Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s

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The year of 2021 has been one of rising costs for the baking industry. What’s more, 2022 looks set to bring more of the same. Creating new products from surplus ones is another – one which consumers are increasingly interested in. A survey by Mintel in June 2019 found 43% of bread consumers would be interested in buying bread made using leftovers from the production process, while 38% are up for buying bread made from leftover ingredients from other food and drink manufacturing processes.

There were also metaphoric shots fired in a legal battle involving two well-known retailers and their respective caterpillar cakes that captured the imagination of the public and the tabloid press. It was also a theme amongst the Innovation category at Britain’s Best Loaf this year, with the winner and highly commended loaves incorporating surplus products. Gail’s Bakery creates a porridge from unsold loaves, which is mixed through the dough, to create its Waste-less Sourdough. Ingredients: granulated sugar; all-purpose flour; candied cherries; dried figs; raisins; walnuts; light corn syrup; egg whites In addition to that, a complicated picture began to emerge from some of the detail regarding the new regime affecting exports of food and ingredients.

The department held an industry consultation in February and March 2021 and subsequently set up a Bread and Flour Technical Working Group (BFTWG) comprising stakeholders representing a cross-section of the bread and flour supply chain. Along with various government agencies, industry bodies and consumer groups, organisations taking part in this group include UK Flour Millers, Federation of Bakers, Real Bread Campaign and companies such as Premier Foods, AB Mauri and Lesaffre.

Sri Lankan-born Saku places the traditional flavours of her heritage at the heart of her baking – particularly the curry spices, which she claims make for the best pie fillings, while liberal sprinklings of cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg find their way into her sweeter bakes. Having baked thousands of retro recipes from all kinds of antique cookbooks, Dylan’s selected the best of the best for this bakebook, sharing the shining stars from each decade. And since not every recipe Dylan bakes on his wildly popular social media channels turn out delicious, we’ve thrown in a few of the most disastrously strange recipes for you to try if you want to prank your friends, or if you’re simply a glutton for punishment. As such, there’s an increasing focus on what baked goods can offer consumers,be it in terms of health and wellness,environmental impact or simply a feelgood moment.

Between 2017 and 2019, bakery was the category with the highest number of new organic product launches in Western Europe, notes Janin Zippel, marketing segment manager, bakery at Ingredion. He describes his style as rustic but neat, and his flavour preferences as quite traditional – he particuarly loves chocolate, citrus and nuts. Once his days in the tent are over, his next – and even bigger – challenge will be to make his own wedding cake, a special commission from his fiancée, Lara. A lover of the great outdoors, she forages for seasonal ingredients – the bigger and bolder, the better – and puts her homegrown veg to good use. Abbi’s bakes aim to combine comfort and familiarity with a strong nod towards nature, and a feeling of creating something magical – bakes with a touch of fairytale! Amos describes his bakes as a labour of love – his style is colourful and chic with keen attention to detail, and he loves exploring different flavour profiles. He compares his baking style to the converted church that he now lives in, calling both his style and home ‘traditional with a modern twist’. Film and theatre enthusiast, theme-park lover and hospitality professional, Amos grew up in Nottingham with his mum and sister, but now lives and works in North London. As a child, Amos was always amazed by his mum’s ability to whip up delicious bakes at a moment’s notice – making her both the inspiration and the role model for his own commitment to some serious baking.