What can’t tortillas do? Whether they’re made with corn or wheat, masa or masa harina, homemade tortillas are a thing of beauty.

No one knows that better than today’s guest, Pati Jinich. One of the foremost experts on Mexican cuisine, Pati has traveled all over Mexico and the US to eat tortillas. She shares her vast knowledge of these special flatbreads, as well as her top tips for making them at home. Then, Jessica and David answer caller questions, including queries about tortilla presses and the elusive tortilla puff. Finally, they close the show with a Jess-opinion about what she likes to call the “burrito stump” and the recipes they’re baking this week.

Recipes and other links from this episode:

Get Pati’s recipe for Tacos Rojos (Red Tacos)

Ready to make tortillas? We have recipes for Flour Tortillas, Corn Tortillas, and 50/50 Corn and Flour Tortillas

Learn more about Pati Jinich, her work, and her upcoming book, Foods of La Frontera, at PatiJinich.com

Get Pati Jinich’s tips for the best homemade tortillas

What David’s baking this week: Masa Harina Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

What Jessica’s baking this week: Lemon Tiramisu

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com.

Young or old, everyone loves a brownie. But we all have our own preferences: fudgy or chewy, edge piece or center. The options are endless!

Today, we’re discussing all the ways you can make your brownies, from the ingredients you choose to the method you make them with. We also invite one of our favorite bakers, David Lebovitz, to share his thoughts on brownies, including his experience as an American brownie lover living in Paris. For our Ask the Bakers section, we dive into everything from cocoa powder to nailing the bake, before Jessica jumps in with a Jess-opinion all about a very specific type of brownie. And as usual, she and David close the show with the recipes they’re baking this week.

Recipes and other links from this episode:

For a real hit of nostalgia, make our Easy Frosted Brownies

Learn more about David Lebovitz and subscribe to his Substack at davidlebovitz.substack.com

Find the recipe David mentions for Helene’s brownies

Pick up the updated release of David’s The Great Book of Chocolate

Get a box of our fan-favorite Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies Mix

Find your perfect cocoa powder in our online Shop

If you do like brownie brittle, we have a great recipe

What David’s baking this week: Sun Buns (Solskinnsboller)

What Jessica’s baking this week: Mint and Cheese Ka’ak

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode.

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 think vanilla has gotten a bad reputation, so we’re here to correct the record: Vanilla is anything but boring.

To prove our point, we invited one of the country’s biggest vanilla fans (and all-around star baker) Claire Saffitz to come on the pod and argue why we should all be giving vanilla its due. Then we answer your baking questions in Ask the Bakers, covering everything from how to substitute different extracts to the real difference between vanilla extract and vanilla paste. Jessica has an opinion on the surprising way to put your biggest vanilla bottle to use, and she and David close the show with the recipes they’re baking this week.

Recipes and other links from this episode:

Learn more about Claire and her work at dessertperson.com

Choose your vanilla: vanilla paste or vanilla extract (or both!)

Follow Claire’s advice to use vanilla in custard and make Vanilla Bean Flan

Find our Recipe of the Year: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza

Get your own big bottle of vanilla for gifting

What David’s baking this week: Ultra-Vanilla Cupcakes with Easy Vanilla Frosting

What Jessica’s baking this week: Simple Stovetop Vanilla Pudding

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com.

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode.

While we love all styles of pizza, there’s a special place in our hearts for New York pizza — and not just because David lives in its home city!

New York pizza is one of the most iconic dishes in America, and this episode shines a spotlight on the unique history and culture behind each slice. And as a special treat, we have one of the most notable people making New York pizza today on the show: the legendary chef Wylie Dufresne. Wylie dishes on the secrets behind his incredible pizza, then Jessica and David are joined by The Book of Pizza co-author Martin Philip to dig into your listener questions and help you make this style of pizza at home. To close out the show, Jessica shares a Jess-opinion on a popular pizza side, and they finish up with the recipes they’re baking this week.

Recipes and other links from this episode:

Grab a copy of our new cookbook, The Book of Pizza

Find our New York-Style Pizza recipe

Try Wylie’s pizza at Stretch in New York City

Learn more about our Grains for Good program

For the crispiest pizza crust, bake with a pizza steel

Watch Martin teach you how to make New American pizza

To really nail your pies, take our New York Pizza On Demand Class, hosted by Martin

What David’s baking this week: Rossa Pizza from The Book of Pizza

What Jessica’s baking this week: Everyday Olive Oil Cake

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!

