News, Notes & Recipes
Cozy season is here.
October invites us back into the kitchen—with cozy meals, warm spices, and a hint of Halloween magic. Whether you're stirring a cozy soup, carving a jack-o’-lantern masterpiece, or hosting a haunted happy hour, we have the tools to help you make the most of the season. Below you’ll find ideas, inspiration, and product recommendations to turn autumn ingredients into amazing meals.
All Things Pumpkin – Sweet and Savory
Pumpkin takes center stage this month—we're baking it, blending it, and yes, carving faces into it.
Fall ready kitchen essentials:
Pie Pans & Tart Molds – Ideal for classic pumpkin pies and savory bakes
Silicone Baking Mats – Reusable, non-stick, and great for baking and roasting
Immersion Blenders – Perfect for blending soups, sauces, and purees
Pumpkin Carving Tools – Designed for safe, detailed carving
Get ready to blend your way to deliciousness! We love the Vitamix Immersion Blender for its power, versatility, and ease of use. With a 625-watt motor, it handles tough ingredients like frozen fruit, squash, and leafy greens effortlessly. Designed for one-handed use—whether you're right- or left-handed—it lets you add ingredients as you blend. Five speed settings and a 4-pronged blade give you control over texture, while the unique bell guard reduces suction, improves flow, and protects your containers from scratches. It works in any container with a 3-inch-wide opening, including smoothie cups and wide-mouth Mason jars, and its 5-foot cord offers plenty of flexibility for easy, reliable blending.
Autumn’s Bounty – Apples, Squash & Root Vegetables
October’s harvest brings some of the best produce of the year. Apple pies, roasted squash, mashed parsnips... it’s cozy food season.
Your go-to tools for cozy kitchen meals:
Dutch Ovens & Roasting Pans – Essential for braises, stews, and roasted vegetables
Vegetable Peelers & Mandolines – Make prep fast, safe, and precise
Apple Corers & Slicers – Great for baking, snacking, or canning
Get to the core of your apple peeling with ease! Peeling, coring, and slicing apples is a breeze with the PL8 Professional Apple Machine—perfect for pies, tarts, desserts, snacks, and more! If you’ve ever struggled with apple peelers that need to be clamped to your counter, this one’s for you. It has a tilted ergonomic base and silicone-wrapped legs that keep it steady on any surface, no clamps needed. Plus, the stainless-steel legs fold up for easy, compact storage.
October 16th: World Bread Day
Let’s break bread—literally. Celebrate the crusty, chewy, perfectly proofed magic of baking bread from around the world.
Essential equipment for great bread:
Bread Ovens & Proofing Baskets – Support structure and better rise
Ankarsrum Mixer – Built to handle dense doughs and daily use
Baking Stones & Peels – Don’t forget pizza! Achieve a crisp, artisan-style crust
Bread Knives & Cutting Boards – Clean cuts for beautiful presentation
Great for beginner bakers, this BPA-free banneton from King Arthur’s Kitchen makes it easy to create beautiful 1½ to 2-lb artisan loaves. It features a classic coiled pattern and a removable disk for either traditional or embossed designs—and it’s dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.
The Le Creuset Bread Oven is a total game changer—you knead this in your life! The domed lid helps your bread rise nice and tall while locking in flavor, and the low, wide base gives you that perfectly golden, crispy crust. It’s easy to use and even easier to clean, thanks to the matte black interior enamel. With comfortable handles and a sturdy knob, this bread oven makes it simple to bake like a pro right in your own kitchen.
We love this 13” glazed pizza stone from Old Stone Pizza Kitchen. The glazed surface doesn’t absorb oils, so cleanup’s a breeze—no parchment needed, even for buttery cookies or pastries. Built-in handles make it easy to move, and it heats evenly for perfectly crisp, delicious results every time.
Monthly Recipe
Whether you're a seasoned cook or just getting started, you’ll find inspiring recipes featuring tools and ingredients we personally know and love. Many items used in these recipes are available in our store, so you can recreate each dish with confidence and ease. Bon Appetit!
We’ve got loads of pesto on hand—and this basil pesto bread is one of our favorite ways to use it up. Swirled with herby, garlicky goodness, it’s soft, flavorful, and perfect for snacking, sandwiches, or serving alongside dinner. Recipe courtesy of Le Creuset.
*See notes below on product recommendations you can find in our store
Image courtesy of Le Creuset
Instructions:
Place milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, and stir to combine. Add eggs, honey, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, mix for about 4-5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter and mix again until combined. If the dough is very sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, a bit at a time, until the dough is smooth to touch.
Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and pesto in a small bowl.
To form the loaf, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and punch down. Roll dough evenly into a 12x18-inch rectangle. Spread the pesto butter evenly over the top of the dough. Starting with the longer end, tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch long log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. Place the halves next to one another with cut sides facing up. Pinch the ends together on one side and gently twist the 2 pieces of dough around each other 3 to 4 times. Finish by pinching the ends together. Carefully shape the twisted dough into a ring by bringing the pinched ends together.
Brush the base of a Bread Oven with oil. Carefully place the braided loaf into the base of the Bread Oven. Cover with the lid and set in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until risen and puffy.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Place covered Bread Oven in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-25 minutes longer, until golden-brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before removing bread from the base.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm milk
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
3 1/2-4 cups all purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup prepared basil pesto
Vegetable oil
Braided Basil Pesto Bread
Recipe Notes:
This tender, herb-flavored bread proves that pesto can be used for much more than just a sauce for pasta. The bright green sauce is swirled throughout a brioche-style dough to add an aromatic freshness and a beautiful pop of color. Made in the Bread Oven, the dough is braided into a loaf that looks impressive but is simple for anyone to master.
Image courtesy of Ankarsrum
*Pepperberries Product Recommendations
Kitchen Scale—The most accurate way to bake is by weighing your ingredients with a scale rather than just using measuring cups and spoons. The precise measurements will increase accuracy and consistency, leading to better loaves. We have numerous kitchen scales in stock, but our favorite is the Pana Baker’s Scale by Escali.
Stand Mixer—All of us at Pepperberries recommend Ankarsrum’s Assistant Original Mixer. It is, hands down, the best mixer on the market. The powerful motor is a true workhorse, capable of making 5kg of dough at a time—that’s approximately 11 lbs. of bready goodness! With numerous colors and finishes in stock, some see us today and let our knowledgeable staff show you why the Ankarsrum Assistant is right for you!