Roasted Garlic Butter Cookies?!

A little rain did not dampen the Easton Garlic Fest and we had a good weekend.

Thank you for all of the kind words of praise for our Roasted Garlic Butter Cookies. We brought 5000 Cookies to the festival, more than enough to satisfy the curiosity of those in attendance! It was great fun watching your facial expressions, and next time we’ll be sure to get a video montage.

Many of you asked about buying these as gifts, for holidays and other special occasions, and we’re working on how to make them more readily available.

As we head into the fall and winter, Roasted Garlic Butter Cookies will be available alongside our Sugar Cookies and other items, at Scholl Orchards and other pop-up market events.

The reviews are in:

“peculiarly delicious!” “wow, I wasn’t expecting that!”

Pair with: Chili, Soup, Mac & Cheese, Wine, Hot Cider, Cheese, Fruit, Hummus, Ice Cream

Dina HallComment
It's Official!

It’s official!

In less than three months, we completed the fit-out of a brand new baking kitchen in a charming, historic building in downtown Bethlehem.

Thanks to all who were a part of the process you know who you are!

We now provide our handmade baked goods at family-run markets across the greater Lehigh Valley, and also at festivals and community events. We’ll always strive to be a source of joy and goodness within the community.

We’re now focused on a select line of Sugar Cookies to be sold at local market stands. We’ll update the website and social media as we add markets to the list of places where you can buy the cookies. Our primary market source is Scholl Orchards and our cookies will be available there every day. Our seasonal mini pies will be available exclusively at Scholl Orchards, Thursday-Sunday.

We do feel the need to clarify–we're not open to the public, which is why we're not sharing our location. Keep an eye on our social media to find out what’s happening next.

Dina HallComment
Bittersweet News About Our Future

Way back in 2019 B.C. (before COVID), we had begun to shake things up at the bakeshop, starting with our Second Saturday initiative, which allowed us at least three Saturdays each month to participate in community events–including farmers markets and festivals, where it all started. The pandemic took all of that away from us, as we modified the busines operation for the sake of our health, our family AND our loyal customers. We’ve taken this very seriously for two years, and still do. Folks continue to ask when we will re-open for inside service. Well, the time has come to answer that question with full disclosure, and even as we write this, it’s difficult to form the words.

Starting April 3, Back Door Bakeshop will go back to its origins as a wholesale business. We will continue to provide baked goods at Scholl Orchards, and also at festivals and community events as mentioned earlier. We’ll continue to be a source of joy and positive energy within the community. Keep an eye on our social media to find out what’s happening next.

This is all very bittersweet for us, and we hope you understand that it wasn’t an easy decision. The most important thing is that we’ve missed too much time with our family, and we’re looking forward to making up for that lost time.

Creating and building Back Door Bakeshop has been the ride of a lifetime. Nine years ago, I never doubted the success we would achieve at 92 E. Broad St. but I certainly did not foresee how much I would learn and experience, or how many great people I would meet along the way. We have loved and cared for our little corner of Broad and Center, and we’ve expressed our neighborhood pride over these years with seasonal flowers and colorful umbrellas, tasteful lighting and our bright yellow door. These little things make people smile.

Now that there are only a few weeks before we move on to our next chapter, I’ve been reflecting on the past 13 years (yes, BDB was established in 2009 at 1422 Center Street) and thinking about the many wonderful moments and what I’ll miss the most. Here are just a few…morning sunlight shining through the kitchen window as I start my day rolling out scones or baking muffins; the sound of the front door jingling bells letting me know that customers are coiming and going; visiting a few friends outside at our sidewalk tables for a quick hello; folks waiting for their orders, sharing conversation whether they know each other or they just met; the rush that is lunchtime when I’d have 15 tickets hanging and Dina would hurry back and forth managing the front and back of house; the marathon that was Thanksgiving pie-making; and I could go on. There were days that were just plain exhausting, but those days brought such a sense of accomplishment. There were days that flowed almost effortlessly, and we felt so good about creating a peaceful, welcoming space that allowed people to pick up an affordable, healthy lunch and tasty treats.

I’ve truly appreciated the opportunity to create delicious combinations, sometimes at the suggestion of customers. When I created the Roasted Garlic Butter Cookie–a combination of garlic and butter and a hint of cayenne–that confounded many, but for some it’s become a weekly craving! I created sandwich, soup and quiche combinations that were a bit risky for the lunch crowd…jicama slaw, harissa chicken, jalapeño lime sauce, tom-tom sauce, peanut butter & pickles, tofu & caesar dressing, and of course all that is the Cheese Sub. My creativity in the kitchen depended on a willing audience and you proved to be up to the task and I thank you so very much.

