The Holiday season is upon us and whether you are looking for gifts for beginner bakers or serious bakers, we have got you covered. Not only will we give you plenty of gift ideas for your favorite baker, but we will also recommend products that we personally love so that you know what you are getting is quality. Any item you pick you can guarantee will quickly be put to good use. We hope you enjoy this Gift Guide for People Who Love to Bake.
We make these recommendations based on both what we love working with at our bakery, the Flour Barn, and items we love for home use. As bakery owners, we are passionate about baking, and these are all items that we would excitedly add to our lists!
This is one of the most useful gifts on this list, and most bakers do not own this. The Thermapen is often seen as a cooking tool for making sure meat is cooked correctly. But it is indispensable in the bakery! Items like bread, croissants, pastries, brownies, muffins, and several other bakes, have proper internal temperatures. If you can check that temperature, then it takes the guess work out of whether your treats are done. No more knocking on your bread loaves to test for doneness. Just check the internal temperature. Easy! Great for an avid baker or a budding baker.
We have four of these in the bakery and they are probably the most used pieces of equipment. Weighing ingredients with a digital scale is the most accurate way to measure. It results in an identical bake each time. A bonus is that instead of having to wash various measuring cups, you just directly add ingredients to the bowl. This eliminates the guesswork on whether you should level your measuring cup with a knife, or whether the meniscus should be above or below the line. I also included a scoop that is handy when scooping out ingredients to be measured. A great gift to pair with this would be a couple of recipes already converted into grams or oz.
When mixing, it’s nice to see the bottom of the bowl. Are all my ingredients incorporated? Is there a patch of dry flour? Easy to see in a glass bowl. I like this particular set because it also has small bowls perfect for certain ingredients. For instance, I always keep a small bowl of coarse salt around because everything tastes a little more high-end with some coarse salt sprinkled on it, even baked goods. In addition to possibly improving the quality of baked goods, glass bowls just feel good to work with. Enhancing the baking experience is a gift in and of itself!
In my kitchen, this is the first thing I get out when I am about to start a recipe. Whether I am making pancakes in it, stirring muffins together in it, or just sifting my dry ingredients in it. It also sits on my counter at all times, so it helps when it is extra beautiful. This brand is the same brand used on The Great British Baking Show as well as in the show Downton Abbey. They are both beautiful and useful.
My mom lives in an apron, and now that I own a Bakery and have a growing family, so do I. I like my apron to be easy to get on and off, have full coverage to protect my clothes, and have nice pockets. It is also nice to have an apron that has both an adjustable neck and waist.
This tool is a must-have tool that I use in my daily baking. The aspiring baker in your family may already be aware of the dangers of overmixing certain baked goods. This whisk helps in fully mixing your dough while helping to prevent over-mixing. The way it cuts through the batter helps hit the pockets of unmixed ingredients, while also preventing unnecessary overmixing. Items I use it for include pancakes, sourdough starters, biscuits, quick breads, muffins, and much more. Check out our article on Homemade Pasta from Fresh Milled Flour to see the Dutch whisk in use.
Although many recipes can be mixed by hand, it is much easier to bake a lot when you have a stand mixer. Recipes like Cinnamon rolls or whole wheat bread are nearly impossible to accomplish without a good stand mixer. It is also really helpful for bakers who make cookies and icing frequently. Kitchen Aid is a great choice; they have a reliable motor and come in so many different colors! This is a more expensive gift option but had to make the Gift Guide for People Who Love to Bake.
Kitchen Aid Mixer here! (other color options avalible through this link, I really like the lavender!)
6 For Sourdough Bread Bakers
Know someone bit by the sourdough bug? We have compiled a list of items to help you get them everything they need to create the perfect loaf! Warning, if you are not an avid sourdough baker this may get a little confusing, but just trust us…
This book is both beautiful and full of good information. It has recipes as well as an explanation of how and why sourdough is so delicious.
2. Dutch Oven
Many sourdough bakers use a method of baking that uses a Dutch oven. It is supposed to help imitate a professional bread oven. Oftentimes, bakers will use their Dutch oven for both cooking and baking bread. An issue that happens is that the Dutch oven gets oil and other items on the outside when cooking that tend to burn when undergoing the high temperature required for bread baking. That is why having a designated sourdough Dutch Oven is such a luxury!
