Stumped for what to buy those special someones on your list? Let Chow Bella do the shopping -- or at least the browsing -- with our 2014 gift guides. Today: gifts for the home baker.
It's the wonderful time of year where the house smells of sugar cookies, hot chocolate and gingerbread. With luck, those scents are not just candles, and the home baker in your life is currently cranking out the sweet treats for all your holiday festivities.
If this is the case, here is a list of some great must-have items to treat and inspire the home baker in your life.
Wood fired oven, $3,400 I have been begging my husband to build me a wood fired oven in our backyard for a while now. Bread, pizza, beautiful pastries...all can be baked in one of these gorgeous wood fired ovens. I've given up on my husband actually building one, so now I'm adding this one from Forno Bravo that comes in pieces, ready to assemble and use, to my Christmas list.
The Forno Bravo website also offers plans for a Pompeii Oven, should you want to DIY this present.
KoMo FlicFloc Flaker, $169.99 There is something cool about buying local grain from Agritopia or Hayden Flour Mills, and making your own flakes. This hand-cranked flaker is perfect to flake some fresh oats for breakfast or for cookies. Gift this with some local grain and your favorite oatmeal recipe.
Vermont Rolling Pin, $45 On a trip to Vermont for cheese making classes, I stopped at a farmers market and picked up one of these rolling pins. Now, I'm obsessed. I have a pasta rolling pin and now have my sights set on one of the French rolling pins, preferably in cherry. Gift this with a pie plate and a bench knife.
BREAD Magazine Subscription, $7.99 (One Year) The online publication is currently entering it's fourth year (2015), writing strictly about bread, methods, and the people who create bread.
Published in Finland by Jarkko Laine, this publication isn't meant just for professionals, but for everyone who loves bread and baking bread. While the magazine is currently only offered online, the publisher has hinted at future plans for a paper magazine.
Sweet Basil Cooking School Gift Certificate, Any Amount The cooking school has been around since 1993, offering casual hands-on classes to the novice cook or baker. Most of the pastry classes are around $55, you have your pick from classes like Phyllo & Puff Pastry, Cinnamon Rolls & Sticky Buns, Cupcakes & Sprinkles, or Brunch With Friends. Grab a gift certificate and let your baker choose which class to dive into.
If your baker doesn't want to take a class, they can always use the gift certificate to purchase baking tools at the Sweet Basil Gourmetware store, which offers an array of cooking tools, baking tools, kitchen linens and gadgets.
