FLOUR POWER
Baking sensation NADIYA HUSSAIN and her new cookbook
Her father was a chef and owned an Indian restaurant, but growing up in England,
Nadiya Hussain’s mum never baked and only used her oven for storage. So the bright young girl had to learn the basics of cooking at school. She was immediately drawn to the kitchen and baking studies became her favorite subject.
Fast forward to 2015: As an amateur cook, she won TV’s beloved “The Great British Bake Off” competition. Since then, her career has taken off: She’s risen higher than an angel food cake in a warm oven. Hussain has hosted two Netflix cooking series, “Time to Eat” and “Nadiya Bakes.” She’s written cookbooks — and was even commissioned to bake a cake for Queen Elizabeth II for her 90th birthday. (For those dying to know the flavor, she whipped up a citrusy creation decorated with roses and frosted with orange buttercream, purple fondant drizzle and orange drizzle.)
But there’s more to this champion baker.
A native Briton, her family is originally from Bangladesh and as a Muslim in an arranged marriage, she has spoken out on prejudice, female empowerment and even mental health issues; she has suffered from panic attacks.
Despite her challenges, Hussain’s success seems boundless. She’s still the most popular winner ever of the internationally acclaimed baking series. Now the American version of her latest cookbook, “Nadiya Bakes: Over 100
Must-Try Recipes for Breads, Cakes, Biscuits, Pies and More” (Clarkson Potter, $30) has just been released. And it’s filled with dazzling photos of her latest recipes, from strawberry cupcakes rich with clotted cream and topped with strawberry ice creamspiked frosting to savory recipes such as cheese-laden churros with tomato dip. You’ll find Money Can’t Buy You Happiness Brownies and raspberry amaretti — plus a cocktail party-ready recipe for a French onion and blue cheese tart.
We had to speak to her about her latest book and get her take on baking delicious goodies and building cultural bridges.