— Find inspiration in SBS On Demand's Baking at Home collection, featuring favourite bakers including Kirsten Tibballs, Silvia Colloca, Mary Berg, Nigella Lawson, Lorraine Pascale and more. —
There's something very satisfying about getting hands-on in the kitchen with a bunch of ingredients, a bowl and your oven and baking something from scratch. It's more often than not more cost-effective, and the very acts of measuring, mixing and making – which require mindfulness – are potentially good for our mental well-being, too.
"Baking is so much more than a sweet something for morning tea. It nurtures conversations, inspires creativity, and encourages discovery," says baking teacher and cookbook author Anneka Manning, founder of Sydney-based cooking school Bake Club.
"Not only does baking something from scratch save you money, but knowing exactly what has gone into your baking (no unwanted additives and preservatives) is another great benefit," she says.
"It calms the mind, offers a focus that engages all five senses, and provides a structured process (with flexibility) when a sense of order is sought after. But most of all, it gives you joy and a sense of achievement."
As Lorraine Pascale, host of Baking Made Easy, says, "For me, baking is anything that cooks in the oven: sweet and savoury, classic dishes, delicious new ideas."
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced baker, and whether you lean to sweet or savoury in the kitchen, here is an eclectic mix of recipes that you can bake from scratch. We've even got some recipes for getting that baking satisfaction without an oven!
BRILLIANT BISCUIT RECIPES
With just three ingredients – nut butter, sugar and egg – these biscuits are super-simple, but also very versatile. Change up the type nut butter (or use tahini); use granulated, caster or brown sugar; add nuts to the mix; or roll them in sesame seeds before baking. Or try this recipe for a version made with peanut butter, maple syrup and oat flour.
Nut butter biscuit. Credit: Camellia Aebischer
A Mary Berg recipe that's great for being ready for freshly baked biscuits, anytime. Put this chocolate-orange, pecan-studded dough in the freezer and you can have as many cookies as you like - one cookie, 10 cookies, many cookies - any time. They cook from frozen and take just 10 minutes to bake.
Credit: Mary Makes It Easy
One of SBS Food's most popular recipes, these rustic little biscuits come to us from Silvia Colloca. You can practically taste the Italian grandmotherly love - and they are gluten-free and easy to make, too.
Italian almond biscuits (ricciarelli). Credit: Cook Like an Italian
If you've watched Irresistible: Why We Can't Stop Eating, a documentary that looks at how ultra-processed food has come to dominate what we eat on many fronts, you might be baking from scratch as a way to know for sure what's in your food. In which case, you'll like this recipe from Tim Spector's new book, The Food of Life Cookbook. "These are a great alternative to ultra-processed snacks, as they’re really easy to make and require minimal ingredients," says Spector.
Pecan chocolate cookies. Credit: Jonathan Cape / Issy Croker
Stream free On Demand
Irresistible: Why We Can't Stop Eating
program • special • 2024
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program • special • 2024
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CAKES AND CRUMPETS
"Everyone needs a good old-fashioned chocolate cake in their repertoire that is easy enough to whip up on a whim," says Anneka Manning of this simple melt and mix tray cake. If you're keen on expanding your cake baking repertoire, she's share many more great recipes with us: take a look at her bundt cake recipes, sponge cake recipes and tips, lamington variations (including a gluten-free lamington) and Latin American cake recipes.
Melt and mix chocolate coconut cake Credit: Alan Benson
Banana bread, so many ways
Whether you love the banana bread at your fave cafe and you'd like to start making your own, or you're looking to change up the 'nana loaf you normally make, we have you covered. Banana bread is not only a great way to use up ripe bananas, but also an excellent starting point for those looking to make more from scratch. Start with easy banana bread (or plant-based, gluten-free banana bread) then go on a 'nana bread adventure with coconut banana bread, chocolate walnut banana bread, macadamia banana bread, peanut-topped Caribbean banana bread, or the indulgent upside-down caramel banana bread shown below.
Credit: Alan Benson
A cake that remains an enduring member of SBS Food's most popular recipes, this Passover favourite sees whole oranges boiled for two hours then puréed skin, pips and all. The results is a wonderfully dense, moist cake that's also dairy and gluten-free.
Food Safari's orange almond cake just keeps on giving. Credit: Alan Benson
"Light fluffy sponge with banana and pineapple galore, a crunchy dusting of pecan brittle, and a little reminder that zesty cream cheese icings rock – this beautiful cake is near perfection!" says Oliver of his two-layer creation, which he tops with cheery edible flowers. And if you're looking to further explore banana-pineapple moreishness of hummingbird cake, try Mary Berg's hummingbird cake with peanut butter crunch, this added-sugar-free hummingbird tray cake (which you can layer up with banana cream cheese frosting) or a vegan hummingbird cake.
Hummingbird cake. Credit: Joe Sarah / Jamie Oliver Enterprises.
Ever tried making crumpets from scratch? Paul Hollywood's recipe will show you the way.
Credit: Bloomsbury / Paul Hollywood's Bread
READ MORE
How to master the crumpet
BREAD AND OTHER SAVOURY BAKES
"Nothing quite beats that satisfied feeling you get when mates tuck in happily to something that you've made yourself, especially if it's been easy to do – and it doesn't get much simpler than this delicious damper bread," says Lorraine Pascale.
Credit: Myles New / Lorraine's Fast, Fresh and Easy Food
This is Silvia's Colloca's recipe, where overnight standing time helps creates a wonderfully crusty white loaf. Or for a soft and airy focacccia, try her foccaccia con cipolle recipe. (And for a world of other breadmaking ideas, visit our homemade bread recipe collection).
Overnight bread baked in a cast iron pot Credit: Cook like an Italian
Great cold or warm and easy to transport, these are great for brunches, lunches and picnics, and also taste great the next day, too. Find many more sweet and savoury ideas in the pie recipe collection.
Credit: Savannah van der Niet
The star ingredient of these muffins from Mark Olive are the homemade oven-dried cherry tomatoes.
Oven-dried tomato, warrigal greens and goat’s cheese muffins Credit: On Country Kitchen
SNACKS AND GIFTS
“This is a really fab refined sugar-less healthy snack to make for the family – it also makes a great gift. I like to wrap the centres of the bars with a strip of baking paper tied on with kitchen string, so you can pick them up without getting sticky fingers,” says Poh Ling Yeow of this delicious recipe.
Credit: China Squirrel
These seedy crackers are a great way to use up the pulp from juicing vegetables, but you can also grate up veggies to use in them.
Turn veggie scraps into colourful crackers. Credit: The Art of the Natural Home
'BAKE' WITHOUT TURNING ON AN OVEN
An airfryer works much like a mini oven, but without heating up the kitchen, making it a great option in summer. In this gloriously pretty slice, the icing gets its colour from the syrup created when cooking the rhubarb.
Rhubarb crumble slice. Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Ant Duncan
Marmalade adds extra flavour to this popular Welsh cake, where the fruit is soaked overnight in tea. It's a great one for enjoying with a cuppa and transports well too, so you can pop it in a lunch box or take to a picnic.
Barabrith. Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Ant Duncan
Get your baking satisfaction on the stove top (or the campfire) with these skillet scones. They’re crisp and dry on the outside but soft and dense in the center, and are delicious with a smear of jam or butter served alongside coffee or tea. You can also change up the recipe to make a savoury version with cheese and scallions.
Credit: Voyageur press / Will Taylor
