A Heartfelt Farewell

And a request to bake the world a better place. [logo]( Sunday Recipe Inspiration Batch 424 [Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza]( Well, my friends, I'm coming to you this week with a heavy heart. This is my last email to you all from my place as King Arthur's Test Kitchen Manager. By the time you read this, I will have tasted my final bites from the Test Kitchen and shut down my laptop one last time. It's honestly all I can do to fight the tears now as I type. Three years ago, I took the reins of these Sunday recipe emails from our beloved blogging and editing friend, PJ Hamel. At the time, I didn't realize what an honor it would be to be a part of your inboxes every week. But it truly has been that and so much more. Writing to you, my fellow bakers and companions, has been a weekly highlight for me, and I'm going to miss it and you tremendously. So let's bake together one final week — and perhaps even beyond if our paths cross again (I do plan to keep writing and baking for a long time to come, so I hope we'll find each other sooner rather than later). This week, I have for you a handful of recipes that represent some of my proudest recipe development milestones here at King Arthur. I'll start with none other than our 2019 and 2020 Recipes of the Year, [Classic Birthday Cake]( and [Crispy Cheesy Pan Pizza]( (above). These are by far the two recipes I have spent the most time developing in my 10 years here, and I'm proud of how far they've come. Vanilla (or yellow) cake is one of those impossibly challenging recipes to get right by everyone's tastes. So the fact that our birthday cake recipe is beloved by so many of you warms me to pieces. As for pizza, it's hard to get wrong, but again, you all have shown this pan pizza some everlasting love. I couldn't be more thrilled by its success. The more under-the-radar recipes I'm proud of include those that were influenced by my own family's recipes and traditions. This [Almond Galette]( and this [Almond Roll]( (do we see a theme?) are both near and dear to my heart. The galette is something I grew up eating during winter trips to France to visit my family — it's typically available there throughout January and February. And the bûche-like roll is based on a cake my mom made every year for Christmas and sometimes my birthday. These are the recipes I hope to pass along to my own children as they grow, and perhaps you'll find a place for them among your traditions too. The final recipe I want to call out is this [No-Knead Sourdough Bread](. I was barely a yeast baker when I started at King Arthur, so sourdough was well beyond me. Over my years here, I spent a lot of time learning about sourdough baking, and this recipe is the result of some of my early sourdough discoveries. I still fondly recall the first time I took the lid off the baker after pulling it from the oven. I had achieved my very first unassisted bread "ear." I was overjoyed then, and I still beam at the results today. May it (and everything else you bake) spark the same pride and joy for you. And with that, I will leave you. Please keep on baking. It really does make the world a better place. Also, if you're out there in the land of social media and on the interweb, come find me! I'm always happy to hear from old friends. Happy baking! Charlotte Test Kitchen Manager Recipes We're Baking This Week ★★★★☆ [Classic Birthday Cake]( ★★★★★ [King Arthur's Almond Galette]( ★★★★☆ [Almond Roll]( ★★★★★ [No-Knead Sourdough Bread]( Baking Gluten-Free? From flourless to wheat-free, we have recipes to inspire you. Search for a classic or discover a new favorite. 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