1. What made you to start a blog on baking?

I got started one day mostly because I needed something to do. I'd just closed a small baking business I'd owned. Being an obsessive personality, I couldn't give up baking and the blog gave me a reason to keep doing it. Blogging also helps me keep my writing skills sharp which are important to me professionally.

2. What do you do when you're not blogging?

Of course with all the money I make off the blog, I don't need to work (and if you believe that one I have a "gently used" mixer I'd like to sell you). In fact I'm a marketing consultant that specializes in food ingredients.

3. What are your objectives in maintaining your blog?

When I first started researching cooking and baking blogs, I noticed that most bloggers out there were simply writing online versions of cookbooks. That didn't interest me much since in my opinion there's no shortage of recipes in the world. However, there are precious few resources, either in print or online, that deal with techniques. It's a niche I thought I could fill. Since I'm technically-minded anyway, it seemed like a good fit.

4. What fascinates you about baking?

I suppose it's the fact that it's endlessly creative but at the same time extremely limited. Compared to cooks, who literally have the world at their feet when it comes to ingredients, bakers have just a few ingredients to work with, so the challenge becomes to combine them in ways that are new and interesting. It's also a precision sport, and since I'm naturally uptight, that appeals to me.

5. For an aspiring baker, what basics would be essential for his or her success?

There are a few very simple things that aspiring bakers can do to help them succeed. One is to measure, measure, measure. Get a decent digital scale and a couple of good thermometers. Also, use fresh leaveners. Most baking projects that fail do so because the baking powder being used is six years old! Reading the recipe all the way through before beginning is a big help, and especially where dairy is concerned, having your ingredients at room temperature. The last thing I'd say, since pastry is such a butter-intensive art form, use the best butter you can afford.

6. Of the items you prepare, do you have any favorites?

I love doughnuts, so that's a big one for me. I'm also sucker for a good layer cake. In fact I like cake so much I'll eat it without any icing or buttercream at all. As far as other favorite things go, I shudder to think what might happen if I were left all alone in a room with a full sheet pan of caramel-pumpkin bars. It might be ugly.

7. What is your family's response to your best baking recipes?

You know, neither of my daughters like much of what I bake. They're very young though, and kids are like that. They want what they eat at school or day care. I try not to take it personally.