There’s a reason baking is one of lockdown’s top pastimes: it’s fun, calming, and you end up with something delicious at the end of it.

Breadmaking can also be soothing in times of stress. The repetitive and physical motions of kneading dough can help slow down the whirring of your brain and give you something to focus on, as well as help excise any anger or frustration.

Real Bread Week is an opportunity to fully celebrate bread – making it, eating it, and buying it from independent bakeries.

2020 was the year to two breads: sourdough and banana. Over those? Try one of these instead…

1. Brioche

If you like your bread rich and buttery, brioche should be your first port of call. With a high egg and butter content (it’s an enriched dough), the soft, decadent French bread is almost like pastry.

It’s not the simplest bake to master – it requires a lot of kneading and careful proofing – but once you’ve got it down pat, you can adapt the recipe into so many other bakes. Brioche dough can be transformed into anything from babkas and burger buns, to croissants and muffins.

Try this recipe from The Flavor Bender.

2. Doughnuts

Doughnuts might not technically count as a bake – they’re typically fried – but the yeasted dough still needs kneading, and the process is similar to breadmaking.

You can customise your doughnuts to your preferences: maybe you’re a Krispy Kreme fan and want the classic ring shape doused in a sweet glaze, or perhaps you prefer the stuffed version with any variety of fillings, like jam or Nutella.

If you’re looking for a glazed recipe, try this one from Sally’s Baking Addiction. The Food Charlatan has you sorted for a stuffed doughnuts recipe.

3. Bagels

The process behind bagel-making might seem bizarre – after kneading and proofing a yeasted dough, you boil the rings before baking them – but it’s totally worth it.

Fresh out the oven, homemade bagels have the same chewy texture and crunchy outside as anything you’d buy from the shop.

Try this recipe from Sophisticated Gourmet – and make sure you have plenty of cream cheese on hand to slather on top.

4. Focaccia

There’s something weirdly hypnotic about watching people make this silky, soft dough – at one point in the process, you douse it with oil and poke it with your fingers to give it the bread its characteristic dimpled top.

This recipe from Gimme Some Oven is for a classic rosemary focaccia, but you can add any toppings you want, such as olives, tomatoes or even prosciutto.

5. Steamed buns

Nothing beats a steamed bun: soft, fluffy, and totally delicious. The process is similar to making bread rolls, but instead of baking these buns in the oven, you pop them in a bamboo steamer.

The best thing about having steamed buns in your repertoire is they go with so many meals: curries, stews – basically anything with lots of sauce to mop up – or you can stuff them with tasty fillings.

We highly recommend WoonHeng’s recipe.