Remember , the low-key superstar home baker with a knack for turning her garden staples into decadent brownies, and irresistible ? After a six-month Make Me A Baker journey under founder ’s tutelage, Scott graduated in September last year.
In February 2019, her page (which operates as a kind of food blog) is more drool-worthy than ever. She’s emerged from the Make Me A Baker class of 2018 with a show-stopping puff pastry recipe, and a whole new lease on crafting sourdough bread from scratch. For Hannah, world domination via baked goods is clearly nigh.
Scott first grabbed SBS headquarters’ attention with her first-prize-winning entry into the Make Me A Baker competition, winning her a full scholarship to the program comprising hands-on classes, workshops, online forums and at-home projects.
Read about Hannah's journey
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“I’d like to perfect the classic Victoria sponge cake, sandwiched with homemade jam and cream because it’s my Nana’s favourite,” she on Instagram.
After graduation, Scott made good on her promise. “I invited my Nana around for afternoon tea, and I had made a passionfruit sponge,” Scott tells SBS. “It was a lovely afternoon. I’m not sure if the cake itself was perfect, but it was perfect to her.”
Puff pastry, often considered the proverbial Mordor territory of small-scale baking, is now a piece of cake for Scott, and she’s gone from never having made a loaf of sourdough bread to baking at least one a weekend.
Victoria sponge may be her Nana’s favourite, but it wasn’t the only dish Scott nailed during her time at BakeClub. Puff pastry, often considered the proverbial Mordor territory of small-scale baking, is now a piece of cake for Scott, and she’s gone from never having made a loaf of sourdough bread to baking at least one a weekend. “One thing I had never really attempted myself before was sourdough baking,” she says. “Anneka gave us some sourdough starter, and after that during our breaks I was baking bread every day.”
Scott’s dessert de résistance? That would be the dish she made for the graduation ceremony – : perfectly gorge-able puff pastry boats filled with a surprising custard, a twist on a classic and easily the dish that made Scott most proud.
Get Hannah's recipe .
Chai-spiced custard tarts Source: Alan Benson
“We all made a dish to share for afternoon tea with family and friends,” she says. “The dish was meant to showcase everything you’ve learned along the way. I based mine on Anneka’s recipe for a Portuguese tart, but I replaced the usual custard with a recipe for chai syrup.”
Quite aside from major baking wins, Scott explains that the course simply has made her a better baker. “I definitely still have my same style – I love to go to the farmers’ market, and I’m very much into simple cooking and max flavour – but I’ve become more precise. These days I’ll always reach for the baking scales when it comes time to bake, I’m much more accurate. I found the courses on the science of baking really useful in developing my own recipes, because you don’t know what you don’t know.”
And what’s next, now that things are somewhat back to normal? Aside from baking even more regularly than she did before, Scott is focusing on expanding her online brand (with the help of tips and tricks from food stylist Jane Hann and food photographer Alan Benson), throwing herself into her full-time media and communications role, and even enjoying a sea change.
“My partner and I recently bought a house down on the south coast,” she says. “We took two months off over December and January, and took the opportunity to be a bit more creative and get the house finalised. You’ll still find me on or baking for family and friends, because that’s what I love doing. I’ve been doing a bit of recipe development, and that’s definitely something I want to do more of, if time will allow. Beyond that, who knows what’s next, really?”
Another chai-spiced Portuguese tart, that’s what’s next.
