About
Welcome to Doggone Baking
Welcome to Doggone Baking, a pie blog dedicated to Everything Pie. Here you’ll find recipes, baking science, food history, and flavor inspiration all in one place. From researching centuries-old recipes, to testing modern viral hits, my goal is to share not only delicious pies, but also the fascinating stories baked into them.
Doggone Baking began in 2025 as a way to combine my lifelong love of science with my professional background in baking. It’s part kitchen experiment, part historical deep dive, and entirely pure pie enthusiasm. If you’ve ever wondered how to make flaky pie crust, wanted to discover new regional pie recipes, or tried to track down that long-lost recipe your great-grandma used to make, you’re in the right place.
About Me
Hi, I’m Jennifer Sterbenz, the baker, researcher, and pie fanatic behind Doggone Baking.
I developed a passion for baking while attending the University of Michigan, where I earned a degree in cellular and molecular biology. After graduation, I worked as a research assistant until 2018, when I decided to trade lab coats for flour-dusted aprons and moved to California to pursue baking full-time.
My very first job was at a pie bakery in San Francisco, despite the fact that I had never actually baked a pie before. Since then, I’ve worked at several bakeries in the Bay Area and currently spend my days baking some of San Francisco’s famous sourdough. But pie has always held a special place in my heart because of the rich stories and histories it can tell. This blog is where I can channel all of that over-enthusiasm and excess knowledge of pies into something worth sharing.
The Rest of the Team
Eli
My partner, taste tester, and behind-the-scenes videographer. If you see a video, Eli probably shot it (and then got the first slice).
Trevor
The quiet wizard who keeps the website running smoothly. Without him, all of these words and photos would just live in my head and on my phone.
Our Busy Chief Paw-ditors:
Yes, the name Doggone Baking is literal – we’re a baking blog with dogs. (But not pies for dogs). While the pies are the stars here, the dogs occasionally make cameos (mostly on Instagram rather than our research-heavy posts). Even when they’re not visible, they’re busy “helping” behind the scenes, keeping us on task and micro-managing our days (mostly to try and demand better working conditions that include unlimited meal times).
Juno
(Black Lab, born 2020)
Boundless energy, limited common sense. Enthusiasm in fur form, and often the reason we have to clean the kitchen twice.
Pascal
(Beagle Mix, born 2015)
Cautious, dignified, and entirely cheese-motivated. He’ll model for photos if the payment is up to snuff.
Iggy
(Basenji Mix, born 2014)
The guardian of the pack. He patrols the perimeter at all hours. Serious about security, but also a loyal protector of pies and pie-makers.
Catalina
(Black Lab / Pit Mix, born 2016)
Professional nap-enthusiast with a jealous streak. She’s quick to remind the wizard that attention is a scarce resource best spent on her.
What You’ll Find Here
You can find recipes, techniques, history, and food science on pies in our posts. Over time, I hope that Doggone Baking will grow into a kind of pie encyclopedia – an ever-expanding collection of knowledge, tips, and inspiration for pie bakers of all levels. Whether you’re after a classic apple pie, curious about regional specialties, hunting down a nearly forgotten recipe, or just want to geek out over the chemistry of crust, I hope there’s something here for you.
