Time flies when you are baking!
In 2010 we started to share our baking adventures, recipes and experiences as weekend micro bakers with a still small but ever growing baking community. A decade on, it seems everybody is baking at an amazing level and we are in awe of and inspired by many of them. We are not the most prolific writers, but always share our best tried and tested recipes with you. Based on your feedback, we humbly conclude you like what we offer and our recipes and methods work for you too.
Our love of baking is still strong, more recently paired with the love for growing our own greens and inventing recipes for a happy and healthy lifestyle.
Below the list of our own personal favorites of the past 10 years. We thank you so very much for all your love and support, excellent comments and sharing of baking knowledge and expertise over the years.
Happy baking
Ed & Marieke
Weekend Bakers
1. Classic French croissants
Our absolute top favorite has helped many bakers overcome their fear of pastry baking, leading to many enthusiastic comments on our recipe and video.
2. 80% hydration baguettes
It was truly an international effort with an amazing outcome. The most wonderful crust and crumb and such a fun baking project, which also let to the invention of the baguette boules! For novice bakers we also recommend our other French baguette recipe.
3. Our pain rustique
We perfected this recipe, a hybrid bread with a combination of sourdough and a bit of yeast, almost 10 years ago and it is still a favorite. Subtle sourdough flavour and the ‘speed advantage’ of a yeast based bread with very pleasant crust and crumb.
4. Our version of Tartine style bread
Our personal favorite when it comes to method and taste. Some effort and especially time goes into making these loaves, but boy (and girl) are they worth it!
5. Our ‘perfect Christmas’ stollen
Our classic Dutch stollen with homemade almond paste is all about flavour and the optimum ratio between filling and crumb and staying true to the taste and tradition we know and love from our childhood. If you love this recipe, you will also like the variation on this theme in the shape of individual ‘stollen bollen‘.
6. Sourdough Pain Naturel
This recipe has been a starting point for many new sourdough bakers, and it still is today. We love it that so many bakers had satisfying results using our recipe. Sometimes good quality flour, your enthusiastic sourdough culture and a straightforward method are enough for a great loaf.
7. Sourdough mini boules
Also have a soft spot for mini versions of all kinds of food? The mini boules are pleasing to the eyes and ears when they come out of the oven. Very tasty, excellent crust to crumb ratio and fun to bake and share with a loved one. A bestseller for us.
8. The Panettone Project
Baking a good traditional panettone was always on our list. We love the process and the smells of the dough and bread when baking. It has been a wonderful journey of discovery and it is still going on today.
9. Pizza! + The most wonderful pizza dough to fit your busy schedule
Our pizza adventures will forever continue because we just love making our own. Our enthusiasm has only been increased by the workings of our new outdoor pizza oven in 2018. We gladly share our results, recipes, videos and baking tips with you and are always looking for new pizza and flatbread variations
10. A sweet Dutch classic: Homemade rondo’s and kano’s
Quintessentially Dutch and delicious! We especially seem to please bakers from overseas with roots in our tiny country looking to recreate childhood memories of this combination of the tastiest of buttery dough and almond paste filling.
Again we could not help but make a mini version for people who want to enjoy but in a more modest way. So, also check out our recipe for rondo bites
Inge says
Hallo, als ik het brood om 12 uur vers wil eten, welk schema kan ik dan het beste aanhouden? Bijvoorbeeld bij de pain naturel, die is volgens het tijd schema pas om 15 uur klaar.
Groetjes Inge
Weekend Bakers says
Hallo Inge,
Heel simpel gezegd, zou je dan alles drie uur eerder moeten doen. Dus dat zou betekenen voor het Pain Naturel recept dat je het voordeeg om 6 uur maakt in de avond en de volgende ochtend om 6 uur verder gaat. Maar dat is wel wat vroeg (hoewel, voor een bakker :)) dus er zijn andere opties. Zo kun je het hele proces tot aan de eindrijs de vorige dag doen waarbij je dan het brood in de avond maakt en in de koelkast laat rijzen. Het brood rijst dan veel langzamer door de kou en je kunt de volgende ochtend verder gaan. Soms moet het brood dan toch nog wat verder rijzen buiten de koelkast voordat je het kunt bakken. Om dit te optimaliseren moet je het gewoon een aantal keren proberen, want de condities, zoals de temperatuur van je koelkast, de werking van je desem, je omgeving, zijn bij iedereen anders.