A lot of sourdough bread bakers will start by just using a bowl to let their bread rise in. Having a banneton helps to get a great shape to your loaf and is often something bread bakers do not have. You’re helping the baker in your life to achieve beautiful boules, making it the perfect gift!
While you can use a sharp knife or scissors to score your bread loaves, if you want to create intricate or beautiful patterns you may want to invest in a bread lame. They combine a sharp blade on a longer handle to make it easier for you to be creative!
When baking your bread, you place it on a sheet of parchment paper to transfer it to the preheated Dutch oven. However, we are baking at such a high temperature that the parchment gets a little crispy making it difficult to remove your bread from the pot. Also, the parchment cannot be reused. To solve these problems, I’ve been using reusable silicone baking mats that are designed to fit nicely down into your pot! They are a perfect solution that I wish I had invested in sooner!
This might seem like an unusual sourdough essential, but if you’re like me and maybe don’t always have plastic wrap around, these silicone lids are a lifesaver. They work perfectly to cover both your dough while it’s rising and your starter.
10 For Beginner Bakers
This makes me think of my little sister. She has spent a lot of time baking, but not in her own home. After just graduating college, her kitchen utensils include a small set of silverware and a surprising number of mugs. This can be for that kind of baker or for someone who never before put much time into baking! This list includes a compilation of essential tools that we recommend all bakers have.
1. Cookie cutters
Until we opened the bakery I had a heart and circle cookie cutter. They are just not really something I think to buy unless I need them for something specific. They are such a fun baking tool that allows a baker to get creative with ease. Some go-to favorite shapes are a scalloped circle, a pumpkin, and a snowflake. Cutout cookies are a great recipe for beginner bakers to try.
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2. Favorite recipe
A very sweet idea is to get your favorite baker a new recipe card each year that they can add to a recipe box or a homemade recipe book. A key to our Gift Guide for People Who Love to Bake is making sure each items feels both special and useful.
This obviously had to be on our Gift Guide for People Who Love to Bake. Fill with a couple of your favorite recipes and then let the baker do the rest. With so many recipes online it is nice to write down your favorite so you do not have to research for the exact recipe each time.
Instead of a box, a recipe book can give you a little more space per recipe as well as an option to keep pictures attached to the page. One day it may become a very cherished family keepsake.
I have spent a lot of time researching cookie dough scoops. We have gone through many cookie scoops and I believe we have found the key to a good scoop. I really like the ones we use because they are durable and have a lever that makes them easy to use.
I suggest buying this in a pack of at least two. Having one pan is a pain when making a layered cake because you have to make each layer at a separate time. I prefer a cake with three layers, so I would even recommend getting three pans.
Bonus gift: When baking cake you can use these ready to go round pieces of parchment that fit your pans perfectly! Here is a 6 inch option and an 8 inch option!
Instead of just buying one item for your baker, maybe get a couple of items and create an amazing gift basket! Here is a great basket option!
For more baking related ideas we recommend checking out King Arthur’s Holiday Gift Guide as well as their sale section. Each year I personally get their catalog in the mail and make my Christmas list by going through it and circling items. Everything I have gotten from them has been amazing.
Gift Guide for People Who Love to Bake
I hope you enjoyed this Gift Guide for People Who Love to Bake! There is something so special about being able to gift someone something they will be able to use weekly and cherish for a long time. If you choose items that are durable and useful, then your loved one will cherish them in their kitchen for years to come.
4 responses to “The Best Gift Guide for People Who Love to Bake”
Joanne
I love everything about the flour barn, including the great gift suggestions! Thanks you for posting and providing some ideas for gifting. Perfect!
[…] done. This recipe has been converted into weights, making a scale the perfect tool. One of the several gifts we recommend for every baker! Here is our […]
[…] became when I started scaling my ingredients. That’s why it is listed in our article on the Best gifts for Bakers. In fact, it saves time as well as dirty dishes and measuring cups. Once you make the change, […]
[…] done. This recipe has been converted into weights, making a scale the perfect tool. One of the several gifts we recommend for every baker! Here is our […]
[…] became when I started scaling my ingredients. That’s why it is listed in our article on the Best gifts for Bakers. In fact, it saves time as well as dirty dishes and measuring cups. Once you make the change, […]
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