This episode is sponsored by Brød & Taylor. Your best bread is within reach. Brød & Taylor builds tools that help you get there. See what's possible at brodandtaylor.com.

Thanks to Curio Spice Co., a woman-owned mission-driven spice company, for sponsoring this episode.

With its fluffy crumb, dimply dough, and endless spins, focaccia has stolen the heart of countless bakers — including us. So we decided to dedicate a whole episode to it.

Jessica and David dissect the current focaccia moment and how this simple bread has evolved from its Italian origins to something truly showstopping. Then Samin Nosrat stops by the show to share the story behind the viral salt-brined focaccia from her TV show Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and dish on her latest focaccia recipe, found in her newest cookbook Good Things. As always, Jessica and David answer your biggest bread baking questions in Ask the Bakers, then Jessica shares a Jess-opinion about sweet focaccia before closing the show with the recipes they’re making this week.

Find our 2025 Recipe of the Year: Big and Bubbly Focaccia

Pick up our Big Book of Bread for even more focaccia

Order Samin’s latest cookbook, Good Things

Find Samin’s salt-brined Ligurian Focaccia

Get some bread flour to make Samin’s latest focaccia recipe

Check out our Small-Batch Cheesy Focaccia recipe

Read more about how to make an inside-out focaccia sandwich

Make our Big and Bubbly Cinnamon Roll Focaccia recipe to hop on the sweet focaccia trend

What David’s baking this week: Strawberry Lemonade Bars

What Jessica’s baking this week: Karpatka Cake

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!

We’re back, and we’re talking cheesecake! Jessica and David dive into a bit of the history behind this iconic dessert before Jessica sits down with TV host and cookbook author Carla Hall to chat all things cheesecake, including Carla’s best tips and tricks. Then, they answer your biggest cheesecake questions, covering everything from water baths to springform pans. Jessica delivers her Jess-opinion on the best style of cheesecake (hint: It’s not from the US!) before they close the show with the recipes they’re baking this week.

Recipes and other links from this episode:

Subscribe to our new Substack: Things Bakers Know!

Find some of our favorite cheesecake recipes: NY Cheesecake, Cannoli Cheesecake, Irish Whiskey Cheesecake

Pre-order Carla Hall’s upcoming cookbook, Carla Bakes

Find our Basque Cheesecake recipe and Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake recipe

Need a springform pan? Get one here!

Find our recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Get our recipe for light, fluffy Japanese-Style Soufflé Cheesecake

What David’s baking this week: Super Protein Pancakes

What Jessica’s baking this week: Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!

Things Bakers Know, the official podcast from King Arthur Baking Company, is back with a ten episode second season — starting March 23rd! Join King Arthur’s Jessica Battilana and David Tamarkin as they explore every corner of the baking world. Each episode dives deep into a different baked good — its history and lore, tips and tricks, trends and takes — and they'll always leave time to answer baking questions from listeners. Along the way they chat with the best bakers in America to get their expert advice. Plus this season, we are on video! Things Bakers Know is available wherever you get your podcasts, and now on Youtube, or by going to KingArthurBaking.com/podcast!

We’ve officially unveiled our 2026 Recipe of the Year, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. Announcing: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza!

In this episode, David and Jessica are joined by two of our Test Kitchen stars and the creators of this exceptional recipe, Sarah Jampel and Molly Marzalek-Kelly. They discuss how and why they landed on pizza as this year’s Recipe of the Year, the biggest challenges of recipe development, and the keys to this recipe’s unique success. (Hint: It includes butter.) Jessica and David then answer questions from our listeners about how to maximize their pizza success, from saucing to topping, before closing out the show with the recipes they’re making this week.

This episode concludes our second season, and we’ll be back in March with the next batch of freshly baked episodes!

Bake our 2026 Recipe of the Year: Flaky Puff Crust Pizza

Find all of our past Recipes of the Year here

Preorder King Arthur Baking Company's Book of Pizza: Recipes for Every Pizza Maker, publishing April 7, 2026

What David’s baking this week: Delicata Squash Galette with Cheese and Herbs

What Jessica’s baking this week: Ultimate Flaky Biscuits

Record your question for our Ask the Bakers segment here!

This episode is sponsored by Plugra. Learn more about their premium European-style butter at plugra.com.