Christmas gift ideas for the baker in your life!

Every year I want to share a list like this with you guys, and every year I run out of time. This year, I’ve finally got round to it! So lets get started. Most of these are available at Moore Wilsons or Unity books, or you can get them online. 

BOOKS

These are some of my go to pastry and baking books!

ONE TIN BAKES

-Ed Kimber

This book is great for the home baker in your life who wants some new baking ideas and challenges. I love the flavour combinations and the range of easy to more challenging bakes. He also has a new version called one tin bakes easy, which I also have. Ive bought both of these as a gift for someone. 

BEATRIX BAKES

-Natalie Paul 

I love this book so much. The recipes make me so happy! This is another great book for the baker in your life who wants something a bit different with reliable recipes. There’s also some amazing tips that help you understand the science of baking without it being overwhelming, as well as tips for what to do if the bake goes south and how to fix it. 

THE PASTRY CHEFS GUIDE

- Ravneet Gill

This is one of my most loved books. It’s great for a budding pastry chef or someone who’s starting to experiment with their own creations, as there’s so many base and basic recipes that you can mix and match and build upon to make a great dessert. A second version has come out called Sugar I love you, which hasn’t come to NZ just yet, but Ive ordered mine online because I really can’t wait any longer!

PATISSERIE - MASTER THE ART OF FRENCH PASTRY 

- Melanie Dupis and Anne Cazor 

It’s hard to go past this beautiful book. It’s a level up from the others,  so is perfect for the baker in your life who’s addicted to bake off and ready for a challenge. The illustrations help explain the construction of classic and modern entremets and really help to break down the challenge step by step. 

SOME OTHER GIFT IDEAS FOR THE FOODIE/BAKER IN YOUR LIFE

THE CHOCOLATE BAR

Luke has the most incredible selection of bean to bar chocolates from New Zealand and around the world. You can buy a selection of chocolates, which I often do as a gift for my brother, or purchase a subscription box, which is also super cool! Luke also ships to Australia, so its a great gift for friends or family over the ditch. 

BLACK ROBIN KNIVES

I got Ben one of these knives for Christmas last year. I think that its a great gift for someone who cooks a lot but doesn’t have their own special knife (or in my case, someone you want to encourage to cook more!). I recommend going with the main black robin range, as the blades on these are very low maintenance, and they’re incredibly well priced. The wooden handles are so beautiful and well made, and the knives come with great care instructions and beautifully wrapped too. 

COOKING CHOCOLATE

Chocolate is expensive! But good chocolate makes such a big difference when making fine patisserie- like mousses or cremeux. My two favourite chocolate brands are Callebeaut and Valrhona. Valrhona is definitely a step above in quality and also sustainability practices, but also in price. You can get Valrhona in small quantities from Moore Wilsons, or online from Sabato. You can get large or small bags of Callebaut from Moore Wilsons. The bag pictured is Valrhona Caramelia which is AMAZING! It makes the most incredible lightly caramel flavoured chocolate mousse, but it is rather hard to stop yourself from snacking on it every time you see it. 

HEILALA VANILLA

In the wise words of Ina Garten, always use good vanilla, and there is no better vanilla than the amazing Heilala vanilla. They have a great range of pastes, essences and other products. They’re a New Zealand company who also take the sustainability of vanilla seriously. If its in your budget, the larger containers of vanilla paste and double fold vanilla are incredible. Any baker will be floored to receive that much vanilla, and they will love you forever for it! 

SILICONE MOULDS 

 We use silicone moulds in quite a few Sugar Flour classes, and I think theyre a great gift that I personally love to give and receive! My two go to mould suppliers are Butter and Bright in Melbourne and Nicolaas, a NZ based business selling quality Silkomart moulds. I recommend going with simple shapes that can be used over and over again with multiple decorations/designs. The shape pictured is my go to shape, I really love how versatile it can be. It’s in stock on Butter and Brights chefs secrets range.

FRENCH TART RINGS

If you’ve ever done a tart class at Sugar Flour, you’ll have used one of these french tart rings. They create a modern and clean tart shell that’s a challenge to make, but so satisfying once you figure it out. The ones I pictured are the ones I use, I get them from Amazon at this link https://www.amazon.com/Patisse-02141-4-piece-double-rolled/dp/B00A3FW1MC 

That’s it for now! I hope you find yourself the perfect gift for yourself or your loved ones! 

XXX

Maxine