NEW ZEALAND’S HOTTEST HOME BAKER

from the Hit TV Show
with Global Baker Dean Brettschneider

‘Baking is both an art and a science’

Just published in paperback by Penguin Books; RRP: $35.00

Remember the days when you visited your Nana and her tins were full to the brim with enticing biscuits, muffins, slices and cakes? The team behind New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker recognise the value that baking has to play in our national food conversation and, following on from the top-rating and highly successful television programme, Nestle New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker, comes the book of the series.

Global Baker and series judge, Dean Brettschneider, shares his ‘Golden Rules of Baking’ in New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker, to bring the baker at home a range of accessible and aspirational recipes from the eight contestants featured in the first series, and inspire them in their own kitchens. The recipes featured range from Gretchen’s novel and mouth-watering ‘Anzac Ginger Crunch’ to Paula’s divine and awe-inspiring ‘White Chocolate & Raspberry Cream Profiterole Tower’ and Stephen’s ‘Sausage, Fennel & Chilli Quiches’, which are showcased alongside Brettschneider’s invaluable baking tips.
He also shares his delectable recipe for the Italian version of the French baguette: the ‘Tuscan Stirato’.

New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker is published to coincide with the return of top-rating baking contest, Nestle New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker, which returned to our screens on TV3 in their prime-time 7.30pm slot, from February 10, for ten weeks. This series comes with tougher challenges and a new judge with high expectations. The series features eight top amateur home bakers from across New Zealand competing each week in tasks set by our expert judges.
Each week they are set a different challenge and this year the bar is raised with mystery ingredients, towering desserts and entire cake stalls. From adapting recipes from the judges to making up their own, each episode holds a fresh and delicious challenge testing their versatility and composure baking against the clock.
The expert judges, international baker and pattisier, Global Baker Dean Brettschneider and Australia's very own CakeStar, Jade Lipton, set each challenge then watch as the contestants race against the clock before tasting each dish and deciding who deserves to stay another week. This year there is a prize for the best baker each week, and only disappointment for the baker eliminated.
They may be the best in their kitchen at home, but are they the best in the nation?

Dean Brettschneider, known internationally as the ‘Global Baker’, is a professional baker and patissier. After completing his apprenticeship in New Zealand he worked in the US, Britain, Europe, Asia and the Middle East gaining experience in all areas of the baking and patisserie world. Today, Dean is regarded as one of the best bakers on the planet.
Following some years based in Shanghai, Dean is now working from Denmark and Britain, but still visits New Zealand regularly throughout each year and has bakery interests in Auckland, Shanghai, Copenhagen and Britain.
Dean's previous baking books have won World Food Media Awards and Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and appears as judge of the successful TV series Nestle New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker plus many other TV programmes that promote baking excellence.

I am not a baker but Anbnie made Carolyn's Fruity Anzac Biscuits and they were divine. The publishers have given me permission to reproduce the recipe for readers of this blog:

Carolyn
Fruity Anzac Biscuits
Makes 12

140 g butter
⅔ cup condensed milk
80 g rolled oats
70 g sunflower seeds
50 g sultanas
60 g dried figs, stems discarded, chopped
75 g dried apricots, chopped
65 g coconut
125 g plain flour
90 g brown sugar
5 g baking soda
2 tbsp boiling water

Preheat oven to 180 °C. Line baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
In a saucepan, melt butter and condensed milk together and set aside. Place all remaining ingredients (excluding baking soda and water) in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Place baking soda in a jug and pour in boiling water. Stir well to dissolve. Add this to butter and condensed milk mixture. Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients and mix well.
Place large tablespoonfuls of mixture (approximately 80 g each) onto prepared tray and flatten with the palm of your hand. Leave approximately 2 cm between each.

Bake for 12–15 minutes until biscuits have risen slightly and are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before transferring to a cooling rack.

Dean’s Tip
For something different, make a simple chocolate icing and decorate the top of the biscuit in a circular pattern. To finish place a blanched almond in the centre of the icing.