Know your spices

By Jessica Littmann, a teacher, writer, mother of three girls and supporter of Baker Demonstration School from Evanston, Illinois.

I grew up in a house where cinnamon was a pallid afterthought in a shaker jar. Even now, after years in culinary rehab, a visit to The Spice House is enough to send me into sensory overload. Before the door even opens, the heady aroma of dozens of mingled spices wafts into the street. Inside, a dizzying array of glass jars line the shelves, filled with spices of every hue and shape.  For the holiday baker who just wants to know how to flavor her pumpkin pie, the choices can be overwhelming.  Whether it’s a hit of cinnamon or a whisper of cardamom, our guide to knowing your baking spices—how to store them, use them, and mix them—can take your baked creations from pleasant to transcendent. 

An affordable luxury

Long ago, nations were built and destroyed on treasured spices like peppercorns and nutmeg.  The ancient Egyptians used cinnamon, anise, and cumin to preserve bodies for burial.  Romans added cloves to their wine. In China, ginger was used as a treatment for the common cold. Over hundreds of years, the spice trade expanded the world of commerce and culture, creating a worldwide marketplace centuries before the global economy became a catchphrase.  Now that spices are grown across the world, they are more accessible to bakers than ever before.

Sniff check for freshness

It’s easy to tell if your spice stash is fresh: just take a whiff.  If you don’t smell much, it’s time to toss.  The volatile oils that give spices their characteristic flavor and aroma deteriorate quickly.  Air, heat, and light hasten the process of deterioration.

Whether it’s a specialty store that grinds its own spices or an ethnic market, purchasing your spices at a store that sells a high volume of spices helps guarantee freshness and quality.  Remember how perishable spices are, and resist buying more than you can use in the next few months.

The convenience of pre-ground spices is undeniable, but they have a much shorter shelf life than whole spices. You can use a mortar and pestle, like this gorgeous set from Emile Henry, to pulverize whole spices.

Storing your spice stash

Use a small stainless steel funnel to transfer your spices into glass containers. These airtight round or oval beauties are not only lovely to look at, but are practical as well.  Glass containers will not absorb flavors and will help you see at a glance when you are running low.  Store your spice jars away from the range and out of direct sunlight.

Our favorite fall flavors for baking

Before you put on your apron and get festive, we’ve done a quick roundup of our favorite fall flavors for baking. 

Remember that part of the fun is choosing and making your own spice mixtures.  Baking spices combine so well with each other that you can’t go wrong.  Play with proportions to create your own ideal mix for apple pie spice using cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, and maybe a bit of ginger—or start with a set recipe, like this one for Pumpkin Pie Spice from The Kitchn. 

Rather than locking yourself into a specific ratio of spices, you can improvise and, as Serious Eats suggests, use a Masala Dabba to spoon spices into your filling or cake batter. 

The All-Stars

 Some spices can stand alone as the dominant flavor in your favorite recipe.

Although there are hundreds of different varieties of cinnamon, all derived from the bark of trees, they can be divided into two categories: cassia, which is more pungent and dark, and “true” cinnamon, which is light tan and has a softer flavor.

If you’re baking something like Smitten Kitchen’s Whole-Grain Cinnamon Swirl Bread, where the spice is the star player in the recipe, look for cinnamon that packs a punch, like Saigon Cinnamon (which is actually, and confusingly, cassia).  A quick sniff will help you decide which variety is right for your pie or cinnamon rolls.

Ginger, like cinnamon, has a distinctive flavor and is a holiday baking favorite in gingersnaps and gingerbread.  Dried ginger loses its spicy bite quickly especially quickly, so make sure yours is fresh. Layer dried ginger with fresh or crystallized ginger for a richer taste, as in this recipe for Hot and Sweet Gingerbread from King Arthur Flour.  Ginger also adds a twist to fruit pies, crumbles, and crisps.

The Gamechangers

There are two spices that may surprise you when they steal the spotlight. 

Anise seed, with its characteristic licorice zing, is a classic in German Pfeffernusse, like in this recipe from Barefeet in the Kitchen, and in Italian Pizzelle Cookies like these from Food Blogga’s Susan Russo. 

Cardamom, which has an enticing ginger-citrus aroma, perks up dessert recipes like this Pulla, or braided Finnish bread, from Saveur.  Cardamom is also delicious with bananas—try adding it to your favorite banana bread recipe.

The Mixers

Some spices just taste better in mixed company.  Mixers lend warm flavor to spice cakes like pastry chef David Lebovits’ Pain d’Epices.   They also also combine well with all-stars like cinnamon and ginger, as in this recipe for Lebkuchen from Brown-Eyed Baker.

Cloves, which are the dried bud of an evergreen tree, resemble little nails.  They can be used ground in combination with other spices, or whole to make scented pomanders like the ones featured on Simple Bites. 

Like cloves, Nutmeg was one of the most precious spices in ancient times.  It deepens flavor and provides an assertive counterpoint to the richness in creamy desserts like cheesecake.  Mace, which is the dried webbing that surrounds nutmeg seeds, has a lighter, more floral flavor, and a natural affinity for fruit.  Try subbing it for nutmeg in your apple pie.

Allspice, the dried berry of a Jamaica tree, looks like a wizened peppercorn but tastes like a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  It is used for both savory dishes and in combination with other spices for baking.

However you spice things up this season, remember that sometimes a jolt of the unexpected—like a grinding of fresh pepper in your gingerbread—can help you put your own twist on traditional holiday baking.

 

What’s your favorite way to add spice to your holiday baking?