This truly has been a roller coaster of an adventure and we’ve worked our butts off through most of it–farmers’ markets, festivals, pop-up cafes, and who can ever forget the Christmas City Village! I’ve never been prouder of anything I’ve done in my life and we persevered through some difficult times and came out on the other side. We will miss all of you, no doubt. Thank you, thank you, thank you…what a beautiful ride this has been.

And now of course, I’m asked “what are you gonna do next?” I like to re-frame that question into “what am I gonna do when I grow up”, ha-ha. Quick answer is I’m going to recognize my lifelong yet unrealistic desire to be a Park Ranger. The logical answer however is, I’m going to continue to reach for my goals, and go back to my roots as an entrepreneur and cookie baker, so stay tuned for more on that.

We must say Thank You to some very special friends and family who have helped us along the way–at the festivals; in the cold and the snow; in the heat and the rain; peeling apples; peeling peaches; washing dishes; painting; repairing; building; making deliveries–because sometimes it takes a village. There are too many to mention and we don’t want to leave anyone out. You know who you are!

And Thank You–a million times–to our wonderful, loyal customers! It’s been a pleasure to make food for you, to feed your families, and to know that you’ve trusted us with that life-sustaining task.

Cheers!

Gail and Dina

Dina HallComment
Chicken Pot Pie – ultimate comfort food

Chicken Pot Pies

Dina: Did you make Chicken Pot Pie before we met?

Gail: Nope, and I never had it growing up.

D: Not even the frozen ones?

G: No, and my mother never made it either, which is surprising because it totally fits what we ate as kids.

D: Oh wow, I grew up on Chicken Pot Pie as a comfort food. We always had Swanson, Stouffer’s or Marie Callender’s pot pies in the freezer. And when I was a young mother, it was an easy way to use leftovers, with very little cost involved. Of course, back then I made it family-style–in a rectangular pan–and it would last for at least two meals. But there was one thing that we had to have with it–a can of cranberry sauce!

D: So why did you decide to make chicken pot pie part of the BDB menu?

G: I didn’t decide that, you did.

D: Oh, that’s right.

G: So why did YOU want it to be part of the BDB menu?

D: Well, first of all, your pie crust is just the best, and we make pies, so why not offer a savory pie?!

The real story:

We introduced the Chicken Pot Pie in the winter of 2014, and if memory serves correctly it was in the aftermath of a major nor’easter. Poeple were having a hard time getting around town, and parking was almost impossible. The only folks who were coming out were our neighbors within walking distance, and we knew we had to make up for the loss of business lunches. The light bulb went on! Chicken Pot Pie!

Eight years later, this is an absolute customer favorite, and they start asking in November, “When will you be making Chicken Pot Pie?” Through January and February, we typically offer this every other weekend, serving 30-40 pot pies each day.

We start by oven-roasting all of the ingredients–chicken breasts, chopped carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and onions. Then we mix that with corn and peas. The 6” pie pans are already lined with Gail’s signature crust. They get filled with the mixture and topped with Dina’s delicious gravy, then sealed with the top crust and baked until golden brown.

*Although we typically use eco-friendly packaging, we place these in clear plastic clam shell containers, simply because they require stability for take-out bagging.

Dina HallComment
Elevate your Caesar Salad

I’m obsessed with pickled red onion! It's delicious on sandwiches, as a side or on a salad–which was my inspiration for this week's feature salad.

Pickled red onions are super easy to make plus they have a very long shelf life. Boil equal parts sugar and white vinegar until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture cool, add salt and pepper, and pour over thinly sliced red onion. Store overnight in a jar or other airtight container.

Pickled Red Onions

This featured salad begins with fresh, crisp produce–Romaine lettuce, carrots, red cabbage, cucumber, and grape tomatoes. Bring on the veggies, I say! Now, even though the pickled onions seem like the secret ingredient in this salad, it's really about the combination of all the components (yup, I'm talking about layering again).

Do you like croutons on your salad? House-made croutons are definitely a show stopper and very easy to make. You can use any bread, but we use a ciabatta roll, cut into 1" squares, toasted in the oven for seven minutes. Mix olive oil, melted butter, parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and salt and pepper. Toss the toasted bread cubes in this mixture and bake for another seven minutes, toss again and finish another seven minutes in the oven, or until you achieve the perfect crunch. Since every oven is different, you might need to adjust your baking times.

If you want to add some protein to this salad (or any salad for that matter) toasted chick peas add a savory, creamy yet toasty texture and balance the crunchy croutons and the acidic onions. Drain the chick peas, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake until they are toasty. As a bonus, we tossed these in the leftover butter mixture from making the croutons.

