From Browser Tabs to Bake Mode: How King Arthur Baking Turned Loyal Fans into Daily App Users

King Arthur Baking is a heritage brand renowned for its award-winning Test Kitchen, premium ingredients, and deep connection with the baking community. With a mission to inspire joyful baking, they partnered with OpenForge to turn 2,700+ recipes into a mobile app experience that’s both beautiful and brilliantly functional.

The global bakery product market is projected to reach $19.7B by 2027, fueled by digital-first consumers.

Prefer using mobile apps to access recipes and cooking content over traditional websites.

Say personalization (like favorites and saved folders) makes them more likely to return to an app.

King Arthur’s app quickly gained a 4.8-star rating across app stores and social reviews.

The Challenge

As a beloved brand with a passionate baking community, King Arthur saw an opportunity to evolve how their recipes lived beyond the browser, into an experience designed for real kitchens:

• Fragmented Access: Bakers used screenshots, browser tabs, and PDFs to manage recipes.
• No Personalization: Users couldn’t save, organize, or track their baking history.
• Messy Mobile Use: No “bake-friendly” interface for real-time, hands-on baking
• High Support Volume: Customers often called the Baker’s Hotline for help that could be solved in-app.

What Did OpenForge Do?

Together with King Arthur Bakery, we built a beautifully branded mobile app tailored for hands-on bakers, from timer tools to personalized recipe tracking.

1. Designed for Real-World Baking

Designed for real-world usability: large type, clean navigation, and a layout that stays readable while baking.

2. Recipe Search, Supercharged

Search by name, ingredient, or dietary need. Filters allow users to quickly surface the perfect bake.

3. Recipe Box & Favorites

Create folders, save favorites, and check off what’s been baked, turning baking into a trackable ritual.

4. Bake Mode & Built-In Timers

Keeps the screen awake and focused while baking. Users can set multiple timers per step for total control.

5. Integrated Reviews & Hotline Access

See what others loved and connect instantly to the Baker’s Hotline for real-time expert help.

6. Scalable Cross-Platform Build

Smooth, responsive experience built for both iOS and Android with scalable infrastructure for future features.

The Results

• 4.8+ average rating across app platforms since launch, showing strong adoption and satisfaction.
• Thousands of recipes downloaded and saved within the first week, proving strong demand for mobile access.
• Hundreds of users created folders and organized recipes using the new Recipe Box feature.

• Overwhelmingly positive sentiment across social media and app reviews, highlighting both usefulness and joy.
• In-app Baker’s Hotline access gives users fast support, without breaking their baking flow.
• Fewer users relying on browser tabs or screenshots (per direct user feedback), simplifying the recipe experience.