From party snacks to warm breads and dumplings, Erin Jeanne McDowell's "Savory Baking" cookbook is all about approaching baking with a salty spin. "It combines the pleasure and precision of pastry with the freedom and flexibility of cooking," McDowell explained to Salon's Ashlie Stevens. For McDowell, baking is also about innovating. Just listen to her talk about how she developed her Italian Sub Bundt recipe for evidence. The baker, who has been making pies with her family since she was a teenager, also talks about her process of developing her cookbooks, preparing food for the holidays and her favorite weeknight recipes. "I got my first job in a bakery when I was 16, so it spurned an excitement that I couldn't quite shake," she said.