They usually are engaged in architectural grand designs but also are food enthusiasts and home cooks. Two amazing ladies and architects on a daily basis attended my first sourdough bread baking course.  It was a great pleasure to share with them the knowledge and experience I’ve gained for over last eight years, show them a technic of how to make sourdough lavain, feed and care for sourdough starter, and finally make bread. My keen students rolled up their sleeves to put all theory into practice and got their hands dirty while stirring and mixing, so they created their first sourdough bread we could enjoy. More about the course here…

Panettone, sweet enriched bread comes originally, according to many sources, from Milan and is a true symbol of Italian Christmas. It’s more bread than a cake, although brioche-like dough of slightly sweet flavour is studded with dried fruits, almonds and raisins. The most traditional panettone is made by wild-yeast fermentation, augmented by a small amount of commercial yeasts. Making of this Christams sweet bread is a lengthy procedure, but the result is well worth it: you will end up with a golden, aromatic, and delicious Christmas bake that melts in your mouth with every bite.  Find the recipe here…

My, oh my! These buns are so light, delicate and pillowy that you can’t stop eating them! They’re St Lucia buns, served in the run-up to Christmas across Scandinavia. The sweet rolls are eaten traditionally on the 13th of December, St Lucia’s Day (also known as The Festival of Light), in celebration of Lucia, the patron saint of light and the victory of light over darkness. These golden-hued saffron buns are formed into an S shape that resembles a curled-up cat and two raisins are added to represent its eyes. The slightly sweet rolls taste best warm with butter. Find the recipe here…

You will need a bit of practice rolling the waffle cones - most of them will crack or break at the beginning. But don’t give up; the whole process is worth trying because the homemade ice cream cones are divine. They are crunchy, flavourful, aromatic, not too sweet and totally free of food additives. An electric waffle cone maker is necessary for this recipe, but these machines are now relatively cheap and available online. The cone waffle batter is easy to prepare and consists only of a few simple ingredients. Find the recipe here.

This round flatbread with a pocket inside originated within communities west of the Mediterranean Sea and is considered the oldest type of bread in the world. Pita Bread is made from yeast-leavened wheat dough and baked at high temperatures in the oven or on a cast-iron skillet. It goes well with meat, cheese, and grilled and raw vegetables. The pita also makes an excellent starter when served with sauces and dips such as hummus, baba ghanush, and tzatziki. My homemade Pita Bread puffs up beautifully and forms the signature interior pocket you can fill with anything you like. Find the recipe here…

You can vary the vegetables according to your taste or what’s in season and make this Tarte Tatin a great starter or accompaniment to any meat meal. I’ve used new root vegetables, onion, and chicory, a few pieces of chilli pepper, thyme leaves – as simple as that – and homemade rough puff pastry. Serve Roast Vegetables Tarte Tatin warm, with a glass of cold white wine. Find the recipe here...

It's said to be a cheat version of puff pastry, but in my opinion, this is just a more straightforward and quicker version of the French classic. Rough puff pastry calls for strong bread flour, a pinch of salt and, unlike the classic puff pastry, chilled cubed unsalted butter and cold water. Making the dough is simple but takes a little time because the dough needs chilling in the fridge between each round of folds. Once baked, quick puff pastry is flaky, crisp and buttery. It's excellent for Tarte Tatin, sausage rolls or vol-au-vents. Find the recipe here..

This soft and slightly sweet bread is perfect for sandwiches and toast. The dough enriched with milk and butter can also make many different types of rolls, such as hamburger or hot dog buns. You can refrigerate the dough overnight, just after kneading and bake it the next day. It's called slow rise and helps develop the dough's flavour. However, it can be risen and baked the same day - both methods work and make delicious bread. Find the recipe here…

If you are a rye fan, for a real treat try this double rye sourdough bread. It contains dark and light rye flour as well as bread flour to give light texture. Double rye requires overnight sponge made of light rye flour starter and some amount of dark rye flour, but on a baking day, it needs only 3 hours to be ready to pop in the hot oven. The bread is delicious, moist, sweet and tastes great next day if kept in the container. Great served with herring tartare or pickled herring. Find the recipe here… 

This is dark, moist and dense bread with a hint of sweetness - a bit in Lithuanian-style. Barley malt syrup and a little of honey give this beautiful colour of the crumb and a caramelized crust. My recipe uses light rye sourdough starter and a mix of bread and dark rye flour. It requires patience as the sponge needs to be prepared a day before and give it time to rise. But as a reward, the final rise of bread takes only two hours. Malt and Honey Dark Rye Bread is the perfect winter bread which tastes amazing with hard cheese, pickled herring or paté. Find the recipe here…

These buns are totally festive, perfect for a holiday table such as Thanksgiving or as a Christmas morning treat. Soft inside, light, reasonably sweet, full of dried cranberries and chopped walnuts, they taste delicious served warm, with chilled unsalted butter that melts on their tops. The yeasted dough is comprehensive and can be baked as a simple loaf or braided in Challah bread style. Cranberry-Walnut Buns are also great as festive burger buns served with turkey patties, vegetables and cranberry sauce. Find the recipe here…

People have loved hot dogs for ages as they were easy to eat, inexpensive and convenient. Steamed sausages served in the slit buns with condiments have fed the crowds at big events, parties and on the streets of big cities. For my happy crowd, I prepare Polly-style Hot Dogs and serve them with delicious home-made pickled cucumbers, crunchy pickled salad, fried onions and delicious sauces. Wieners and frankfurters – traditional hot dog sausages go extremely well with buttery fluffy brioche dough and they taste divine! Reinvent your hot dogs! Take them to the next level and wow your guests! Find the recipe here...

