What could be better than cutting into a freshly baked loaf and covering it in golden, melted butter....? Absolutely nothing. (In our opinion anyway!)
With the changes in levels once again, what could be better than enjoying your time at home with a freshly baked loaf of bread?
We have been SO excited to feature Flour and Dough's insanely good Bread Pre-Mix in our upcoming August's 'Winter Nourishment' Box. Treaters will receive either a pack of the Oregano, Garlic Sage & Rosemary, or, the Chilli, Cheese & Garlic Beer Bread Mix. These bread mixes provide the best of both worlds - delicious homecooked bread without the mess, or the fuss. Simply add the mix to a bowl along with a cup of cheese and your favourite beer, give it a stir, pop in the oven and enjoy however you'd like.
Flour and Dough are a new brand to our subscription boxes, and the boss lady behind the brand - Maré - has been so lovely to work with, we asked her a few questions for our 'Behind the Brands' segment to share her story with you.
Maré's love for food and baking had her experimenting in the kitchen for a long time, ever since she was she was a student living on minimum wage! But, her career had a few twists and turn along the way before she was making the delicious Flour and Dough goodness we see today.
"I've always been a “maker” of sorts, having studied Fashion Design, gone into cake baking and decorating and eventually ending up in construction!"
After moving to New Zealand from South Africa and having her second child, Maré struggled finding a work/life balance. While she wanted to be there for every extra curricular activity for the kids, the costs of daycare and relying on her husbands single income wasn't fulfilling. Maré stated; "I found myself between a rock and a hard place with work and the cost of daycare and wanting to be there for all the sporting days, but not ready to sit at home and dreadingflour having to ask my husband for a salary!"
Eventually she circled back to her passion - cooking, and found a happy medium by starting her own business, using her tried and true recipes. "I've always enjoyed cooking, baking and being creative and every time I thought of something to do, it came full circle back to food!"
Flour and Dough came about after Maré and her gorgeous family (pictured below) moved out rural where they met their neighbours, who after taste testing a few of Maré's recipes gave her such great feedback, they sparked the idea for baking mixes. To this day, these neighbours along with a 5 year old staff member, are her top taste testers and bakers!
"The recipes I use have been constructed by me many many years ago, in the days pre husband and kids! They have been made to whip up quickly and to taste great!"
When asked about her hobbies and interests, she said; "I love being outdoors, horse riding, netball and being active is something that just makes me tick, but on the other hand, I have a love affair with all things chocolate, I can happily eat a large block on my own, and pasta, pasta is food for my soul, the creamier the better! So I tend to think I balance the two very nicely, taking the good with the bad and hoping to find a spot in the middle!"
When we asked what she enjoyed the most about running Flour and Dough, Maré stated; "being able to come up with new ways and ideas to use my old recipes is so rewarding and fulfilling! It's amazing to see people become customers and then friends and be able to help them on whatever journey they are on."
Maré does her best to accommodate everyone's dietary requirements, as most households including her own is pretty mixed when it comes to food. As she adds more creations to her store, she says; "Its an ever evolving one stop shop that I have heaps of recipes still to share, but all in good time!"
"A few years before my husband and kids and trying to keep everyone and everything happy and healthy, I tried my hand at GF baking, bread to be exact. well, that was a interesting journey! But, I tried, I tested, I failed too many times to count, but, I succeed a handful, that handful, that one glimpse of hope gave me the light in the end of the tunnel!"
How excited are you to try out Maré's Beer Bread Mix now?! We are dispatching all the August boxes next week, so you will be able to bake some freshly baked goodness to go alongside your pamper weekend. If you can't wait that long, head to the Flour and Dough website here, and use the code MYTREAT at checkout for 15% off your order!
T's and C's apply.
Enjoy!
2 comments
Hi Yvonne, we asked Maré her advice on this and she said “Absolutely, as long as your bread maker has the bake only function and you can either set it to 30-40 minutes (the loaf shape is different on each machine so you will have to start watching it after 30 mins – especially if it a more flat square shape).” So just make sure to put your bread maker on bake function as it doesn’t need to rise at all, just bake!
I have just received MYTREAT box 😊 just wondering if you can use a bread maker for the flour and dough bread mix 🤔