Weekend Bakery
Weekend Bakery wants to offer and share information, tips, techniques, recipes and tools for the ‘professional’ home baker, with an above average interest in the art of artisan bread making. Weekend Bakery points to the fact that a lot of people, like us, concentrate their baking activities around the weekends and holidays. The moments you look forward to, thinking about what recipes to try or which favorite loaves to bake.
Weekend Bakery is serious about artisan bread making. Making bread in small quantities with time and attention will deliver great and rewarding results. So why not try and make your own too? It’s a hobby with great benefits for your mind as well as your body. Making good bread appeals to all your senses. Working with dough can be your own form of meditation. Your body can seriously benefit from the bread you make.
There are lot’s of good reasons to make your own. Maybe you’ve already discovered them. So if you are serious about good bread making, Weekend Bakery is the place for you. Get your hands stuck in a piece of dough and smell the aroma of your own sourdough starter.
Our Artisan At Home Bakery
We are passionate home bakers. We have been sharing our quest for good food and especially good bread for over 20 years. We love sharing our homemade bread and recipes with friends and family and everybody who’s truly interested. We are especially enthusiastic about the ‘artisan’ way of baking. Traditional methods, few ingredients, lots of taste. It’s amazing and rewarding to discover you can make a wonderful bread with just flour, water and salt and a bit of homemade sourdough.
Our Weekend Bakery Tool Shop
We are proud to offer a range of bread baking tools that are perfect for the home baker and small bakeries. All bread baking tools are made within the European Union and of high quality. And there’s some very original sweet baking stuff too. Come and take a look and get inspired to bake!
Things we love to bake and make
There are some bakes that we have really ‘made our own’ over the years. Next to our ‘Pain Rustique’ and ‘Pain au Levain’ that has an enthusiastic following, we sort of have perfected the art of croissant making and baguette baking. We also love to make traditional Dutch specialties like ‘appeltaart’ (Dutch apple pie) and ‘suikerbrood’ (sugar loaf), speculaas, cinnamon buns and roggebrood (rye bread). We love making our own pizza, pita and flatbreads. More recently we are inspired by trending sourdough recipes like the sourdough croissant loaf and other variations. We also make our own marmalade from the Sevilla oranges when in season, quince jelly from the quinces in our garden and lots of lovely fruit tarts and cobblers with our own pears, plums and berries. We love to experiment with chocolate and caramel too.
Besides the baking
We love to travel when possible. Our favorite destinations are Italy, France, Norway and Canada. Favorite cities: New York, Venice, Amsterdam, Maastricht, Bologna…
Also fond of (outdoor) cooking, the Italian kitchen, Indian and Japanese food, brewing the best coffee and much more…
Happy baking from Weekend Bakery!
Ed & Marieke
Netherlands
P.S.: Check out our Weekend Baking on Instagram and Bluesky
Lori Groenheide says
Hello from Canada. Very happy to have found you this morning. Baking has always been part of my life. Looking forward to reading your many posts.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Lori,
Happy to get your comment.
Seeing your name Groenheide, it sounds very much from ‘low countries’ origin 🙂
It is wonderful to connect with other bakers around the world and share recipes, tips and general enthusiasm for a hobby and skill that is so rewarding.
Please ask if you have any questions regarding our recipes.
Enjoy your baking,
Ed & Marieke
John says
Hello,
I have a specific question about “Speculaas”. I have tried numerous times to get the correct spice mixture for “Speculaasjes”. It is the specific taste that I would like to reproduce. You have your recipe I have not tried as yet. This is slightly different from most of them.
If I may ask, what is your opinion? I would like to hear a professional opinion about this criteria.
Thank you.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello John,
We have bought many speculaas spice mixtures of better quality over the years. They are all slightly different and of course they never mention the ratio and amount of the different spices.
The base is always cinnamon – making up about 50% of the mixture.
Traditional, all of the mixtures have nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Depending on the ‘brand’ part or all of the following spices are also added in smaller quantities: all spice, coriander seed, mace, cardamom, aniseed or star anise and (white) pepper.
We know it is difficult, but to recreate the spice you love the best, you need to recall, next to cinnamon, which spices you also remember that made up the mixture you love. Aniseed is very distinctive for example and (for us) it ads a sweetness we really like, but there are many speculaas spice mixes without it. The amount of cloves is also very decisive for the end result, it can be overpowering, so amounts are important. It also makes a big difference how fresh and potent your spices are.
Our suggestion:
Start with a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and koriander and then add one of the other spices and try that in your speculaas.
There is no other option than experimenting until you find your favorite mixture, but that is also the fun of it hopefully.
Best of luck with it and enjoy your baking!
Ed & Marieke
Ted MacDonald says
Minor spelling error in your conversion table
in SALT teaspoon is spelled teapsoon.
Very handy conversion calculator.