Maar het is altijd zo, dat als je in de ochtend of vroege middag vers brood wilt hebben, dan zul je in de periode daarvoor iets moeten doen. Vandaar dat bakkers altijd zo vroeg op zijn.
Een andere optie is het brood een dag eerder bakken of voor 2/3 bakken en op de dag zelf ‘oppiepen’ of verder afbakken.
Hopelijk heb je hier wat aan.
Succes ermee,
Marieke & Ed
Inge says
Oké bedankt! Ga ermee verder aan de slag, groetjes!
Burgi Ennis says
Hello,
Can I be on your mailing list? Newsletter?
Mike says
Please add me to your email list.
Thanks,
Mike
Piet Harteveld says
Ik ben enorm blij dat ik jullie site (bij toeval) heb ontdekt.
Ik ga meteen aan de slag.
Vriendelijke groet.
Jack Gray says
Ek bak omtrent elke dag julle wit brood want my familie is mal daaroor.
Ek moet nog moed step om die Hollandse rondo te bak.
Naomi Salmon says
Hi Ed and Marieke,
I have a Rofco40 oven and noted that do too. Your website is really interesting. I love the detail, advice and delicious photos! I run a little part- time bakery in Wales – Bara Borth / Borth Bread. My problem is that I cannot get the new glass light cover to screw in. It simply will not go. I wondered whether you have also had this problem and if so, what did you do? I ended up baking with no glass cover and hope that this will not cause damage to the insulation in the oven if steam gets into the gap where the light cover should be. Any tips? Is it ok to use the oven with no glass shield over the light fitting?
Thank you. And apologies for the rather boring sort of question.
Naomi
John Knott says
I used w/e bakery for Classic Dutch Apple Pie. The result? Outstanding! My wife thinks that I’ve somehow morphed into a cook
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you so much John. Your wife seeing you with new eyes, how wonderful is that! And all through the baking of a Dutch apple pie. Proud baker!
Lesley Broadbent says
Congratulations to you guys for 10 years of inspiring us! I started baking in 2012 when I wanted to ditch the shop-style doughy bread and I’ve never looked back. I always return to your website when I need inspiration and I refer friends to it when they decide to have a go at sourdough bread making. When the lockdown is over and we are able to travel again, I look forward to coming to your bakery to say hello. Here’s to many more successful years!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Lesley,
So happy to get your comment. We will always be baking, in good times and not so good times if at all possible. These last weeks especially, it has proven to be a skill that offers so much more than just the bread itself. It’s diversion, support, comfort and gratitude all in one. Glad so many more people are finding that out at the moment and hope they will continue to bake whatever the future may bring.
Greetings from Holland and all the best for now,
Ed & Marieke
WKB
Steve Hall says
Happy birthday! You really helped a lot when I started on my sourdough adventure, particularly the straightforward no bullshit videos, and now I’m pointing friends at the site who are asking all sorts of questions because they know I bake sourdough and they can’t buy bread. Or yeast! Worked for me, so hopefully can work for them. And once they’ve cut that crust….. hopefully hooked for life. Dankje wel my cloggie friends! (Hope I got the Dutch bit right!).
Steve Hall says
Sorry, forgot to say:
Steve, Selsey, (W.Sussex) UK. Proud to be a European!
Weekend Bakers says
Hello fellow European Steve!
So great to read your comment. It seems to be universal how people start to bake at a time of crisis. It warrants a study, but we already know the outcome: Baking is awesome and no matter where you are from or what you believe, bread is a way to provide and rewarding for both bakers and the people they share it with. It gives comfort and support in times that feel so uncertain and scary for many people.
