Amy Riolo's Blog: My Top 5 Italian Baking Videos & Reflections on Baking

May 19 is World Baking Day....and I'm more than happy to commemorate my favorite activity. This year the holiday seems especially timely since I've recently decided to dedicate my next book to the subject!

Baking is in my blood. It's the first activity I remember doing when I was three years old. My fascination with baking traditions began by watching my grandmother and grew throughout my lifetime of travel, research, and education.

As a young girl, I was mesmerized by the fact that a few simple ingredients could be mixed together to produce a magical muffin, crunchy cookie, gooey pie or hot, fresh, crusty bread that would transform an average day into a special occasion. I come from a long line of recreational and professional bakers, and my favorite food memory took place in my ancestral homeland of Calabria, Italy.

I'll never forget strolling through Crotone's centro storico - mesmerized by the aroma of freshly baked bread while watching children playing ball in the narrow alleys where clothes were hung out to dry between the pastel colored buildings.

Some of our Crotonese relatives own panifici, or bread shops, which make savory, artisan baked goods in wood burning ovens. Walking through their bakery for the first time, I had an epiphany. One of the few traditions that both the American and Italian sides of our family still had in common after a century of being divided by an ocean was traditional baking. I realized that the ritual of baking is much more than a means to satisfy hunger - it is a link to our past and an edible culture to pass down to future generations.

Here are a few recipes that I'd love to help preserve........