Thanks,
Ted
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Ted,
Thank you for noticing and letting us know.
We found a teapsoon on the conversion page and corrected it 🙂
Wishing you a great (baking) weekend,
Ed & Marieke
Tracy says
Hello from Canada. Very blessed to have discovered this blog on accident. I have been reading a lot of positive reviews about your recipes so it makes me even more excited to try them!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello from Holland Tracy,
Thank you for your kind words. Hope you will both have joy and success with our recipes. Please just ask if there’s anything baking related we can help you with.
Greetings / Groetjes,
Ed & Marieke
marion wensing says
Hi Ed & Marieke,
I would like to thank you for this great recipe, i have been trying to bake bread for the last two years, some success with lots of failings.
your recipe was it “just perfect. thank you thank you.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Marion, for so very kindly letting us know.
We wish you many more excellent loaves and above all much baking joy!
Ed & Marieke
Abi D. says
Your website is truly amazing. It’s exactly what I was looking for as an amateur home baker. It’s a pleasure reading through your material and trying some of your recipes. I am learning so much here. Right now, I am primarily focusing on sourdough bread baking, but will certainly branch out to some of your other recipe suggestions. And the fact that there are no annoying advertisements or pop ups is the “icing on the cake!”
I am curious if you accept donations. I’d be happy to support your efforts here in whatever way that I can. Thank you!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Abi,
That is so kind of you. We are very happy you find our recipes and tips helpful with your baking. We support you on tackling mainly one specific baking subject at the time, immerse yourself in sourdough, before going on to other things. We believe the ‘come back tomorrow and repeat’ (the same recipe or method) approach is a very good way to learn. It least it was and still is for us both.
We are still very consciously not accepting any requests for advertising, backlinks, endorsements and so on, to interfere with our content and bother our baking friends. Believe me, we get request every day. We are just lucky we are able to do it our way and be authentic and genuine. Real people and real bread is what you get.
Thank you also, for your donation offer. May we suggest you give something to your favorite good cause, be it people, animals or anything else that needs support much more than we do.
Wishing you many happy baking moments and crusty loafs,
Marieke & Ed
WKB
Abi D. says
❤️
Thanks for your kind response. I am currently geeking out on your dough calculator. It’s a genius idea to offer this for folks to learn about bakers percentages. I appreciate how you take into account the water and flour content of the leavening to calculate the overall hydration. Most other websites I’ve seen only account for the flour and water added (without including the leavening) in their calculation so it’s a bit misleading. Not a huge deal, but I like your attention to detail. Keep up the good work!
Abi D.
Bozeman, MT, USA
Weekend Bakers says
Thanks Abi, glad you find it helpful.
Greetings from the low countries and enjoy your baking journey!
Mark Wenzel says
Love your website
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Mark. Hope you have great results with our recipes.
Enjoy your baking!
Ed & Marieke
David says
Dear Ed & Marieke,
I’m sure I speak for many others when I write I’m indebted to you for your enthusiasm and generosity. This is such a wonderful resource for bread and baking enthusiasts.
I also love the fact it’s wonderfully Dutch: (and that’s a compliment) immensely practical; confidently modest; and, with perfect outcomes every time!
Thank you both, I wish you all continued success.
David
Weekend Bakers says
Hello David,
We very much appreciate all your kind words, because they describe so well what we are trying to do. From the beginning we always wanted it to be genuinely us, two people who love baking and are sincerely happy if other bakers get good results with their recipes. Weekend Bakery truly is 100% us 🙂
Wishing you all the best in life and a happy baking journey,
Ed & Marieke
Maherm says
It is just PERFECT yours recipes Thank you s💝 much
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Maherm, glad our recipes work well for you too.
We hope to add a nice new bread baking recipe in the coming week!
Enjoy your baking
Riek says
Goedemorgen, Weekend Bakkers
Ik heb al een paar keer jullie recept bekeken en ook uitgeprobeerd, ik mis in jullie omschrijving bij het recept , “Ons favoriete zuurdesembrood mer tarwe volkoren” toch echt de bulkrijs ook in her andere recept pain naturel wordt ook niets vermeld. Is dit een over het hoofd gezien ?? Ik heb nu een paar keer gehad dat het een dril deeg wordt na het opbollen.
Ik hoor het graag van jullie.
Met vriendelijke groet,
Riek
Weekend Bakers says
Beste Riek,
We hebben het nog even nagelopen en het recept klopt helemaal.
