A Timeline of Baking
From hearths in rural Ireland to kitchens across the world, baking has always been about more than food. It is about memory, resourcefulness, and passing something on.
Early Traditions
Baking in Ireland began at the hearth. Oatcakes, soda breads, and simple loaves were cooked over open fires or on griddles. Recipes were not written down. They were learned by watching and doing, passed quietly from one generation to the next. Across the world, early breads were also taking shape — from flatbreads baked on hot stones to the first fermented loaves — all built from the same simple ingredients: grain, water, and time.
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Submit a recipeRural & Monastic Life
Baking became part of everyday life across rural Ireland. Grains were grown and milled locally, and techniques were practical and consistent. Monastic traditions and community life helped preserve knowledge. In Europe and beyond, baking was becoming more structured, with early bakeries, trade routes, and shared techniques shaping how bread was made.
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Submit a recipeScarcity, Survival & Movement
During the famine years in Ireland, baking reflected survival. Ingredients were stretched, substituted, and adapted. What mattered was making something from very little. During this time, many Irish families left home, carrying their recipes, habits, and ways of cooking with them to places like the United States, Canada, and Australia. These traditions became part of everyday baking far beyond Ireland. Across the world, hardship has often shaped baking in similar ways — with necessity driving creativity in kitchens.
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Submit a recipeChanging Ingredients
As trade expanded, baking began to change. Refined flour became more common. Sugar, tea, and spices found their way into Irish homes. Recipes started to be written down more regularly. In Ireland, the introduction of bicarbonate of soda in the 19th century transformed home baking, making breads like soda bread quick, reliable, and accessible without yeast. Globally, industrialisation was reshaping baking — with new milling techniques, commercial yeast, and improved ovens bringing consistency and new possibilities.
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Baking remained rooted in the home. Recipes were rarely followed from books. They were remembered in hands and habits. A handful of flour. A pinch of salt. Across Ireland and in Irish communities abroad, baking continued to connect families to home, even when that home was far away. Around the world, baking was shaped by changing times — from rationing during the war years to the rise of modern kitchens — but its role in family life remained the same.
Mams Boiled Cake
A beautiful rich cake mix. A treat any time.
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A renewed interest in traditional baking began to grow. People returned to older methods, handwritten recipes, and family traditions. Baking became both practical and nostalgic. Across the world, artisan baking movements began to emerge, with a renewed focus on heritage, quality ingredients, and slower methods.
Apple Tart
Granny Nan’s Apple Tart. Sweet and delicious straight from the oven. Served with some custard and cream for the perfect dessert.
View recipeToday
Baking is being rediscovered again — this time with the ability to share instantly. Recipes travel further than ever before through digital platforms, connecting kitchens across the world. At the same time, there is a growing return to simple, homemade baking and heritage methods. Maker Generations exists to hold onto the personal side of baking — the memories, the people, the small details — and to make sure they are not lost.
Peter's Pizza Dough
I love homemade pizza, this is the dough I like to use, it's not the most traditional recipe but it's the way I like it! Give it a try.
View recipeEvie's morning pancakes
Quick and easy pancakes for a breakfast treat. Perfect with sweet or savoury sides.
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