Hi! I’m Dorian and thank you so much for checking out my little corner of the internet. I’m a home baker who loves making things for her friends and family. Here you’ll find a plethora of delicious recipes which are great for sharing.
Dib is my initials (Dorian Ilene Beecher) and I’ve been affectionately called Dib (Dibs, Dibby, or Dibbys) by my friends and family throughout my life.
Please bake along with me and we can become better bakers together!
Proverbs 31:25
More about my baking!
Who taught you how to bake and what got you started?
My earliest memories of baking are pulling a chair up to the kitchen counter and helping my mom make Christmas cookies. I remember being taught the difference between baking soda and baking powder and making sure I don’t mix up which is which. As a child, the idea of making something from seemingly nothing was fascinating for me. When I was growing up, we used a lot of box baking mixes, and I think that gave me a standard of how good “homemade” things can taste.
What do you personally get from baking?
The joy I get from pulling a finished product from the oven or the fridge is just amazing. Theres a kind of nervously when making something, even if you’ve made it a hundred times before, that it might not come out right. And then when it comes out and you taste it and it tastes amazing, its just an indescribable joy. I love that feeling, and I love when I can share my baked goods with others. I can be shy and it’s a great way for me to show my appreciation to those around me.
How wide/varied is your baking repertoire?
I love baking new things, anything that sounds like it would taste good I’m willing to try to bake. I have made cakes, cookies, brownies, breads, muffins, biscuits, scones, pastries, and custards. If I have a dessert at a restaurant or café that I enjoy, I learn how to make it. I am sure there are plenty of things I have never even attempted, just because I am unfamiliar with it. The biggest appeal to being on the Great American Baking Show is learning how to make new things.
How do you improve/develop your baking?
I improve my baking by taking notes when I bake something for the first time of things that could be better in the future, and then try different suggestions to improve the item. An example would be when I worked to perfect my cakes. I bought new cake pans and followed the directions the first time I got serious about making a yellow cake. The second time I used cake flour, instead of all-purpose as recommended, to improve the crumb, and then the next time I swapped the icing for a different recipe, and I now have a favorite yellow cake/icing recipe combo.
My development of new skills most often comes from trying new recipes I find online or in books. I love sourcing recipes from the New York Times because of the comment section where people can add insight as to what worked or didn’t work in the recipe. I found that it’s been really helpful to hear from other experienced bakers in regard to specific recipes. I typically study a recipe for at least a few days, sometimes up to a few weeks prior to making it, so I really understand what’s involved. I also have a few baking basics cookbooks that I use for things such as pie dough, shortbread, and pastry cream.
How often do you bake and how big a part of your life is baking?
I typically bake at least once a week for my small group. I have always loved baking and making new things, but I quickly realized that I need to give my bakes away because I cannot eat them all on my own. Baking for my small group has allowed me to try new recipes and receive feedback as to what’s good and what needs improvement. It is also a great way to present my bakes as freshly as possible and with the best presentation. The small group is at my house, so the bake does not need to be transported or stored for a long period of time.
I would say baking is a huge part of my life. I didn’t realize it was until a took few weeks off from baking, just due to the flow of life, and when I baked something again, I realized how much I missed it. I find baking to be a mediative practice – I love taking the time to learn the recipe, gather the ingredients, and follow the instructions to make the item. Baking is also a great reminder to slow down and pay attention. I must be really intentional as to not rush myself through the process, because I find baking so exciting.
Why do you bake?
I bake because I love baked goods, and I love the process of learning and creating something new. I bake as often as I can for whoever wants or needs something. Recently I’ve started baking for the “behind the scenes” team at my church which is around 20 people. I love the opportunity to bake for them because I get to make a lot of things and its always appreciated. I also bake for my family for family get-togethers and holidays, and I bake for parties I host with my friends.
What’s your signature bake?
My signature bake is my cinnamon rolls, one of my friends introduced me to homemade cinnamon rolls in college and I just decided they would become my signature. The recipe is adapted from Paula Deen, so it has tons of butter and sugar. The dough is extremely light while still being fluffy and sturdy enough to support the filling and icing on top. It’s a yeasted dough but it rises quickly in my warm kitchen.
The cinnamon rolls became my signature when I started bringing them to my family holiday parties. For a while only my parents and siblings knew, but the knowledge has since spread to my extended family as well as my friends. Now my cinnamon rolls are often requested at any mention of brunch. My favorite cinnamon roll memory is when I brought them home for a family brunch and I told my family, half joking, that there were enough for everyone to have two. Well, everyone ate exactly their two, with my brother-in-law getting a third and being reprimanded because he ate someone’s second roll unknowingly. Also, on another occasion my dad was scraping bottom of the pan into the storage container with the rolls because he didn’t want to waste a single bit.
What is your family history around baking?
When I think of family memories around baking, Christmas cookies is the first thing that comes to mind. My parents are very health conscious, so baked goods always came with restrictions with the exception of Christmas cookies. We made and ate as many different types of cookies as we could think of, I loved spending that time with my mom. We had a large Betty Crocker cookbook, and we would pull all sorts of cookie recipes out of there. Our favorites were the peanut butter and oatmeal cookies, and they are still my preferred recipes for those cookies. My family doesn’t have a lot of handed-down recipes because my mom’s mom was not a baker, so my mom and I found good recipes together while I was growing up. My dad’s mom is a baker, but the type that you must sit and watch to get the recipe. She makes fantastic cakes and has shared with me her tips and tricks.
What hobbies do you have besides baking?
I enjoy knitting, crotchet, and gardening. I also love going on long walks (5-15 miles) and playing volleyball.
What’s your greatest ambition in life?
My greatest ambition in life is to be known among my friends and family as someone they can count on. Someone who will be there when needed and someone who has a positive presence.
What’s your greatest achievement so far?
I think my greatest achievement so far is getting to where I am in life now. I feel like I am surrounded by love from my husband, family, and friends. I feel very secure with where we are financially and in my job. We have a nice home that fits our needs and wonderful dog and cat. I am continuing to grow and learn new things.
Dib Bakes 