Dit is het tijdschema:
Volkoren Zuurdesembrood Tijdschema
Dag 1 -21:00 Maak het voordeeg en laat 12 uur ontwikkelen
Dag 2 -09:00 Begin met het maken van het uiteindelijke deeg
09:00 – Voordeeg + alle andere ingredienten en 6 minuten kneden
09:10 – 50 minuten rust
10:00 – Eerste stretch & fold
50 minuten rust
10:50 – Tweede stretch & fold
50 minuten rust
11:40 – Vorm tot een bol of ovaal brood
Eindrijs 2 uur en 15 minuten
13:55 – bak 48 minutes op 230ºC
14:43 – Het brood is klaar
Heb je ervaring met het oprekken en vouwen van het deeg (Stretch & Fold).
Zie ook onze video: www.weekendbakery.com/posts…ld-method/
Er zijn drie periodes van 50 minuten rust en samen met deze techniek ontwikkel je het deeg. We maken dit recept al sinds 2012, dus we denken dat de oorzaak van je ‘drillerige’ deeg ergens anders moet liggen.
Zorg ervoor dat je de S&F goed uitvoert en ook dat je de juiste broodbloem en meel gebruikt met voldoende proteïne / eiwitgehalte (tussen 12 en 13%) om een sterk deeg op te bouwen. Mocht je het wat te vochtig vinden om mee te werken, dan kun je ook een paar procent minder water toevoegen en eens kijken hoe dat gaat.
Succes ermee en een heel fijne kerst gewenst!
Ed & Marieke
Nicolien says
Hi,
I am making the recipe ‘Ons Favoriete Zuurdesembrood met Tarwe Volkoren;’ often
but I am wondering which knead technique I should use if I knead the dough on day 2 before the stretch and fold fase?
Thanks a lot for any info!
Nicolien
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Nicolien,
We assume you saw these instructions with the recipe:
Making the loaf
Put the poolish starter, flour and salt in the mixing bowl of your standing mixer and add 2/3 of the water. Now start mixing and gradually add the rest of the water and let the dough come together. Knead for 6 minutes, leave it in your mixing bowl, cover with clingfilm and rest for 50 minutes. The dough should feel a bit wet and even a little bit sloppy or tacky, there should be moderate gluten development.
So either you use a standing mixer for 6 minutes or you knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes. After the initial 50 minutes rest you proceed with the stretch and fold without any further kneading.
Let us know if you still have any questions about this!
Marieke
Nicolien says
Hi Marieke,
Thanks for your reply! I saw the instructions. And I knead by hand, but I was wondering which technique I should use ? Because on the internet I see a lot of different kneading techniques and I thought it also matters if you stretch and fold afterwards? But maybe I am overthinking it now 🙂
Thanks again!
Nicolien
Weekend Bakers says
Hi again Nicolien,
Do you know the French method (made famous by Richard Bertinet) also referred to as the ‘slap and fold’?
It involves picking up the dough on one end with both hands, then lifting it up and letting it hang a bit as you gently slap it on the table in front of you. You then fold it over and pick it up again, from the same side you first lifted it.
When you get the hang of it it can work really well for wetter dough.
For more tips and techniques also take a look at this:
www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/…gh-by-hand
Also keep in mind for the kneading part of our sourdough bread recipe you only need moderate gluten development. So the rest of the development is done by S&F and especially by the longer periods of rest between the S&F.
Hope you will find something useful for you to try with your next bake.
Seasons Greetings,
Marieke
Nicolien says
Hi Marieke,
Dank voor je antwoord. Ik zie nu dat jullie ook gewoon in het Nederlands antwoorden 🙂
Fijne feestdagen gewenst,
Nicolien
Weekend Bakers says
Hi Nicolien,
Ja Engels is een beetje de ‘voertaal’ op onze site, vanwege bakkers uit allerlei landen. Dat is jaren geleden zo ontstaan omdat met name het broodbakken in Nederland nog niet zo een vlucht had genomen.
Dus we zijn een beetje ‘tweetalig’ 🙂
Fijne feestdagen en ook in het Nieuwe Jaar heel veel bakplezier!
Shivam Kapoor says
Thank you for educating me on the veg danish preparations. Amazing content.
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Shivam 🙂
It is a versatile recipe and you can easily make your own favorite version with the vegetables (of the season) and different cheeses or tofu and herbs and spices you like.
Enjoy your baking
Steve Reilly says
I’ve just found your website and it is brilliant; just what I needed… Thank you so much for sharing your skills and expertise! 😊
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Steve,
Thank you for letting us know. Wishing you lots of happy moments baking and experimenting.
Greetings from Holland,
Marieke
James says
In your table you convert instant yeast to fresh yeast 1:3. I’ve never seen anything but 1:2. Wondering…
Weekend Bakers says
Hello James,
We have never known or done anything else (tweaking individual recipes for certain reasons excluded) than the 1:3 ratio. Books we have, including the great Hamelman in his book ‘Bread’, also use this conversion, as do other sources like King Arthur flour in the US and Doves farm in the UK and many other sources and conversion sites.
Can you tell us, what your sources and reasons are to stick to the 1:2 ratio? We are curious to know where it comes from.