The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

350 Pages·2012·13.83 MB·English

by  Day

THE
BACK IN THE DAY BAKERY
COOKBOOK
MORE THAN 100 RECIPES FROM THE BEST LITTLE BAKERY
IN THE SOUTH
C D & G D
HERYL AY RIFFITH AY
with A P C
MY AIGE ONDON
Foreword by P D
AULA EEN
ARTISAN • NEW YORK
For Natalie.
Your laughter lives forever in the bakery.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Paula Dean
Introduction
The Method to the Magic
The Baker’s Tool Kit
A Peek Inside Our Spice Cabinet
C 1: Breakfast
HAPTER
C 2: Coffee Cakes, Quick Breads, and Sweet Yeast Breads
HAPTER
C 3: Cupcakes and Cakes
HAPTER
C 4: Pies, Cobblers, Crisps, and Tarts
HAPTER
C 5: Puddings and Custards
HAPTER
C 6: Cookies
HAPTER
C 7: Brownies and Bars
HAPTER
C 8: Confections
HAPTER
C 9: Savories
HAPTER
Resources
Acknowledgments
FOREWORD
When Cheryl and Griff Day asked me to write the foreword for their first
cookbook, of course I was honored. But, honestly, I didn’t know where to start. I
couldn’t decide if I should start by introducing them as a wonderfully
hardworking couple with a sweet tooth for delicious food, or if I should start by
telling y’all about how their bakery is quickly becoming one of the must-eat-at
places in Savannah. Or should I instead rave about all of the mouthwatering
recipes you are bound to find in this cookbook? The truth is, I’m just so lucky to
have people like Cheryl and Griff in my life whom I can consider friends. So,
finally, I figured I would start at the beginning, which seems appropriate for the
beginning of a book, doesn’t it?
I was first introduced to Cheryl by my wonderful creative director, Brandon
Branch. Immediately I knew that I had to feature her on my show, because we
started cutting up right away, just as if we had always known each other. I truly
felt a unique, unspoken bond with Cheryl. You see, it takes a special kind of
person to create what she has created for herself and for others, and I recognized
that instantly. Cheryl communicates with people through her food, and it’s
obvious in everything she makes.
If you’re lucky enough to have her serve you one of her Old-Fashioned
Cupcakes, well, the smile on your face is almost payment enough for Cheryl! I
have to tell you that the first time I tried one of those cupcakes, it nearly brought
tears to my eyes because it reminded me so much of the ones my mama used to
make for me. Furthermore, Cheryl and I share a sincere passion for cooking and
serving others that goes beyond words. And that right there is the perfect recipe
for success in this business: equal parts passion and determination—mix until
well blended. But it’s not only our passion for food and good company that
brings us together.
Dining at Cheryl and Griff’s place is a total experience from start to finish,
and it goes further than just the food. If you’ve never eaten at Back in the Day
Bakery, then you have missed out on a delicious treat. You absolutely must do
yourself a favor and come on down to Savannah and see what it’s like for
yourself. From the moment you step into the shop, sure enough, you’ll find
Cheryl front and center, laughing, carrying on, and welcoming all of her guests
as if she personally knows each one of them. She has such a gift for making
anyone feel at home, and that is always so refreshing to find in a time and age
when people often forget to sit down, relax, and have a cupcake.
Both Cheryl and Griff’s sense of style and the vintage look of their restaurant
stir within me a deep connection to days gone by. When I eat at their place, I feel
as if I have been transported to a time when I was a little girl sitting in my
grandmother’s kitchen, listening to her tell stories of when she was a little girl.
There is a sense of yesteryear floating in the air. It’s like a blast from the past.
The 1950s-inspired decor, beautiful pastel color palette, and fabulously crafted
foods nearly take my breath away each time I visit.
In fact, Back in the Day has really become a total Deen family affair, and it
is one we’re not ashamed to admit! My beautiful niece Corrie loves Cheryl and
Griff’s food and bakery almost as much as I do. We recently had her bridal
shower there on a sunny Savannah afternoon. The girls had such a hoot, and I
couldn’t keep my hands off all of the delectable cookies, breads, and savory
tarts. To tell the truth, in many ways Corrie is like a daughter to me, and it meant
so much to me to host this important event in her life in what turned out to be the
perfect venue. It was a day that both Corrie and I will cherish for the rest of our
lives. You see, that’s what Cheryl and Griff are good at. Not only do they bake
decadent treats, but they also bake wonderful memories that stay with you
forever. My older son, Jamie, and my darling daughter-in-law, Brooke, enjoy
taking my sweet grandbaby Jack down to the bakery on Saturday afternoons.
Jamie and Brooke love going because of its small-town, friendly neighborhood
feel, so they try to make it a weekly tradition. You know, I just love that we are
able to find a place where we can share our lives, the way that Cheryl and Griff
share their food.
I cannot wait for you to try the recipes in this book, and I hope that you have
the same experience with Cheryl and Griff’s treats that I do. From Cheryl’s Old-
Fashioned Cupcakes to Griff’s Chocolate Bread, they are made so honestly from
the heart, and I think that’s what I admire most. This is a cookbook that you are
going to want to hang on to. While I encourage you to share it with friends, just
make sure they are willing to give it back, because they may want to keep it for
