Celebrations & Party Food

Torsten's Sourdough Pumpkin Croissants using a Dough Sheeter Great customers don't grow on trees but this one actually grows them. Torsten Junker of family-run Cobhay Nurseries not at all far from us in Wellington grows the kind of trees literally fit for a king. He's also an accomplished home baker and has been trying out one of our Japan Kneader Dough Sheeters to make, Sourdough Pumpkin ... Read more

Tear and share brioche with a pesto and cheesy filling Having a soft and sumptuous, comforting and tasty brioche that is stuffed with cheese and pesto is a marvellous thing, but to share it is even better. This is a great way to use up any odd bits of cheese that are knocking about in the fridge. This recipe is with pesto but you could just as easily use tapenade, semi dried tomatoes, Marmite or ... Read more

This soup pairs perfectly with our Pumpkin Bread recipe or works well as a stand alone for whatever bread you have to hand to mop up the last remnants from the bowl after eating. I like to experiment with different types of pumpkins as they give different results. Some of my favourites are Crown Prince, Turban, Butternut and the Hubbards, both Golden and Blue. These all have different taste ... Read more

Having some fun with your baking is always a good idea and getting a great result that tastes as good as it looks is what its all about. I love soup and not just for the autumn, but when the pumpkins are in season I stock up the freezer with homemade soup to see me through the winter. While pumpkin soup making I had some leftover roasted pumpkin chunks which I added to a simple bread recipe and ... Read more

Finnish shortbreads are not actually Finnish! Now that's out of the way they are shortbreads and 100% tasty. The Danes say they invented these traditional Christmas biscuits and call them Finnish bread (Finskbrød in Danish) where as the Swedes maintain that they invented these tasty Yuletide treats and call them Finnish sticks (Finska pinnar in Swedish). The Finns could not give a hoot, ... Read more

I really like the contrast made between the jet black ciabatta burger buns topped with contrasting sesame seeds, and the deep yellow crispy-coated halloumi, topped with a spicy sauce - they are fun to make and are a tasty treat for a Halloween night. The buns are soft and airy - softer still with the addition of the carbon powder -  and sprinkled with sesame seeds for a little contrast and ... Read more

Make 6 jet black brioches for a bit of fun - why not make some with and some without the carbon powder for an interesting mix!   Mix the flour with carbon powder, dried yeast, sugar and vanilla powder then mix in eggs, honey, milk and rum. Knead by hand for about ten minutes or using a mixer for 2-3 minutes, then add the butter cut into pieces and knead again until it is completely ... Read more

These are 21st century Staffordshire oatcakes, filled with soft potato mixed with tarragon, cheese, garlic and shallot, and layered with ham and mustard. Rolled up, chopped into 2-3 pieces and sat cut-side up in a buttered baking dish, they turn into a crisp, utterly rich and delicious lunch or dinner. Perfect with a light salad or vegetables on the side. Serves 3-4Method Put the shallots, ... Read more

A rich and gently-malted chocolate cake with a hint of stout beer and cinnamon. Plus, it uses a mix of white and stoneground wholemeal flour so the crumb has a slightly rough texture that tastes really good. Makes 1 deep 7” diameter round cake (that can be sliced horizontally and filled), or 1 thinner 8” diameter round cake (for a layer of cake)Method Butter the inside of a 7” ... Read more

A great simple white-style sandwich bread that slices very smoothly, excellent for sandwiches if you’re making afternoon teas or lunches. And it toasts and grills quickly giving you that perfect mix of a golden outside and soft crumb inside, just what perfect toast should be. The loaf mainly uses strong white flour with a little wholegrain spelt and rye giving it a more complex flavour and ... Read more

Though it may seem strange to be using a bread flour in something as light and delicate as a scone, it really helps to give the crumb lightness. What’s known as “plain flour” can be made from any quality of grain, better suited to making soft cookies and brownies, whereas strong flour requires the millers to buy and mill high-quality wheat which is what cake makers and bread ... Read more

Here’s an idea: when you make these flavour-packed cheddar cheese scones, try to bring together ingredients from all over Britain, or wherever you live. At BakeryBits we’ve championed small British producers for over a decade, and in this recipe you get to show off the best that independent millers, farmers and artisans offer. Because the scones have lots of wholegrain flour, cheese ... Read more

Get yourself our premium stainless steel dough cutter and make these very easy no-knead rolls. Great flavour and crust but the star is really Mulino Marino’s extra coarse cornmeal which adds these very visible flecks of golden corn through the door, and on top too if you like. You can either make the dough in one go, will take about 3-4 hours, or leave the just-mixed dough overnight covered ... Read more

Give me a box of homemade malted oatmeal cookies and I’m a happy camper. These are especially delicious as the special BakeryBits dark barley malt flour gives the cookies a rich dark colour and just a hint of malt flavour. Mixed with our BakeryBits Jumbo Rolled Oats, or Hodmedod’s Organic British-Grown Rolled Oats, and our omega-3 packed linseed and you will be full energy and a smile ... Read more

A slab of golden bread dough, full of flavour, topped with an outrageously thick layer of meltingly soft onions, criss-crossed with anchovy fillets and olives. Now I’ve called it “classic” but let’s not get started on what that actually is. Some French cooks like the onions gently caramelised, some want them utterly blonde; some want the flavour kept pure and simple while ... Read more

Here you have a rich butter cake recipe with a delicate soft crumb, suited to layers cakes and loaf cakes as the texture is somewhere between a pound cake and the more delicate genoise sponge. Very easy to make, and a great cake to wake up and suddenly choose to make as you don’t need to have butter at a soft room temperature. For more on the unusual technique used here see below at the end ... Read more