A pastry chef’s notebook, open to everyone

A little science.
A lot of good
baking.

Thoughtful recipes from a trained pastry chef. Learn the how, understand the why, and make something worth sharing.

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From the kitchen of Coleen

Chef-tested, home-kitchen friendly

Weights, not guesswork

The why behind every step

Flour on the counter

Something good starts here.

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All recipes
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The Baking Lab

Better baking begins with why.

Open the notebook

Field notes / 014

Ingredient study

Pencil sketch of a block of butter in its paper wrapper, with a butter knife and two small cubes
Fig. 14 — One ingredient. Many possibilities.

It’s not just an ingredient. It’s a temperature.

Cold, softened, melted.
What butter is really doing.

The same butter can give you a flaky crust, an airy cake, or a chewy cookie. The difference isn’t the recipe. It’s the way fat behaves.

4°C / 39.2°F

Cold

For distinct, flaky layers

18°C / 64.4°F

Softened

For trapping tiny air pockets

35°C / 95°F

Melted

For a denser, chewier bite

Understand your butter

A real chef. A very real home kitchen.

Hi, I’m Coleen.
Always asking why.

Pastry school taught me to follow a recipe. Years in professional kitchens taught me to question it.

This is where I share both: dependable recipes and the little bits of science that make them work. No gatekeeping, no perfect-kitchen pretense. Just better baking, one good question at a time.

A little more about me

Coleen

Vintage sketch of a balloon whisk beside a sprig of wheat

Letters from the kitchen

A good recipe. A little why.
A note from me.

Seasonal bakes, useful discoveries, and a few things I learned the hard way. In your inbox, every other Sunday.

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