themselves!
Love and best dishes,
INTRODUCTION
Sometimes I ask myself, “Who does that? Just opens a bakery?” But Griff and I
did. We opened Back in the Day Bakery in August 2002. We wanted to build a
community by baking fresh, wholesome cakes and artisan breads based on
recipes passed down through family and friends. We knew we wanted to
establish a neighborhood bakery, so we searched to find an area that was
centrally located and easily accessible to the many neighborhoods that make up
the city of Savannah. We chose the magically named Starland District; it was
being revitalized, and we wanted to be a part of that transition. We transformed
the circa-1925 building, the former Starland Dairy general store, at the corner of
Bull and West Fortieth Streets, into our little American bakery.
If you’ve ever visited Georgia in the middle of August, you understand that
the only thing people talk about is how hot and humid it is. Tourists stay away,
and the locals escape to Tybee Island, waiting for any cool breeze that blows.
The fierce afternoon rains provide no relief from the heat, but you almost always
catch a glimpse of a rainbow on the drive out to the beach. Savannah becomes a
kind of ghost town in August. Then, after Labor Day, when people come back
from vacations and the students and faculty from the Savannah College of Art
and Design return to town, the city reawakens.
Those first days in our new business moved slowly, but before long, our little
corner bakery became the buzz of Savannah. The folks who discovered us
brought their friends, and soon there was something to talk about besides the
weather. As with most things in Savannah, word of mouth spread about the
bakery and our homespun baked goods. Griff and I had dreamed of opening a
gathering spot that would become a food destination for locals as well as those
visiting our beautiful city, and in a short time, it looked as if we had achieved
that.
Griff and I didn’t start our careers as professional bakers or chefs, but food
had always played an important part in both our lives. You know how you can
meet up with someone again, and no matter how long you have been out of
touch, you can pick up exactly where you left off? Griff turned out to be one of
those people for me. We met through mutual friends while I was attending
college in Illinois. Griff was playing in a funk and R & B band in clubs
throughout the Midwest. As someone who had been a Soul Train dancer as a
teenager, I loved to dance. Music was our common passion. But after I left
college, we lost touch.
We reconnected fifteen years or so later through the Internet, after my sister,
Natalie, and I had relocated to Savannah. This time around, Griff and I realized
that we had even more in common than a love of music. We also loved good
food. We talked about our favorite neighborhood restaurants and bakeries, and
we began re-creating our favorite meals together.
After he moved to Savannah, I introduced Griff to stone-ground grits and
sweet wild Georgia shrimp, tastes that he had never experienced growing up in
Minnesota. He elevated our Tuesday taco nights with fish tacos made with red
snapper (abundant in Savannah’s waters), fresh herbs from our balcony garden,
and handmade corn tortillas. We dressed them with an assortment of savory jams
and heirloom sauces, which would end up on our lunch menu years later. I
learned firsthand that Griff has a way of enhancing even the simplest ingredients
to bring out their best.
I have always been a fan of crazy ideas, and I thought opening a bakery
could be one of them; in a good way, of course. We were up for the challenge,
and we started getting serious about bringing an authentic American-style bakery
into the heart of the South. After dinner, we would work on our sweet recipes,
experimenting with and fine-tuning the flavors. We invited friends over to taste-
test, and they enthusiastically encouraged us to pursue our new venture. We
knew there was a market for the rustic breads and home-baked goods that we
wanted to make. Griff researched equipment, contractor requirements,
inspectors, state and local permits, and all the intricacies and bureaucracies
involved in opening a food establishment. He was the one who started to make
things happen and turn our dream into reality. Inspiration came from reading the
stories of others around the country doing the same thing we wanted to do. And
we found good people who encouraged us and lifted us up.
One of those good people was our friend Jane Thompson, owner of the late,
great Mondo Bakery in Atlanta. She became our mentor, teaching us how to take
the leap from the home kitchen to a real bakery. It was on-the-job training with a
serious learning curve—we called it Jane’s Boot Camp. She was full of practical
advice, and we looked up to her because she had accomplished what we wanted
to achieve. She inspired us to move forward. Yes, we could in fact start a bakery
with two KitchenAids and one 40-quart mixer. Jane taught us about speed and
rhythm in the kitchen, balance and impact in the bakery cases, choosing the
perfect coffee blend to draw in customers, and the importance of constructing an
environment where no detail is overlooked.
At Back in the Day Bakery, we’ve created an atmosphere that is both
comfortably old-fashioned and hip. The vintage-industrial aesthetic rings
authentic. The chandeliers drip with faded crystals. Old-school ballerina cake
toppers fill glass cookie jars. The worn red cement floors, midcentury bakery
cases, layers of vintage wallpaper artfully peeling off bricks, and a collection of