Baking is the dance that calms me. The repetition of making the same product over and over again. The intense focus that it takes to act as a partner with a pastry to coax out its best qualities, reassessing what the pastry needs to reach its full potential and shifting gears accordingly.

The arrival of fall is a welcome time here at the bakery to refresh the menu with seasonal offerings, and to find inspiration for new creations. On this week’s menu you’ll find the return of several Bakeshop favorites, such as buttery Shortbread Squares, crisp and chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies, tender and hearty Blueberry Graham Scones, flaky Pain aux Raisin with rum soaked raisins, and cheesy Savory Tomato Croissants.

Part of the fun of being a baker is that sometimes we choose to bake pastries just for ourselves. A few weeks ago, we had extra dough and the neighbor's Italian prune plums, which had recently arrived, and we were trading ideas back and forth about what we should make with them. Margaret, one of our bakers, told us about her favorite pastry when she worked at Sea Wolf in Seattle, a simple croissant dough plum tart, and another, Melissa, reminded me, as she does every year (smile), that plums are her very favorite fruit. I recalled that we also had a batch on hand of plum jam that was too sticky to sell as jarred jam, and all of that coalesced into simple pastry perfection in our eyes.

The recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan by way of Luisa Weiss. Dorie Greenspan is a prolific cookbook author who authored my desert island book, Baking with Julia. Dorie is a master of not only developing recipes but also has the tenacity to write recipes that are clear and concise. Luisa is also a cookbook author, writes the blog The Wednesday Chef, and was the editor on my cookbook. I am forever grateful for having such a sharp eye on my project.

This week we are winding down the use of bright, juicy summer berries and stone fruits, and shifting to warmer, toastier ingredients including spices, crisp apples, and slow-roasted yams. You’ll find the latter ingredient in two of our very popular seasonal pastries returning to this weekend’s menu: Pumpkin Spice Muffins and Caramelized Apple and Pumpkin Hand Pies!

When one season is transitioning into another, it's almost as if you’re in two seasons at once. Like right now, as we witness the first signs of fall emerge while the last bits of summer linger. There are crisp cool mornings followed by warm sunny afternoons, colorful leaves appearing amid a sea of green. Alongside the end of summer produce we are beginning to see gorgeous fall fruits popping up in the markets — and on one of my neighbor’s Italian prune plum tree!

It’s been a joy to be back in the bakery after our much needed end-of-summer break. Thanks to all who placed orders last week. It was wonderful to see your faces.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week like I did sending the kiddos back off to school. Now I can turn my attention to bringing some fun pastries back to the bakery.

When we were last together, the sun was high in the sky with the heat smothering us. Today, I write this next to an open window, cold air drifting in, bringing with it a faint scent of fall. The change is welcome but, if I am being honest, the shifting season and impending school year leaves me on edge. With three kids and a business with a dozen employees, I am quite familiar with transition.

Although we are not able to do a Secret Item this week, we will be there for you with fresh pastries this Saturday and Sunday. Afterward, we are going to close the retail counter the following two weekends, 8/21-8/22 and 8/28-8/29, so our small but powerful staff can get some much earned time off for themselves, and I take care of some very important personal business.

The bakery has been buzzing with excitement as we near our summer break. The retail weekend counter will be closed August 21st/22nd and August 28th/29th for our staff to take time for themselves. During quarantine, I was able to experience what actual downtime at home feels like, and the restorative effect of that time. After getting a taste of that kind of break, I decided that annual winter and summer breaks will be a regular part of the bakery as we try to maintain a sustainable workplace for us all.

This week we would like to announce two new wines as we continue to ramp up our carry-away wine bottle program -- our first Oregon pinot noir and chardonnay. And that we are happy to return to sandwich-making, which we are offering as our Secret Items this week! Our valued newsletter subscribers are getting the first opportunities to buy these freshly-made sandwiches as well as these wines.

Summer in my house is the busiest season of celebration. Each of my children celebrates a summer birthday and every year part of the celebrating includes a trip to pick the bountiful harvest of the Pacific Northwest.

Many years ago I was staying with my grandparents in Palm Springs. My grandma and I were in the kitchen cleaning up from breakfast and she turned to me and proudly showed me the bottom of her well-used pans exclaiming how clean and shiny they were. This memory comes to mind every so often because I didn’t understand then and quite honestly don’t understand now why that was a source of pride, until yesterday.

We’ve made it through another busy, busy weekend. Hope everyone had a nice, safe holiday. Thank you so much for all of your support. We loved making all of the pies for you!

What a weekend! To all who came to the bakery for walk up or pickup orders, thank you for braving the heat. We were happy to offer Strawberry Jam Creamssants and chilled bottles of Rosé as a special thank you for coming out — the Creamssants went fast! And for those we didn’t see, we hope you all made it through safely and soundly.

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and a Happy Father’s Day. Thank you for making us a part of your festivities, and we hope you got a chance to enjoy some of the special pastries on the menu. If not, we have decided to continue offering a few of these items on this weekend’s menu!

After work on Saturday, Stephen and I drove to Sauvie Island to go berry picking at Columbia Farms. Luckily we were able to get our work done before the deluge! Armed with empty flats filled with blue baskets, we plunked ourselves down in the section amongst the rows of Hood strawberries and relaxed into a culinary game of hide and seek. The berries were small and sweet. And delicious.

When pie sits, especially for a day or two after being baked, the flavor and texture of the crust, filling and topping have a chance to mingle and meld with one another. The delineation between each layer blurs, with the crust and streusel slightly softened and perfumed by the jamminess of the filling.

For years, I dreamt of working at the famed La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles under Nancy Silverton. Her pastries, while appearing quite simple and straightforward, were nuanced compositions with multiple layers of flavor and technique. That dream was realized when Nancy hired me away from my Spago to work as the Pastry Chef at Campanile, where the La Brea Bakery was born. Once I began working there, I came to enjoy one of my favorite benefits -- leftover pastries!

After work last weekend, I packed the car for the beach and drove west with my youngest, their best friend and his mom. This was exactly the rejuvenating getaway, I was craving. Each morning I awoke to the calming sound of the crashing surf. Our days were marked with two daily swims, one on either end of the day. The kids diving repeatedly for sunken gems, pool rings and rubber rockets. The squeals of delight and joy fill my heart after the quiet solitude of quarantine.