Shaved sharp parmesan cheese finishes this salad, and we chose Caesar dressing to top all of these fabulous components. Caesar dressing gives it the perfect combination of creaminess, salt and acidity. If you would like some extra protein with this salad, add sliced chicken, sirloin, or more chick peas, and it’s a very satisfying meal!


Caesar Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/8 cup dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic

3 lemons (juice and zest)

3 tsp. salt

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil (adjust if necessary)

Caesar Salad with Toasted Chick Peas and Pickled Red Onion

Dina HallComment
The Not-So-Ordinary Egg Sandwich

There are so many ways to make a great egg sandwich for breakfast, lunch, dinner–anytime is fine. We get plenty of requests for breakfast sandwiches. But since we don’t have a grill in our kitchen, we had to hone in on a concept that fits our operation and our brand. So we came up with two frittata sandwiches–the Imperial and the Florentina.

Let’s focus on the Florentina, whose name is derived from the traditional Florentine omelette. This sandwich features a frittata filled with spinach and grape tomatoes, which is baked in the oven. In this case, the ingredients are basic–eggs, milk, sauteed spinach, grape tomatoes, salt and pepper. Vigorously whip the eggs and milk with a fork in order to get a creamy texture. Since it’s going on a sandwich, I bake it in a rectangular pan so it can be cut into sandwich size squares.

To build the sandwich, lightly toast a jumbo English muffin and place the frittata on a bed of crisp greens, with a slice of cheddar cheese. Add fresh avocado on top to beef up the flavors, and smear dijon mustard on the lid. You can be generous with the mustard, it really does enhance every bite!

Florentina

Dina HallComment
Sweet Spot–Avocado Lime Muffin

AVOCADO LIME MUFFIN

This happens often in my day, I look around the kitchen and realize I have too many of this and too many of that. On one particular day it was avocados and limes. What to do?

A quick cookbook search led me to a way to include both ingredients in a muffin. I tweaked a couple of my trusted recipes to fit what I envisioned and woah! a new muffin was born.

Now, I can't share this recipe but I can offer a couple of secrets. The fat base is canola oil, not butter. The avocados must be ripe. I use both zest and juice of the lime and very importantly, salt–always use salt when baking. And the key flavor is the topping–surprisingly simple but it is the crowning jewel. (Dina gladly eats whatever crumbs fall off during the baking process). Without the topping it’s just another muffin.

We get many questions about this muffin so we find it best to explain it this way: The avocado provides a savory creaminess which is offset by the tang of the lime and those two flavor profiles are rounded out by the crunchy, yet delicate salty crumb topping.

We highly suggest cutting it in half, grilling it and topping it with our house-made Hot Pepper Jelly.

And don't forget a piping hot cup of Booskerdoo coffee to accompany this delicious breakfast or snack.

AVOCADO LIME MUFFIN WITH HOT PEPPER JELLY

Dina HallComment
It's all about the layers.

CHEESE SUB

At the top of our list of customer favorites is the Cheese Sub.

This deliciously filling sandwich is a perfect meatless option for any meal of the day (sure, you can enjoy it for breakfast).

The secret is all in the layers. We start with a well crafted ciabatta roll that is griddle-toasted to perfection so every bite has a crunch. We smear a generous amount of mayo on the lid, and then drizzle a mixture of olive oil, dried oregano and red wine vinegar on the bottom of the roll–just enough to not soak the bread.

The layers of the sandwich start at the bottom–crispy green leaf lettuce, two slices each of deli provolone and mozzarella cheese, tomato, onion and *cabbage slaw.

Every single bite gets more flavorful as the vinegar blends with the salt and pepper, and you might find yourself eating one a day, just like some of our customers do!

This is one of my absolute favorites on the menu! I love a good cheese sandwich, but this one is great. It's cousin to an Italian sub but the slaw gives an unexpected high note, a brightness to the flavor. I love the crunch it gives, too. And the oil & vinegar and mayo make it so luscious and satisfying.

- Donna M.

*Cabbage Slaw - red and green cabbage, matchstick carrots, dash of sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt n pepper

CHEESE SUB

Dina HallComment
You don't have to be afraid to make homemade dressings.

RUSSIAN DRESSING

Whether you’re preparing a salad or some other meal item, it’s common to be intimidated when it comes to making a homemade dressing. But once you find a recipe that meets your skill level in the kitchen, you’re on your way to unlocking the secret to delicious food!

Here are a couple of our favorites, along with the recipes that we use on our menu.

Rachel Wrap

Who doesn't love the Rachel sandwich concept? Savory roasted turkey breast with the bite of Swiss cheese and the sweetness of coleslaw! It’s long been a deli standard, and since many of our customers are often picking up lunch to take back to their office, we decided to make this a wrap to help make it a little less messy and a bit more desk-friendly.

