Every year I make a “baking bucket list”—a collection of recipes and techniques I want to tackle next. This roundup gathers some of the dessert and savory bakes that have landed on that list over the years, including French macarons and homemade puff pastry. This list is helpful if you’re ready to challenge yourself and try something new.
As a best-selling baking cookbook author, I’ve made my fair share of sweet treats. And every year, I put together a list of new baking projects I want to tackle: my Baking Bucket List. I include recipes and techniques that I’ve been meaning to try, bakes that once felt intimidating, and a few past “fails” that I’m ready to revisit.
A couple years ago, mille-feuille was at the top of the list (check!). Last year, I focused on mastering brioche (check!). I also added homemade challah—and we published an orange-glazed challah recipe in my preorder bonus PDF. Have you tried it yet?
This year, I have my sights set on a meringue roulade and a brand-new chiffon cake recipe.
I thought you might enjoy browsing some of the recipes that have landed on my Baking Bucket List over the years. Many of them are a bit more challenging, but they’re also incredibly rewarding to pull off.
Many of these recipes, like ciabatta bread, have been assigned “challenge recipes”, part of an ongoing tradition on my website called Sally’s Baking Challenge. This is a fun and optional community effort where readers bake an assigned monthly recipe for the chance to win a prize. See Sally’s Baking Challenge details here.
Do you have any baking projects you’ve been itching to try? Maybe a recipe that once felt intimidating, and now you’re ready for a challenge. Scroll on for inspiration, go at your own pace, or set a goal to try two new recipes a month and work your way through the list by year’s end. However you tackle it, just have fun!
Baking Bucket List Recipes
Crème Brûlée
Many beginner bakers are SHOCKED at how easy crème brûlée is! Only 6 ingredients required.
Homemade Madeleines
These airy teacakes aren’t difficult, but they do require your attention, patience, and precision. This very detailed recipe will guide you!
Beautiful Pastry Braid
This dough comes together using a “rough puff” method to create countless flaky layers.
Homemade Croissants
Golden, extra flaky croissants require time, patience, and plenty of rolling. My very thorough post and recipe will help guide you—you can absolutely handle this project!
French Macarons
This is an in-depth beginner’s guide to homemade French macarons. I include my kitchen-tested recipe, plus plenty of success tips, descriptions, overview of techniques, list of tools… basically everything you need to get started AND to succeed!
Homemade Funfetti-Style Cupcakes
While this is certainly an easier recipe, maybe you’ve never tackled a birthday cupcake from scratch before, or never tried your hand at piping buttercream. Start here!
Vertical Cake
What? Where? When? How? This is a vertical layer cake. Assembled with vanilla sponge cake, lemon blueberry swirl whipped cream, and lemon cream cheese buttercream, this cake is a beautiful masterpiece.
Homemade Glazed Doughnuts
Fried, old-fashioned, and comforting. It’s so much fun to make homemade doughnuts from scratch without leaving the comfort of home.
Chocolate Soufflé
One of the most luxurious desserts requires just 7 ingredients. It’s all about the technique!
Checkerboard Cake
This is a 4-layer vanilla cake twisted up into 1 seriously mesmerizing checkerboard design. So much fun to cut into because the real party is INSIDE the cake!
Cream Puffs With Homemade Choux Pastry
Choux pastry has the reputation for being difficult, but it’s surprisingly simple and prep time is only about 15 minutes. Try it once and you can make an array of pastries: cream puffs, profiteroles, eclairs, and more!
Brownie Baked Alaska
This brownie baked Alaska combines a homemade brownie base with your favorite ice cream flavor (like mint chocolate chip); then you’ll smother it with toasted marshmallow meringue. I also have a baked Alaska-inspired recipe on the cover and inside my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Homemade Bagels
This easy recipe proves that you can make deliciously chewy bagels in your own kitchen with only a few basic ingredients and baking tools.
Mille-Feuille (Napoleon Pastry)
From the countless flaky layers of delicate puff pastry, to the clouds of vanilla pastry cream, to the marbled icing, mille-feuille is an impressive dessert. Learn how to make this classic European pastry in your own kitchen—no pastry school diploma needed.
Ciabatta Bread
Rustic-looking and flavorful, with a flour-dusted crusty exterior and extra-chewy interior pockmarked by air bubbles, this classic Italian-style bread is made from just 4 ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and salt.
Homemade Banana Cream Pie
Creamy and smooth from-scratch custard, bananas, and whipped cream sit inside my signature flaky pie crust for one epic banana cream pie.
Croissant Bread
Croissant bread is exactly what it sounds like: croissant dough baked as bread. With my in-depth tutorial and tips, bakers of any skill level can accomplish this.
Homemade Puff Pastry
My puff pastry recipe uses the “rough puff” method. I use this versatile dough for a variety of recipes, including berry turnovers (pictured), savory puff pastry tarts, and palmier cookies. I also published it in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Pavlova
Pavlova is crisp on the edges, chewy on top, and marshmallow soft and creamy in the center—that’s 3 different textures in each bite! If you’re feeling up for it, I have a pavlova layer cake recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Homemade English Muffins
These honey wheat English muffins are completely homemade from a simple 8-ingredient, no-knead dough. You’ll start by baking them on the stove and finishing them up in the oven, creating a super soft English muffin filled with tons of signature “nooks & crannies.”
Homemade Bread Bowls
Everyone’s favorite way to enjoy soup! Using a basic yet versatile bread dough, these bread bowls are crisp on the exterior and soft on the inside—and they pair perfectly with virtually any soup or chili recipe.
Black Forest Cake
Moist chocolate cake, homemade whipped cream, rich chocolate ganache, and sweet spiked cherries give us lots of layers to love in this towering treat. If you’ve been itching to try a layer cake, you won’t regret making this deliciously decadent black forest cake.
Homemade Cruffins
Buttery and flaky croissant dough gets twisted up with a generous dose of cinnamon-sugar and baked in a muffin pan, combining two tasty treats into one: croissants + muffins = cruffins.
Which of these recipes have you tried? I have some more inspiration in my advanced baking recipes section.
If quicker, easier recipes are on your list for this year, see my collection of quick dessert recipes. Have fun!
Reader Comments and Reviews
I preordered your cookbook and now can’t find the orange glazed challah recipe. How was that sent out?
Hi Nicole! That was part of the packet of extra recipes for people who pre-ordered the book. Send us an email (sally@sallysbakingaddiction@gmail.com) and we can help you!
Challenge accepted! Yours is my go-to site for deliciousness
I’m in! I’m going to checkout your bucket list. Maybe you’ll have a few new healthy breakfast muffin recipes. I’m a Baker one of my customers asked me for any types of healthy breakfast.
I have baked dozens of your recipes but other than the No Knead Seeded Bread, I haven’t made any of these recipes. They are on my bucket list, however and I think that I must try at least a few of them this year!
love this
could make a recipe for a checker board cake????
Here’s Sally’s checkerboard cake recipe!
Mine turned out perfect! Thank you Sally!
Could you make a recipe for french Pain au chocolates?
Hi Ivy, here is our recipe for pain a chocolat!
Have you ever thought of doing a phyllo/filo dough recipe? I needed one a couple of months ago when my son had his heart set on an apple streudel and my grocery store didn’t have phyllo. I found one online that was ok but I’m certain you could do it better.
What a great suggestion, Ann! I love receiving suggestions from readers.
I like the coulor