Ree Drummond Says She's "Embarrassingly Bad" at Making This Food

In the last 16 years, Ree Drummond has grown her Pioneer Woman blog from minuscule to massive. Since 2011, she's hosted 31(!) seasons of her Food Network show and has written seven cookbooks, including the latest one that's full of 120 super-easy dinners and desserts.

She's coached us through how to make everything from Butternut Squash Pizza to Lemony Caprese Avocado Toast to Healthier Broccoli Carbonara and tested and perfected thousands of other recipes, but there is one entire category that Drummond admits is not her jam.

On a January episode of the podcast Bougie Adjacent, hosted by influencer Amanda Lauren, Drummond discussed her new home decor and cookware line, how her family took over production duties for her TV show when her crew couldn't fly over from Europe during the pandemic and more.

That's right, in addition to being a blogger, TV host, author and entrepreneur, Drummond is now a designer and director. But she'll readily admit there's one food she won't ever eat (bananas) and one category of cooking she'll always try to avoid: Bread.

When asked by Lauren if there's anything she's bad at, Drummond quickly responds, "I am terrible at bread. Baking, making homemade bread. Very bad at it. Embarrassingly bad. I make a really good loaf of bread every 13 attempts, I would say. The rest of them are okay, and there are a couple that are actually really bad. I don't think I'm gifted in that realm. I'm going to have to make my peace with it, I think."

So there won't be a whole series dedicated to all things sourdough or sticky buns?

"I do have some bread recipes that I've made on my show, but I've only shared the ones that I've cracked the code; things like cinnamon rolls and quick bread. I won't be the host of any artisan bread shows, now or in the future," Drummond says.

A quick peek into the archives of her blog makes this hidden secret a little more clear. Search "bread" and you'll find several versions of refrigerated biscuit-based monkey breads, skillet cornbreads, dishes served atop or inside store-bought bread and quick breads galore, but the process for more intricate loaves like artisan sourdough and rosemary focaccia are written by guest bloggers like Erica Kastner of Buttered Side Up and Bridget Edwards of Bake at 350, respectively.

Hey, yeast and sourdough can admittedly be daunting to deal with (and not kill!). Plus, Drummond does own a bakery and deli inside her Pawhuska, Oklahoma Mercantile, so she can score all the scones, sticky buns and brioche she can eat there.

Still, even a veteran chef can learn new tricks, so Ree, if you're reading—or if you're in the same bread-fearing boat—we'll walk you through exactly how to make your own whole-wheat sourdough starter and bread, plus how to ace 22 no-knead yeast dough recipes.