You are right, there is no way back for many ones you have tasted the fresh real bread out of the oven.
We love the cloggie friends 🙂
In Dutch we call them ‘klompen’, the wooden shoes.
Groetjes uit Holland and a very happy Easter baking weekend and be safe,
Ed & Marieke
Weekend Bakers
Rich says
I’ve been coming to your website for quite a few years now and it has been an amazing source of inspiration. I’ve always been keen on baking but your recipes have helped me grow in confidence and taken things to another level. Cutting into a fresh sourdough loaf is always a thrill! Congrats on the anniversary and thank you for all the help.
Rich,
Manchester, UK.
Weekend Bakers says
How wonderful to read your comment Rich. It is awesome how pleasant this baking journey has been up till now, being a source of inspiration for other bakers and being able to provide recipes that work for other bakers in all parts of the world. It makes us truly happy. We also found that wherever you go bakers are the nicest, kindest people to encounter. We have the love for baking in common and very often so much more.
Only wish we had time to do even more, so many ideas still to offer. But tomorrow we will be baking again, that is for sure!
Enjoy your baking and sharing and take care of yourself these challenging times.
Ed & Marieke
Luma Fatoum says
congratulations, love your website!!
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you very much Luma, hope you are safe and can enjoy your baking and share with others.
Greetings
Leigh says
Congratulations on the anniversary. So glad you started this project, as it helped me with my bread baking too.. which I must have been doing for the last 9 years as well!
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you Leigh, for your kind words. It is such a great skill to have in good and especially bad times. We find it brings all kinds of benefits, by keeping busy, being relaxed while baking and enjoying yourself, the feeling of reward being able to bake for others and making them happy with good food and something truly delicious.
Hope you will be able to bake now and for many years to come and hope you are safe and healthy and your family too.
Greetings from Holland,
Marieke & Ed
Jeanette T says
Happy 10th Anniversary 🍻. I’m so glad I found your website and recipes. Your recipes, pictures, instructions and most definitely your replies are invaluable to me.
My favorites recipes are your Pizza dough, Old friends raisin bread, No-knead Spelt with Cherries & Pistachios, and last but not least No-knead Brioche.
I’m starting a new WKB bucket list.
Please take care & give each other a Hug 🤗 for me.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello Jeanette,
So good to ‘hear’ from you. Very grateful for your words of enthusiasm and kindness and for being such a fan of our recipes and advice.
We both wish you and your family and everyone you love all the best and hope you find all the love and support from each other you need in these unusual and troubled times. May they soon be over and may we learn something from them too.
Enjoy your baking and sharing, it is one of the best skills and hobbies to have now we find!
Greetings from Holland,
Marieke & Ed
C. Tsang says
Congratulations on this 10 year anniversary! You sure inspired me with your insights and recipes, especially the croissants. I make these on a regular basis and every time they turn out perfect!
Van Harte Ed en Marieke, beste wensen en ik hoop nog vele jaren van jullie website te leren.
Groetjes van Charlie Tsang
Edmonton,Alberta, Canada
Weekend Bakers says
Thank you so much Charlie / Dankjewel!
My brother just asked me if we have enough flour to bake bread in these troubled times, which made me think about the fact that baking will always be a great skill to have in many circumstances.
So glad you are a fan of our recipes and we where able to be a part of your baking success all the way in beautiful Canada.
Wishing you and your family all the best / Alle goeds
and keep on baking!
Groetjes uit de Lage Landen,
Ed & Marieke
Ingrid van Arnhem says
Born in Gouda, immigrated to Canada when I was 11, then immigrated to the US (Los Angeles) when I was 22 . I am so thankful for the recipes, especially the stollen (+bollen) and the Rondo’s. Definitely going to try this.
Weekend Bakers says
Hello / Hallo Ingrid,
I was born quite close to the place that is also your last name! Being 11 you must have lots of memories growing up in Holland. The tastes of your childhood and the associations that go with them can be very strong. Hope to invoke them a bit with our recipes!
Greetings / Groetjes
Marieke
Weekend Bakery