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Home › Forums › Baking — Breads and Rolls › What are you Baking the Week of August 9, 2026?
Mike Nolan.On Sunday, I made dough for Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers. I divided it into four pieces, wrapped each in saran, and refrigerated them. I will bake the cracker later this week after the dough rests in the refrigerator for three or four days.
Mike, if you object, feel free to delete this post. This isn't a baking question:
BakerAunt, I think I've read on this site that you taught college (as I recall) English. I have a question that Google doesn't give an answer clear to me. If it's in Strunk & White, I'm not seeing it. I'm a writer, and I've noticed that lately, I like -ing words. I didn't study English in college, although I took some literature classes. What I vaguely remember about -ing words goes clear back to elementary school. I'm fairly certain we were told not to use them, or to use them sparingly. Yet I find myself gravitating toward words that end in -ing.
What are words ending in -ing called? And do editors frown on them as much as my elementary school teachers?
If you choose to answer this, thank you. If not, thank you for thinking about it.
Wrong category, but that's OK, I may move it at some point.
The simple answer is that they are usually gerunds, verbs acting as a noun by adding 'ing'.
I like swimming.
Sometimes they're called the present participle or the gerund participle, depending upon the specific context.
The swimming dog was wet.
I was swimming.
Italian Cook--I thought about your question overnight and pulled out my copy of The Elements of Style (Strunk and White), the only book on writing and grammar that I think is worthwhile because it is easy to read, well organized, and nice and short. I'm puzzled as to what your teacher meant, as I do not think that there is any rule about overusing words ending in "ing." Now, words ending in "ize" are another matter, as Strunk and White note. Those should be used sparingly.
So, I would say, go ahead and use words ending in "ing" as much as you wish.
At the local thrift store, a couple of weeks ago, I found a heavyweight, square muffin pan, with a capacity of 6 cups, that makes 12 muffins. The brand name is Technique. I decided to bake Ellen's buns on Monday and to divide the dough into the pans. They baked about 3 minutes faster than when baked in a 10 x 10-inch pan. It made great little sandwich buns for our chicken salad tonight.
As I was heating up the oven anyway, I also put together a double recipe of my adaptation of the Soft Oatmeal Cookies from Jennie Can Cook. I usually use white whole wheat flour, but this time I decided to use whole wheat pastry flour, since I have to buy it in 8 lb. bags. I have not tried the cookies yet, but Scott had one after dinner, and he gave great reviews to the new, softer version, so I may be making that substitution from now on. With the increase in electrical utility rates, I am trying to plan my baking, so that I use an already heated up oven for a second bake.
Thanks, BakerAunt, for checking The Elements of Style (Strunk & White). I had searched it and didn't see anything to answer my question. I also like Strunk & White for its simplicity and ease of use. I have two other style books for specific purposes, with many more pages that are onerous to use. Now that an English expert says I can use as many -ing words as I want, I'm relieved. I submitted a creative nonfiction piece that I deemed publishable. I used several -ing words in it, because I wanted a fast pace and believed the ing words created that. After submitting it, my elementary school teacher entered my mind and her admonitions gave me doubt. I'll forgive her, because she introduced us to William Faulkner, who became my favorite author in grade school.
And thanks, Mike, for the grammar/gerund lesson. What I know, I know; what I don't know, I really don't know, and gerunds were obviously one I didn't know. I appreciate your answer!
BakerAunt, I'm intrigued by your square muffin pan. I haven't visited a thrift store for ages and now wonder what I've missed. I think I'll call my thrifting buddy and schedule us a tour of the local thrifts.
Italian Cook--I hope you find some interesting items while thrifting. (That's a good "ing" word!)
On Wednesday morning, I baked six Blueberry Oat Muffins using the rest of the blueberries from our two bushes. These are small berries, and I probably had about ¼ cup, so I made a half recipe and made sure that berries were in each muffin.
On Friday, it was cooler (upper 70s), so I baked a loaf of my Rustic Sourdough Whole Grain Bread in a Cloche.
On Saturday, I baked Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese crackers from the dough I made last week. Surprisingly, Scott still has some of the previous batch of crackers left, so I am ahead.
On Saturday I made honey wheat bread.