Easter Sale Starts Friday at 4 pm 🌸
Quick heads up—this year’s Easter Sale kicks off Friday at 4 pm and runs through Easter Monday.
I’ll have limited-time pricing on some of my most popular courses:
- Simplifying Sourdough
- Simplifying Rye Bread
- Simplifying Baguettes
- Simplifying Pizza
- Simplifying Panettone
I’ll also be including my 50 Best Recipes Excel Workbook, plus an exclusive bundle if you’ve ever thought about grabbing everything in one go.
If you’ve been thinking about improving your baking or getting more consistent at home, this is the best time to jump in.
Important:
The sale is only available to those who join the early access list—I won’t be sending it out to the full newsletter.
If you want first access (and the best pricing), make sure you’re on the list before it goes live.
Sourdough Mini Egg Cookies (A New Easter Favourite) 🐣
This sourdough discard cookie is everything you'd want in an Easter bake—crispy on the edges, soft in the middle, and loaded with melty chocolate and crushed Mini Eggs.
Perfect for spring gatherings, or just a solid excuse to buy that extra bag of candy.
Sourdough Mini Egg Cookies
Yield: 24 cookies (about 70 g each)
Oven Temp: 175°C (350°F)
Ingredients
- 226 g all-purpose flour
- 226 g spelt flour
- 6 g baking soda
- 7 g salt
- 90 g sourdough discard
- 271 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 181 g granulated sugar
- 153 g brown sugar
- 135 g eggs (about 2 large)
- 7 g vanilla extract (optional)
- 135 g dark chocolate chips
- 248 g Mini Eggs, chopped
- Extra whole Mini Eggs for topping
Method
- Preheat oven
Preheat to 175°C (350°F).
- Mix dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream butter & sugar
In another bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs
Beat in the eggs until fully combined.
- Add discard
Mix in the sourdough discard until just incorporated.
- Combine
Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes together.
- Add inclusions
Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped Mini Eggs.
- Portion & chill
Portion into 70 g cookie dough balls (you should get 24). Chill for 1 hour.
- Bake
Bake for 11 minutes. Remove from the oven, gently press a few whole Mini Eggs on top, and return to the oven for 3–4 more minutes.
- Cool
Let cool on a rack—or don’t. Just don’t burn your mouth.
Flourless Chocolate Cake (Perfect for Passover—or Anytime) 🍫
I normally bake with flour. A lot of it. But every once in a while, a flourless recipe comes along that actually earns a spot in the rotation. This is one of those.
I first started making this years ago when I was working as a private chef for an ultra-high-net-worth client (true story). It quickly became one of his favourite desserts and I’ve been making it for my family and clients ever since.
It’s dense, rich, and deeply chocolatey, but still somehow feels light. And if you serve it with maple chantilly cream… It’s kind of hard to beat.
Whether you're celebrating Passover or just want a really solid gluten-free dessert, this one delivers.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Serves: 8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 35–40 minutes
Ingredients
- 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 225 g (8 oz) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 5 eggs
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar
Method
- Preheat oven
Preheat to 325°F (160°C). Grease an 8-inch (20–23 cm) round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. Lightly grease the parchment.
- Melt chocolate & butter
In a heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate with the salt and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Whip eggs & sugar
In a stand mixer or bowl, whip the eggs and sugar on medium-high until pale, thick, and doubled in volume—about 5–6 minutes.
- Combine
Fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs until fully combined.
- Bake
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the edges are set and the centre still has a slight jiggle.
- Cool
Let cool completely. The cake will sink slightly—this is normal.
Serve dusted with icing sugar or with maple chantilly cream (highly recommended).
Maple Chantilly Cream 🍁
This is my go-to with this cake—and honestly ends up on everything else too.
Ingredients
- 240 ml (1 cup) cold heavy cream
- 2–3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Method
Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, then add the maple syrup and vanilla.
Continue whipping to soft peaks. Chill until ready to serve.
Storage
Keeps well in the fridge for 4–5 days.
Honestly, it’s even better on day two—if it lasts that long.
Adapted from a classic I’ve been making for years—this one’s a keeper 👍
Duck Confit Pizza 🍕🦆
We did this one for a recent micro bakery pizza drop—42 pies—and this duck confit version was easily one of the favourites.
Rich, savoury, a little over the top… but honestly pretty simple to pull off if you’ve got duck confit on hand.
Quick build:
- Sourdough pizza dough
- Tomato sauce
- Mozzarella
- Shredded duck confit
- Roasted red onions (with a splash of balsamic)
Bake until golden, then finish with crispy duck skin and a drizzle of balsamic.
That’s it.
💥 Pro move: swap the tomato for pesto and add Boursin—gets a little ridiculous in the best way.
Quick Note
Simplifying Sourdough Pizza (along with all my other courses + the recipe workbook + bundle 👀) is part of the Easter Sale starting Friday at 4 pm.
If you want in, make sure you’re on the early access list:
Hot Cross Buns 🐇
Completely forgot I was going to include these this week—shoutout to Alan for the email reminder.
We’ve all been pretty sick over here, so this one almost didn’t make it in… but glad it did.
Makes 24 buns
Sponge
- 82 g warm milk (⅓ cup)
- 4 g yeast (1¼ tsp)
- 66 g bread flour (½ cup)
Mix until smooth. Cover and ferment for about 30 minutes, until lightly aerated.
Final Dough
- 571 g bread flour (about 4½ cups)
- 171 g sugar (¾ cup + 2 tbsp)
- 13 g salt (2 tsp)
- 6 g cinnamon (2 tsp)
- 6 g allspice (2 tsp)
- 16 g lemon zest (about 2 tbsp)
- 171 g eggs (3 large eggs)
- 31 g honey (1½ tbsp)
- 5 g malt syrup (1 tsp, optional)
- 171 g soft butter (¾ cup)
- 250 g dried or candied fruit (about 1½ cups)
- All of the sponge
Mix all ingredients except butter and fruit on low speed for 5–8 minutes.
Increase the speed and add the butter gradually. Mix until smooth and elastic, about 4–5 minutes.
Add the fruit on low speed just until incorporated.
Note: This dough is on the stiffer side—if it feels tight, don’t be afraid to add a little water or milk as you mix to loosen it slightly.
Bulk Fermentation
Cover and ferment for 60–90 minutes, until roughly doubled.
Divide and Shape
Divide into 90–100 g pieces.
Pre-shape lightly and rest for 15 minutes.
Shape into tight rounds and place on a tray.
Final Proof
Proof for 90–120 minutes, until the buns feel light and slightly springy.
Cross Batter
- 120 g all-purpose flour (1 cup)
- 40–60 g milk (3–4 tbsp approx)
- 12 g egg (about 2 tsp beaten egg)
- 60 g sugar (¼ cup)
- 4 g melted butter (1 tsp)
- Splash vanilla
Mix into a smooth, pipeable paste and pipe crosses over the buns.
*Note - it should be easy to pipe but not runny. If it's too thick, it won't look as smooth of a line.
Bake
Bake at 190°C / 375°F for 30–35 minutes, until deep golden brown.
Simple Syrup Glaze
Simmer equal parts sugar and water until dissolved.
I picked this up from the Invy Baker—add a bit of brown sugar, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves to the syrup while it simmers. It gives the buns a really nice warm spice note.
Brush over the buns while warm for a soft shine and light sweetness.
Happy Baking,
MJD
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