Years on and enthusiasm for home baking hasn’t waned (although if we never bake another banana bread it may be too soon). If you want to up your #bakingbraggingrights, here are nine recipes to try, hailing from Japan to Ireland, Italy to Mexico. We have a world of carby delight just waiting for you to master.
Soda Farls
BBC GoodFood
If you’re looking for more instant gratification when it comes to your bread making, these Soda Farls require just five store-cupboard ingredients and eight quick minutes in the making – with zero proving time. Perfect for homemade breakfasts when the bread bin is empty. Find the recipe here.
Fig and Serrano Picnic Bread
BBC GoodFood
A great one for summer days, this picnic bread uses a ready-to-bake bread mix for speed and ease, topped with the perfect mix of salty serrano ham and sweet sticky figs. Once ready to devour, smother with a salty, soft goat’s cheese for a meal in one mouthful. Find the recipe here.
Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Minimalist Baker
This vegan-friendly recipe from the Minimalist Baker promises a no faff method with just seven ingredients, which will fill your house with sweet, fragrant aromas as it bakes for cosy weekend treats. As a final step drizzle with (dairy-free) cream cheese frosting and share. Whether that’s with your family or your followers, you decide. Find the recipe here.
Hot Cross Buns
Nigella
The hot-cross bun is worth getting to grips with because a) we like it all year round, and b) the homemade version is leaps and bounds beyond anything you can pick up in the supermarket when it comes to taste and texture. Nigella’s recipe is easy to follow and while it may take patience in the rise, the results are worth the wait. All that’s left to decide is how to devour yours: warm from the oven or toasted with butter? Find the recipe here.
Cornbread
Delicious Magazine
A rich, cheesy cornbread is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, as well as perfect for serving up to ‘tear and share’ while accompanying homemade chillis or fragrant Mexican salads. It can also be used as a toothsome vehicle for dips and salsas when we begin to entertain again. Find the recipe here.
Japanese Milk Rolls
Delicious Magazine
An enriched dough, yet not as sweet as a brioche, these Japanese milk rolls feel satisfyingly comforting as a breakfast bread dipped in a hot drink, or smothered in homemade conserves. Little clouds of carby comfort. Find the recipe here.
Bagels
Olive Magazine
You’d be forgiven for thinking, is this really worth the hassle? While bagel baking is a little tricky to master, and the boiling stages do take a bit of getting used to, once mastered the chewy, pillowy results will win you some serious family brownie points in packed lunch boxes and beyond. Find the recipe here.
Apricot Breakfast Bread
Olive Magazine
This glazed apricot breakfast bread has a Danish vibe, with fresh apricots, sweet cinnamon glaze and nutty toasted almonds scattered on top. Best eaten warm from the oven for a luxury getaway-worthy weekend brunch bake. Find the recipe here.
Dill And Sea Salt Flatbreads
Delicious Magazine
A great recipe to get familiar with and then start experimenting with your own combination of fresh herbs or spices. The original dill and sea salt combination makes the perfect canvas for the smoked fish – or why not try switching for fragrant Za’atar and pair with dips such as houmous or baba ganoush? Find the recipe here.
French Bread
Delish Magazine
French bread always elicits sighs of pleasure, it’s crusty exterior giving way to pillowy softness inside. If it’s fresh from the oven, all the better. But while most of us love a good French stick, fewer of us would think to make it ourselves, and yet it is surprisingly low on both ingredients and effort. Knock up a loaf, throw it in the basket of your bike and then pedal off for a picnic for full Amelie vibes. Find the recipe here.
By Lydia Mansi
Updated August 2023
