David Atherton

David Atherton

BakeryBits baker and food writer

David Atherton, winner of 2019’s Great British Bake Off, Guardian UK’s food columnist and author of the bestselling My First Cook Book children’s cookery book series for Walker Books "easy to make for little cooks taking their first steps in the kitchen", Guardian UK and his award-winning How To Eat (one of BBC Radio Four The Food Programme’s Best Cookbooks of 2021).

Food and healthy eating has always been a central part of his life, his baking started as a child in Yorkshire making wholemeal bread with his mum, and grew over many years working overseas for VSO in Malawi training nurses and midwives, before going on to support thousands of overseas volunteers and staff as part of VSO's medical team as a Global Health Adviser.

David Atherton on Hot Cross Buns

30 Mar 2022
David Atherton

Hot-cross buns are a favourite of mine and although I like most Easter foods – Simnel Cake, Easter Eggs, and those chocolate crispy cakes with mini eggs on to – I am completely obsessed with hot-cross buns and bake these for an extended Easter period. Who know, perhaps even into Summer. A rich yeasty glazed bun that toasts to perfection, packed with flavour and amazing fruit, that just needs a... Read more

Easter Vegan Saffron & Date Hot Cross Buns

25 Mar 2022
David Atherton

I’m always looking for ways to create Easter bakes that are big on flavour and a joy to eat but are a little healthier at the same time. Hot Cross Buns traditionally have added sugar but as dried fruit are intensely sweet, so you don’t need any extra. The dates in particular give a warm rich sugar hit. I’ve lived in various African countries and finding butter was often an issue... Read more

Heart-shaped ficelle - crunchy thin baguettes

12 Feb 2022
David Atherton

Ficelle are very thin baguettes, crisp and so delicious, and here I’ve made them into heart-shaped rolls: they’re still long, thin and crisp but with an angled cut in the middle I was able to shape them into heart-shaped rolls that are sweet to look at, and so good to eat. The great flavour and crunch is really all down to using a type of French flour known as T55, and the Cotswold ... Read more

Sponge Finger Biscuits (Savoiardi), with semolina and nutmeg

12 Feb 2022
David Atherton

Such a great flavour, and relatively easy to make once you get the hang of folding flour into a very aerated whisked egg. What the semolina does is absorb moisture from the mix during baking which means they dry very quickly in the oven. This makes them perfect for soaking up liquids, from the fruit and jelly in a classic trifle to the coffee in our Tiramisu recipe. Here I’ve added nutmeg to... Read more

Recipe: Extra-Special Tiramisu...and extra easy

12 Feb 2022
David Atherton

Tiramisu is the most famous Italian dessert, and such a classic I only wanted to enhance it gently. Great coffee, like BakeryBits range of Brazier's Coffee, has many complex flavours depending on the region it’s grown in, the bean varieties used, different altitudes and climates, farming methods, roasting techniques, so many factors. And one flavour I taste in some is a maltiness, so I ... Read more

Malted Sweet Potato Sub Rolls

14 Jan 2022
David Atherton

This traditional American bread is an elongated sandwich roll that can be packed with fillings, making the humble sandwich a full meal. Subs are soft and pillowy calling for layers of textured fillings, think crisp pickles, crunchy lettuce, creamy hummus, you can really empty your fridge into the roll. This recipe uses pureed sweet potato to make them extra soft and slightly earthy sweet, without ... Read more