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Craig Watson
Baker
Education
- MBA, Marketing, Wilmington University
- BS, Finance & Accounting, New Jersey City University
Professional Achievements
- Award-Winning Bakery, Best of Manhattan
- Appeared as a Guest on the Today Show
- American Express featured business
- Featured in a Shopify Commercial
Certifications & Organizations
- MWBE Certified
Favorite Piece of Advice
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Forum Comments (1)
1. Start Simple: Mix equal parts flour and water (e.g., 1/2 cup each) in a clean jar. Use unbleached flour for best results. Cover loosely and let it sit at room temperature.
2. Feed Regularly: Discard half and feed with fresh flour and water every 12-24 hours. Look for bubbles and a slightly tangy smell—this means it’s alive!
3. Be Patient: It can take 5-7 days for your starter to be strong enough for baking. Don’t rush it—good things take time.
Q&A Comments (3)
Co-authored Articles (109)
How to
Measure Grams
The gram is the basic unit of measurement for weight and mass in the metric and SI measurement systems. It is often used to weigh small items, such as dry goods in a kitchen. The only way to accurately measure in grams i...
How to Prepare Fresh Cranberries in the Oven, on the Stovetop, & More
Spice up mealtime with these tangy cranberry dishesFresh cranberries are a nutritional powerhouse, packing plenty of vitamin C, fiber, and more disease-fighting antioxidants than nearly any other fruit into a sweet and t...
155+ Best Birthday Cake Messages: Funny, Simple & Meaningful
What to write on a birthday cake to celebrate your loved one Looking for short, meaningful, or witty messages to frost on a birthday cake? We’ve got you covered! In this article, we’re providing the ultimate list of ...
3 Easy Ways to Make Edible Tea Cups
Craft teacups out of chocolate, ice cream cones, or gum pasteDainty teacups that you can actually eat make a wonderful addition to children’s birthday parties or afternoon teas (and also let you channel your inner Will...
How to
Dry Whole Oranges
Drying whole oranges takes some time but is simpler than you might think. You can dry them in the oven or use a food dehydrator if you have one at home. Dried oranges can be used for au naturel holiday decor, craft proje...
How to
Make Dough Rise Faster
Before you can bake bread, you have to let the dough rise. Waiting for dough to rise usually takes anywhere between 1-3 hours, but who has time for that? If you're looking for a way to get that dough to rise faster, we'r...
How to
Store Stollen
Stollen is a rich, buttery bread that’s often packed with nuts, candy, or fruit. This traditional German bread is normally served around the holidays, but it can be made weeks ahead of time because of its long shelf li...
340+ Funny & Creative Sourdough Starter Name Ideas
Plus, tips to come up with a unique starter nameTaking care of a sourdough starter is like taking care of a pet… You have to feed it regularly and make sure it stays at a comfortable temperature. Since you’ll be spen...
How to
Make Homemade Chocolate
The thought of rich, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate is hard to get out of your head once you’ve got a craving. You don’t have to run out and buy a candy bar to get your fix though. We’ll show you how to make y...
How to
Bloom Yeast
Yeast, a microorganism that consumes sugars to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol, is an essential part of many baked and brewed products. "Blooming" or "proofing" is a simple process to test whether the yeast is alive a...
How to
Cook Chestnuts
Chestnuts are sweet, earthy treats cultivated in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Though you can eat some strains raw, cooking your chestnuts will bring out the rich flavors most people associate them with.
How to Check if Yeast is Still Good + Substitutions if It's Bad
Test your yeast before baking with this quick kitchen hackIf you’re baking and don’t know how long that yeast has been sitting in your kitchen, there are easy ways to see if it’s still good. Yeast is actually a mic...
How to
Make Homemade Butterscotch
A very simple recipe for an age-old delicious candy. Some have documented that "buttery toffee" is often called butterscotch—Scotch being an old adjective for Scotland—which suggests it was invented in the country.
How to
Use a Cookie Press
A cookie press can turn cookie dough into perfect, professional-looking cookies. Once your cookie press is loaded with dough, all you have to do is press the dough onto a baking sheet, and voila! Once you get the hang of...
How to
Replace All Purpose Flour with Cake Flour
If you want your baked goods to be lighter and fluffier, try using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour in your recipes. Cake flour has less protein and gluten than other types of flours, meaning that it produces bak...
How to
Make Sugar Glass
Sugar glass (also known as glass candy) looks just like glass, except that you can eat it. Not only is it tasty to munch on—you can also use it to decorate cakes and cupcakes, too! This article will show you how to mak...
How to
Eat Custard Apples
Custard apples (also known as “cherimoya”) have a somewhat deceiving name—they’re not actually apples at all, but a type of flavorful tree fruit that grows mostly in subtropical regions. However, their sweet, cre...
How to
Make a Jello Mold
The Jello mold is a brightly colored dessert made of sweetened refrigerated gelatin. It is often layered and displayed before serving to show off its smooth, sculpted shape. The gelatin will take the shape of any mold yo...
What Cake Flavor Am I Quiz
Cake. It’s delicious! But have you ever thought what flavor of cake you would be? Answer these fun personality questions to learn what type of cake you’re most like! link=|alt=A whole red velvet cake on a plate, ...
How to
Bake
Baking - it's a process so fundamentally simple that the earliest bakers managed to bake with only hot rocks over 4,000 years ago. Yet, because it allows for truly vast culinary complexity, baking is still an area of ex...
