved
• Learn more: How to tell when cake is done
• What David’s baking this week: High-Hydration Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
• What Jessica’s baking this week: French Onion Rolls
• Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!
• Follow along with us on Substack
• For 25% off any On-Demand baking class, use coupon code POD25 at shop.kingarthurbaking.com/on-demand-classes
• This episode is sponsored by Supernatural. Supernatural makes imaginative baking ingredients that are colored by plants, fully traceable, and totally free from anything artificial or synthetic. Learn more at supernaturalkitchen.com