This sandwich starts with green leaf lettuce, deli Swiss cheese, sliced turkey breast (roasted in-house). We top all of this with our house-made *coleslaw. The star of this wrap is the house-made Russian Dressing. With just five ingredients, this is a tangy, crunchy, creamy addition to elevate your taste buds. Additional dressing can certainly be used on a salad.

Russian Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoon ketchup

4 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Mix by hand.

*Coleslaw - green and red cabbage, matchstick carrots, scallions, mayo, sour cream, a dash of celery seed and a dash of sugar

RACHEL WRAP

Avocado Caesar Wrap

Every once in a while, a customer will make a special request and sometimes that request sparks a brand new menu item. The Avocado Caesar is a meatless version of our Chicken Caesar. As you can guess, the key ingredient is the Caesar Dressing which we make from scratch.

We begin by layering the vegetables on a 10" plain wrap. Start with a bed of fresh green leaf lettuce–chiffonade or whole pieces. Be generous with the greens since it should have a Caesar Salad feel to it. Top the greens with thin-sliced cucumbers and onions, diced tomatoes and a generous amount of fresh avocado (we use 1/2 to 3/4 of an avocado). Drizzle the Caesar Dressing over all the ingredients, roll the wrap, cut in half and enjoy.

Creamy Caesar Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/8 cup dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic

3 lemons (juice and zest)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil (more for salad dressing, less for sandwich spread)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix in food processor or use blending wand.



AVOCADO CAESAR

Dina HallComment
We made it this far, now let's take a few deep breaths.

As many of you know, in March 2020, we switched over to a drastically modified operation and we appreciate your patience as well as your trust in us. As any person in the restaurant business will tell you, our experience has been an incredible–sometimes breathtaking–challenge. We’re fortunate to have survived the pandemic (so far) by maintaining a very cautious behavior in both our business and personal life. We’ve been honest and fair with our customers, and we can’t thank you enough for supporting us above and beyond expectations.

Many of you have been asking when we will return to our original model, and that has been difficult to predict. Last month we sent a poll to several hundred folks on our email list and we heard back from many of you, forecasting the possible return to nearby offices starting in September. As the end of summer approaches, we must again transition into a new format, so here we are letting you know that it’s in progress.

After much contemplation and difficult decision-making, we’ve decided to close for the month of August. We’ll take some time to prepare for our new format–deep cleaning, painting, renovating our workspace–and we’ll also make time for much needed relaxation, with family whom we haven’t seen in almost two years.

So, we will be closed for the month of August and re-open Wednesday, September 8th. We’ll post the new hours of operation as that date gets close. We look forward to seeing you all again soon, and we hope you’re having an enjoyable summer.

Peace and thank you,

Gail and Dina

Dina HallComment
Just a note of appreciation, and hope.

We’d like to take a few minutes to look back on the past 13 months, and share our unique experience with you.

In March of 2020, we anticipated that it would be a long time before the COVID-19 pandemic would be over. We closed our front door and took a few days to figure out how to adjust our operation so that we could continue to serve our customers in the safest way possible. That meant using the walk-up window exclusively, and eventually shifting to an advance ordering and payment process.

One of the first things we noticed was that our core customer base–mostly business professionals–were no longer working in the offices near the bakeshop. That meant we had to identify who our new customers would be, and what they would want from us. Turns out we gained a whole new clientele from the nearby community, and modified our menu to suit their needs. Comfort food and family style meals seem to be what gets people through long winters and difficult times.

Now we’re welcoming spring and all that it brings. Many of us are getting vaccinated, and restrictions on restaurants are being lifted. We know it’s exciting to think about getting back to the days of visiting your neighborhood favorites and grabbing a cup of coffee, or a hearty lunch.

But as we all navigate this next phase, not every business is operating in the same way. We’ve been able to stay the course because we’ve remained careful, not just in the workplace but at home as well, and we plan to continue that way.

We believe our customers appreciate our methods, and they trust us to keep their health and safety in mind as we move forward. Please be patient with us, and give us your feedback as well. We want to hear from you.

Thank you so very much!
Gail and Dina

Dina HallComment
Second Saturdays

Effective January 1, we’ll be open on the Second Saturday of each month, so that we can participate in off-site special events.

Many of our long-time customers remember that we built our business on community involvement, and the personal interaction that comes with that. It's been a long time since we've been able to get out into the community and be a part of the many festivals, farmers markets and other pop-up events across the region.

We look forward to seeing you out there, and we'll do our best to make Second Saturdays at the bakeshop a little extra special for our regular customers.

(closed on the other Saturdays of the month)

Dina HallComment