Simple brioche dough is easy to handle and makes beautiful soft buns that can be served slit and filled with burgers, pulled pork or as breakfast rolls with a sweet topping. The buns are not quite eggy and buttery as these made from rich brioche dough, but still extremely fluffy and light. This recipe produces only 6 buns but simply double the ingredients, and you will get more these delicious creations. They are a real treat. Find the recipe here…

Brioche Dough is an enriched dough, part bread and part pastry. Apart from yeast, flour and salt, it includes eggs, milk and butter which enrich the dough and produce tender and rich crumb. The simple brioche dough from this recipe consists of less amount of butter, eggs and is the easiest version to handle. It’s great for wraps, simple buns and as a sandwich bread although it lacks buttery flake of the richer brioche dough. Find the recipe here...

Politiko Simiti are braided circular sesame-crusted bread rings. They're a fuller version of traditional Greek and Turkish bagels - Koulouri and Simiti and originate from the Greek bakers of Constantinople. Politiko Simiti are coated with petimezi – grape sweet molasses that creates caramelisation in the oven, with toasted sesame seeds and then baked. They're crunchy outside, soft and a bit gooey inside. Simiti can be served plain, with jam or cheese such as feta and olives. Traditionally the bagels are baked the same day after a two-stage rise but I kept them in the fridge overnight to get their flavour developed and have the texture lighter. Find the recipe here

Hot Cross Buns are a staple of British cuisine. They are made from enriched yeast dough packed with dried fruits, lemon or orange zest, spices and marked with an icing or dough cross on top. The cross is believed to represent the crucifixion of Jesus, the spies signify the spices used to embalm him at his burial. Traditionally spiced and fruited buns are eaten hot or toasted on Good Friday and Easter, however people buy them whenever they feel like a sweet and aromatic bun. In 1592, Queen Elizabeth I banned the sale of hot cross buns on every day except for Good Friday, Christmas and at funerals as they were too special to be eaten daily. Find the recipe for aromatic hot cross buns with a pinch of saffron here…

I find this recipe easy enough to start an adventure with pretzels. It doesn’t call for a boiling water bath with baking soda which takes more time and requires a bit of experience to get the pretzels “wrinkles free”, slick and shine. The recipe lets the baker focus on mastering the pretzel twirls (which is quite important) as the formula is simple and the dough has a nice consistency to work with. I recommend preparing the pretzel dough a night before a baking day to allow the flavour to develop. The Soft Pretzels are perfect for breakfast, as an appetizer or snack. Great with butter, jam or any favourite dip. Find the recipe here…

Kaiser Rolls require time and pre-fermented dough called pâte fermentée. This is a portion of dough made several hours ahead, left to ferment in low temperature and used as one of the components of the main dough. Pâte fermentée is crucial because improves the flavour and texture of the rolls. This is super important to ferment pâte fermentée at least overnight. 2 hours process in room temperature can be sufficient when you're in a hurry but doesn’t improve the flavour of the rolls leave them a bit flat and usual. The original method for shaping the rolls by overlapping the folds may be difficult to teach therefore many people to use a store-bought roll cutter. I use a knotted roll method which is a bit challenging but quite fun. Find the recipe here…

The Onion Buns originate from Jewish Cuisine and were baked by the Jews who lived in Lublin Old Town, in eastern Poland. At that time the buns looked like pancakes - were flat, very crispy and made with cake flour. They became very popular in the 19th century and were produced by many bakeries in the Lublin region. The original recipe was passed down the generations and... had been changed for years. Today the Onion Buns look like the rolls however their flavour is beautiful and widely valued. My Onion Buns are a bit French because the onion is cooked in unsalted butter. The recipe calls for bread flour and homemade buttermilk which make the buns exceptional. Find the recipe here...

My brioche-style hamburger buns are made from classic egg and butter dough but with…cream. This special ingredient makes the buns very fluffy and tender with a hint of sweetness but still sturdy to hold the burger patty and the accompanying toppings. Their light and soft texture allows creating a homogeneous composition with beef, cheese, pickles, tomato, onion and sauces. If you want to make an impression and serve your friends and family the best burgers in town, start with those amazing buns. Find the recipe here…

A cast iron pot is perfect for making crusty golden artisan-style bread at home. The pot with its thick walls and a tight lid is a moisture-sealed chamber which traps steam and provides a temperature-stable baking environment. Moisture is important during the early stage of baking because allows the bread to rise fully. It creates this beautiful shiny crispy crust outside and let the interior of bread be white and soft. The crusty white bread requires a bit of work and time but its flavour and smell is worth this effort. It is the best just after cooling when the crust is fresh and very crispy. Find the recipe here… 

I always have about 200 ml of uncultured buttermilk left after making butter. It’s thin, cloudy, slightly sweet and buttery-tasting, very different from store-bought buttermilk. As a beverage, perfectly quenches thirst, cures a hangover and gives energy. It is also an amazing ingredient used in cooking and baking. The opportunities are endless with buttermilk. You can make waffles, pancakes, bread, scones and many more. I use my buttermilk to make rolls. They are light, fluffy and very soft after baking and dough is velvety – the best dough I’ve ever kneaded! Warm, fresh buttermilk rolls are absolutely delicious, ideal for breakfast with melting homemade butter. Find the recipe here...

This is my everyday bread. Very comforting, healthy, delicious and far different from what is mostly available now in local shops. You can buy the sourdough loaves in many artisan bakeries across London, they are decent but unfortunately pretty expensive. Making the sourdough bread at home is neither costly nor difficult however requires a bit of patience, effort and experience. You can read a lot of recipes on the Internet and in cook books but the sourdough bread is something you learn by doing. Anyway, you need to start somehow so let’s get started together. Find the recipe here...