Kelly Jaggers is a food photographer, food stylist, recipe developer and cookbook author who specializes in indulgent, seasonal recipes. She shares her creations on the blog Evil Shenanigans, where she focuses on fresh, local ingredients and bold flavors. Kelly says she enjoys cooking with high-quality basics—grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and whole, natural ingredients—and has a particular fondness for butter, vanilla beans, chili peppers and chocolate. Her recipes often highlight fresh produce and spices, reflecting a love for both comfort food and more exotic tastes. Kelly lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband and three dogs and brings practical, approachable techniques to home bakers and cooks.
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Kelly’s Small-Batch Soft Pretzels
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Baking for One: Practical Tips
Baking for yourself doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or technique. Kelly’s approach to small-batch baking emphasizes ease, consistency and minimal waste. Below are her core principles for successful single-serve or small-batch baking, distilled into clear, usable advice for home cooks.
1. Stock up on staples: Keep a basic pantry of flour, sugar, leavening agents (yeast, baking powder, baking soda), salt, butter and a few essential spices. These items form the foundation of most baked goods and allow you to prepare a wide range of recipes without frequent trips to the store.
2. Prepare before you begin: Read the entire recipe first so you know the timing, equipment and any steps that require ingredients to be at room temperature. Pre-measuring ingredients and arranging your bowls, pans and tools in advance makes the process smoother and prevents mistakes. Let cold ingredients warm slightly when directed; this helps doughs and batters come together more predictably.
3. Watch the bake closely: Small-batch items can go from perfectly done to overbaked very quickly because of their reduced mass. Use your oven light, check with a toothpick or digital thermometer when appropriate, and rely on visual cues—color, texture and spring-back—to determine doneness. Ovens vary, so learn how yours performs and adjust times and temperatures as needed.
4. Scale and adapt thoughtfully: When halving or otherwise scaling recipes, pay attention to how moisture and leavening scale down. Some recipes adapt perfectly; others require small adjustments. For yeast breads and enriched doughs, allow for proper proofing times and check dough behavior rather than relying solely on clock time.
5. Embrace batch-friendly techniques: Freeze extra dough portions, par-bake shells or prepare mix-ins ahead of time to make future baking sessions more efficient. Small-batch recipes are ideal for testing new flavors and techniques without committing to full-sized recipes.
In her cookbook, The Ultimate Baking for One Cookbook (Adams, 2022), Kelly offers 175 recipes tailored to single-serve and small-batch baking. The book focuses on accessible recipes that minimize waste while delivering rich, satisfying results. Whether you’re making pretzels, quick breads, cookies or individual cakes, Kelly’s recipes aim to make baking for one both practical and indulgent.