You pose an interesting question, Jim! Chemicals and chemical reactions play a key (and often irreplaceable) role in baking. Think about baking soda and the chemical reaction that takes place when water is introduced — it’s an essential process for leavening any number of recipes. We get what you’re saying, though: That sometimes there are additional ingredients (or more processed ones) which go beyond what one might think of as necessary. Our team sets an incredibly high bar for the quality of our baked goods. More specialized ingredients, like Cake Enhancer, can contribute to the uniquely excellent outcome of a recipe so that we may decide to include it in certain cases. A recipe for something like bread, however, can be fantastic using only the four basic ingredients you described. With this recipe and others, we often list certain ingredients as optional. Removing them can affect the outcome to a degree, but not hugely so. If the New England Hot Dog Buns recipe isn’t quite what you’re looking for, you might want to check out our Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns recipe, which is a simpler version on this summertime staple. Happy baking! Jesse@KAF

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