20 Gifts for the Baker

Oh geez. I have bad news.

I broke the oven. I don't know how I did it, but I did it.

The other night I baked a banana cake, turned the oven off, and went to bed. The next day I couldn't turn on the oven at all. I don't know what happened! This is what it looks like. It's not a very good oven/stove, to be honest with you.



See? No numbers, nothing... it's completely dead.


Today I called the maintenance man to come look at it. He ordered a new part for the oven, and it won't be here until NEXT MONDAY. Ohhhhh nooooo. This is terrible. I'm dying from not being able to bake anything. I can't bake for a week! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

Luckily, the stove still works, so at least we have a way to make food. There's going to be a lot of mac and cheese and Pop-Tarts in this house for the next week.


This year I've completed a lot of shopping online. It's so much easier and stress free, and you have more variety when you shop online.

Today I thought I would give you a list of gifts you could give to the baker you know in your life. Or you could give this list to someone who will buy YOU these things for Christmas.

These items are all essential for the home baker. I included twenty items in this list, but I really could have added more on. Bakers need a lot of equipment!

Okay, here we go.

Measuring cups - if you don't have these, you can't bake. Measuring is critical when it comes to baking.



Measuring spoons - Ditto.



Digital kitchen scale - I don't often use a kitchen scale, but I really should - especially with flours. I often do use one to measure chocolate, though.



Hand mixer - I don't think you need a really nice one of these - even the cheap ones last a long time. I use a hand mixer when I'm in a hurry and don't feel like cleaning the stand mixer.



KitchenAid stand mixer - I adore my KitchenAid. I use it when I have to make large batches of baked goods (I have the pro), and when I make bread.



Mixing bowls - This is necessary for baking, as well! I actually could use some more mixing bowls. You can never have too many.



Cookie sheets - Once again, you can never have too many. I find that the more expensive cookie sheets ARE better and worth the extra money.



Pie dish - Everyone should own a pie dish. Everyone should make pie!



Bundt pan - Bundt cakes are the best cakes ever. They're so retro. Love.



Loaf pan - You'll need a loaf pan if you're planning on baking banana bread. Or.. meat loaf?



Round cake pans - 9-inch round cake pans are absolutely, absolutely necessary.



Muffin pans - Life without a muffin pan would be sad. Everyone deserves freshly baked muffins in the morning.



Springform pan - I have three different sized springform pans and I use them to bake cheesecakes and cakes.



Ramekins - I LOVE ramekins. I use them for creme brulee, puddings, and cakes. Sometimes I eat snacks out of them, too.



Saucepan - a good, heavy saucepan is a good item to own. You'll need one to melt chocolate, make sauces, fillings, etc.


Rolling pin - I have a marble and a wooden rolling pin. I most commonly use them to roll out pie and cookie dough. They're also good for bashing things.



Spatulas - I use a rubber spatula every time I bake. That's how important they are. I tend to break these often.



Offset spatula - Using an offset spatula is the best way to frost a cake.



Microplane - I love mine. Sue gave one to me for a birthday gift one year. I use it to grate citrus zest and nutmeg.



Cake decorating set - wouldn't this be a great Christmas present? I think owning something like this would inspire me to decorate cakes more.



Hopefully that gives you some ideas for your baking buddies. Still stumped? Here are some additional items:

13x9 baking dish, 8x8 baking dish, Tart pan, mini muffin pan, mini loaves pan, madeleine pan, wire racks, whisks, pastry brushes, donut cutter, apple corer, cherry pitter, good knives, peeler, brulee torch, pie weights.

Or, you could put together a gift bag with baking ingredients in it, including flours, sugars, leavening, extracts, chocolate, nuts, dried or fresh fruit.


That's all for today! I'll be back on Wednesday with an amazing sticky bun recipe and some good news. Oh, and I haven't forgotten about the pictures of the decorated house... it's still a work in progress. I'm not much of a decorator.