The Baker's Gift Guide
The definitive gift guide for the home baker.
Having a hobby is a blessing and a curse when it comes to gift giving. On the one hand, people know exactly what to get you for holidays and birthdays. On the other, people will never stop buying you hobby-related paraphernalia for every holiday and birthday for the rest of your life. For the untrained gift giver, this can result in a seemingly endless pattern of technically relevant junk you’d never pick out for yourself. But with some guidance, you’re in luck: you’ll end up with functional presents you’ll actually use. My goal with this gift guide was to streamline this process for bakers and their loved ones: no more aimlessly ambling around the internet for random, subpar baking equipment. These items are ideal for the entire spectrum of baking hobbyists: from the casual weekend baker to the bread baking artisan to the quasi-professional. Save these items for yourself, or pass the list on to your friends and family so they don’t have to choose the first result that pops up when you Google “gifts for bakers”. This gift guide has everything from stocking stuffers to full blown kitchen appliances, and I truly hope you love it.
Maldon Flaky Salt ($7.98)
THE finishing salt for any salted baked good. Dust a couple flakes of Maldon on top of your cookies, brownies, or tarts, and you have instantly brought up the sophistication of your dish by a sizable fraction. The ideal salty stocking stuffer.
Don’t want to spend weeks (or months) making your own sourdough starter from scratch? Worry not – the internet has a solution. Most sourdough starters available to buy online come dry, and King Arthur’s is one of the only ones I’ve seen that comes fresh, meaning you don’t have to reconstitute it in water. With a little flour and water, you’ll be well on your way to the full-blown addiction that is sourdough baking.
Danish Dough Whisk ($9.99)
Ideal for mixing bread doughs, these Danish dough whisks will revolutionize your bread making game. Maybe it’s because they’re Danish, but I find these so much chicer than a regular whisk – I entirely realize how insane that sounds.
Adjustable Pie Crust Shield ($12.95)
Pie bakers take their crust very seriously. This product is simple, but wholly functional: a silicone shield that protects your precious crust from burning in the oven – a tragedy that can befall even the most seasoned pie aficionado.
OXO Medium Cookie Scoop ($16.95)
Relatively self explanatory, even the most novice baker needs a good cookie scoop. This one is the perfect size for most standard cookies, and has a comfortable, spring-loaded handle for easy release.
Baguette Pan ($20.52)
One of the items on my personal wishlist. A pan that you can use to both proof and bake your baguettes in the oven. Baguette baking is a notoriously finicky practice, but this pan ensures you get crispy, perfectly shaped loaves every single time.
Bench Scraper ($24.99)
One of my most used pieces of equipment, a bench scraper is crucial for accurately portioning out doughs and lifting flour off of surfaces. The walnut handle on this one is gorgeous.
Escali Digital Scale ($26.95)
My absolute, number one, non-negotiable rule of baking? WEIGH YOUR INGREDIENTS. All my recipes are given in both American (volumetric) and metric measurements, but I personally go with metric every time. Weighing your ingredients by weight is objectively the most accurate way to measure (volumetric measurements can vary wildly in accuracy), and is crucial in the chemistry-based art that is baking. I especially love the pink scale!
LANON Silicone Oven Gloves ($39.99)
These gloves are heat and cold resistant and ideal for taking hot things out of the oven. Since they’re fingered gloves, you have more dexterity and control over what you’re gripping. My hands are covered in burns from oven-related incidents, and I desperately need these.
Nielsen Massey World Vanilla Set ($52.95)
Four words: Ina Garten’s favorite vanilla. Fragrant and delicious, Nielsen Massey is some of the best on the market. This set includes Madagascar bourbon, Mexican, and Tahitian vanillas; all of which impart a different flavor and aroma to your baked goods. You will never, ever go back to the imitation stuff again.
Hedley & Bennett Essential Apron ($85.00)
Very The Bear. The unofficial uniform of professional chefs, Hedley & Bennett offers a virtually endless array of designs and colorways for the home baker or cook. I am particularly obsessed with the foodie series, specifically the cookies and milk pattern. Necessary for the baker who has a propensity for getting flour everywhere (I’m self referencing gere).
KitchenAid Sifter + Scale Attachment ($99.99)
If you’ve got a KitchenAid and want to upgrade from the regular scale listed above, consider getting one that both attaches to your mixer and sifts your flour to you. Sifting isn’t strictly necessary, but it can incorporate air into your batters and doughs and minimize lumps. This attachment takes all the work out of it for accurate, silky smooth baking.
USA Pan Set ($153.95)
The best pans, bar none. I got this set for Christmas last year, and will never go back. Made from aluminized steel, the material is an excellent conductor of heat, meaning it both heats up and cools down quickly. The result? Crispier, more evenly cooked baked goods that brown beautifully.
Emile Henry Bread Cloche ($169.95)
Another item I got for Christmas last year, this is an exceptional choice for the bread baking obsessive in your life. Ceramic bakeware is ideal for baking bread, and this cloche is beautiful enough to intentionally display in your kitchen. The domed top ensures maximum oven spring for tricky loaves like sourdough.
Brod & Taylor Proofing Box ($219.95)
The number one piece of equipment that has singlehandedly transformed my baking. This heat and humidity controlled proofing box takes all the guesswork out of fermentation, making it ideal for all yeasted doughs: from sourdough starter to brioche to cinnamon rolls. A true technological marvel!
Okay, I know, I know. But I had to put one true luxury item on this list. As I’m sure you already know, the KitchenAid is the Rolls Royce of stand mixers. Mine is currently broken, and I’m salivating over this olive green model with a gorgeous wooden bowl. I truly can’t think of a more stunning piece of equipment to show off in your kitchen.
I hope you enjoyed these gift suggestions! If you have any questions, feel free to message me. Happy Holidays!
what a great list!! If I don’t already own, I want majority of the things on this list
such a great list! I second the vanilla extract. very practical and special ✨