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Hello and Happy New Year! I hope everyone is well and feeling refreshed after the festive break! Today, I wanted to share my ins and outs for 2025. This isn’t a trend prediction, more of a personal baking to-do list and a few things I want to leave behind in 2024.
So, let’s get into it…
Ins
Savoury Bakes
Imagine my surprise when one of my only savoury recipes of 2024 turned out to be one of the most popular! Savoury baking isn’t something I do a lot of, but why not!? This year, I’m going to try to incorporate more savoury baking into my life, both for my regular dinners and here on Substack. In fact, I have a savoury recipe out today for my first post of 2025.
Experimenting With Different Flours
This has been on my to-do list for a while, but honestly, I’ve felt too daunted by the whole thing and haven’t been sure where to start. I think the reason I’m so mystified by all these flours is that I have very little experience in bread baking.
I see other bakers use interesting flours for their bakes all the time—spelt, stoneground, rye, einkorn. But what does it all mean!? What do they actually taste like? Can I just substitute my normal flour? Is this just something you do to look cool, or does it actually taste good? 2025 is the year I find out.
Vertical Stripe Cakes
I made a vertical stripe cake for my 2024 yule log and I loved it! I very rarely make them but this has to change! I know they can feel scary at first but I’m determined de-mystify them and get more people making them because I truly believe that slicing into a vertical stripe cake has to be one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Not to mention that I think they’re one of the most stable ways to build tall, skinny cakes.
Outs
Baking Fomo
Spending a lot of time in the bakery corner of the internet can be fun – I’m always finding inspiration and discovering new things. However, sometimes I need a not-so-gentle reminder that just because everyone else is doing something, it doesn’t mean I have to. There’s no need to have an existential crisis because I missed quince season; I don’t even like quince. Get a grip, Sophie.
Food Snobbery
I am so guilty of this, and it’s honestly just a boring and restrictive way of thinking. Years of working in high-end kitchens surrounded by big boy chefs who think they’re better than everyone else has, unfortunately, rubbed off on me. The first place I worked refused to even use white chocolate because “it isn’t real chocolate” – yawn. This is the same place that wouldn’t let us use timers because apparently “you should just know when it’s ready” but that’s a story for another time.
I’m trying to embrace more fun and less snobbery. Will you find sprinkles in a Michelin-starred restaurant? Probably not. Does that mean funfetti cake is inferior to other cakes? No – of course not.
Leaving Things To The Last Minute
I’m outing myself here but I’ve got to stop posting my newsletter at midnight. 2025 is the year I actually get organised and have my newsletter ready at least a day before it’s supposed to go out. Having said that, please don’t shout at me if you see me posting in the middle of the night, I’m a last minute girl to my core and fight it as I might, sometimes it can’t be helped.
I’d love to know your baking ins, outs, goals and general wishes for the new year! As ever let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like to see, I’m always open to suggestions. I’ve got so many exciting plans for this year, I can’t wait to share them with you!
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‘I don’t like quince’ is so real!! I’m definitely going into this year putting less pressure on myself to be in on every seasonal bake or trend. It just takes away from the joy of it all!
That timer comment is so typical of kitchens! And it's great as you say, that you've gained intuition; but what stress to put your employees through to get there 😂 Just wanted to say I'm looking forward to seeing what you do this year! I am a bread baker but I've still no idea what all these different flour types actually do (or what they add taste wise), so definitely something I'd love to find out! And your chocolate layer cake is absolutely gorgeous (and so clean)!