She rises to the occasion when it comes to baking

Baking has always been Melina Kelson-Podolsky's passion. Well, almost.

The daughter of food writers, Kelson-Podolsky studied English literature at Ithaca College in New York with the hopes of becoming a teacher only to come home to Chicago and give culinary school a try.

Now a certified master baker, member of the Bread Baker's Guild and chef instructor at Kendall College in Chicago, the Skokie resident and mother of one has merged her love of teaching and baking into a career that feeds her passion for artisan breads, birthday cakes and mud ovens -- all while changing a few lives along the way.

How did you get into baking? My parents were food critics and food writers and I always cooked and baked a lot at home. I had always wanted to teach, and even thought about being a professional student, but that obviously didn't pan out. When I came home from school, I decided to try out culinary school and I fell in love with baking and pastry.

Why did you choose baking over cooking? Whenever I think of a happy occasion in life, I go right to good memories of sweets. It's something that most people relate to as pure comfort food. Baking is a different type of artistic outlet and I love the science end of it. It's fascinating and challenging. Baking is art, poetry and science all fused together.

What does your job entail? I teach a range of courses in pastry theory including the science, history, artisan breads and much more. It's very empowering when students learn and understand how bread works.

Why does bread appeal to you? When I make bread, I am dealing with something that is fascinating and alive! I love the history of it and there is no end to learning the craft. The world of bread has taken a good turn in the past few years, back to traditional techniques and high-quality ingredients.

What was it like to earn the status of master baker? As far as I know, only five or six other people in Chicagoland hold that title and there are only about 150 in the U.S. Being part of that is a terrific honor. It was also good for my students to see me practicing after hours. It was nice to show them that learning never ends and that people choose this path because they love it, not because they want a large paycheck.

Do you have a baking style? I like to create stylized comfort foods, making traditional baked goods more sophisticated. I also always try to use seasonal and local fruits. I was educated in French cuisine and raised on American cuisine; I'm fusing those together and icing them with respect for seasonal flavors.

How will you adjust to the changing seasons? I'll go from stone fruit, such as peaches, to tree fruit, such as apples and pears. There is always something seasonal to choose from. Even in the dead of winter I can use nuts or canned fruit.

What are the three most important ingredients for a baker to have? Butter, butter and butter. It is really that important to me. If I had to move on from there, I'd add flour and salt or sugar. All you need is flour and water to cultivate yeast. I'll count water as a noningredient.

What do you do on your downtime? I don't really have any with my 4-year-old daughter! She's already an awesome baker and is very at ease in the kitchen and has helped me out where she can since she could stand. My husband, who was a chef for 15 years, and I also do a little catering on the side.

Tell us about this recipe. Peanut Butter and Cocoa Cookies. I bake a lot at home with my daughter. This was a recipe we created together. One of the convenient things about it is that the dough can be frozen and the cookies baked as needed. In this way, we have fresh-baked cookies whenever we have a hankering.

Any tips for those making it? Investing in a digital scale spares many mistakes. Be sure to have all ingredients at room temperature. For a more professional appearance, use a portion scoop for even sizing and lightly pat each piece of dough into a uniform puck as the cookie won't spread much.

Peanut Butter and Cocoa Cookies

6 ounces butter

1 cup chunky peanut butter

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1¼ cups pastry flour

½ cup Dutch cocoa

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars in mixer until combined and light. Add egg and scrape down. Blend completely. Add vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift the pastry flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add all at once to the mixer and mix only until a dough forms.

Using a portion scoop (small ice cream scoop) for uniform sizing, scoop the cookies out onto a parchment lined sheet pan, leaving 1-1½ inches between cookies. Press lightly with fingers or a fork to flatten to ½-inch thickness. Bake 13-15 minutes. Cool completely before moving.

Makes 12 large or 18 medium cookies.

Chef Melina Kelson-Podolsky, Kendall College, Chicago