It’s the ultimate shopping spree courtesy of honey bees. Straight from the flower to the bee to some of your favorite bakery foods, honey truly is Mother Nature’s sweetener. Honey is used for a multitude of reasons in retail bakeries across the country, and throughout the month of September — National Honey Month — our retail bakery partners will be serving exceptional made with honey bakery foods.
We recently sat down with each baker and spoke to them about why they use honey and what made-with-honey bakery item makes their hearts — and taste buds — sing.
Amy’s Bread, Amy Scherber
New York, New York
I like making whole grain breads that include toasted nuts and honey. One of my favorites is our Whole Wheat with Oats, Pecans and Golden Raisins, which contains coarse and fine whole wheat, rolled oats and cooked rye berries. It is great sliced and toasted for breakfast, and we also shape it into twists and rolls, which make a satisfying snack that is all-natural and delicious.
I use honey in baking because it adds a complex flavor and aroma to the product. There are so many kinds of honey that can be used to enhance the flavor of breads and pastries. We make an orange almond donut with a wildflower honey glaze, and the aroma and flavor are fantastic. Plus, I am an avid gardener, and I love pollinators. I appreciate all they do to keep our food and flowers coming.
Back in the Day Bakery, Cheryl Day
Savannah, Georgia
Wildflower Honey Caramel Buns from my forthcoming cookbook is my favorite bakery item made with honey. Aside from the fact that bees are magical, I enjoy baking with honey because it adds a delicate floral quality and tender crumb to baked goods.
Bakery Lorraine, Anne Ng and Jeremy Mandrell
San Antonio, Texas
We top our cinnamon rolls with a honey glaze. Honey gives it a more subtle sweetness and depth of flavor. We like honey because it’s nature’s candy — not only is it sweet, but each varietal has its own different flavor, depending on the terroir and season.
Bootleg Batard, Melina Kelson
Skokie, Illinois
I love using honey as a natural substitute for sugar in just about any baked good because it adds layers of complex flavor. I especially like to use honey in my enriched dough where it complements the eggs and butter and accentuates the flavors of fillings. Honey brings unique aromatics and a balance of acid to brighten all of the other components in the product.
Born and Bread Bakehouse, Jenn Smurr
Lakeland, Florida
Our honey sticky buns are one of my favorite sticky buns of all time! These buns are baked with a honey caramel and toasted pecans. Baked, inverted and a favorite among our guests. At B+B we do our best to educate our team and guests on the environmental impacts of the food industry, from food waste, farming practices and the ecosystem that contributes to both. The cornerstone to all revolves around honey bees and their ability to survive among us. And hey, it’s naturally delicious!
Buttermilk Boutique, Tie Lewis
Boston, Massachusetts
Ice cream! Honey gives ice cream such a bright flavor and pairs well with both savory and sweet ingredients. From bleu cheese to lavender, the flavor pairings are endless and make for some really interesting and complex ice cream flavors. I love honey because it's a natural sweetener. And, it fits right in with almost anything from teas and sweet rolls to glazes for meats. Honey is also a superb ingredient for body scrubs. Its possibilities are endless.
Clear Flour Bread, Nicole Walsh
Brookline, Massachusetts
I have two favorites! I LOVE our Honey Almond Granola. I eat it daily. I especially love the combination of honey and toasted almonds. I think a lot of people use maple syrup in granola, but honey is my go-to. I also love our Honey Whole Wheat Bread. I use honey because I really enjoy its flavor. I think honey is overlooked as a natural sweetener. I love that you can taste the subtleties in flavor with different varieties. I love that you can almost tell which flowers the bees are pollinating from tasting the honey. I'm not an expert but I really love honey bees … a lot.
Dogwood Cottage Baking, Amanda Plyler
Asheville, North Carolina
One of my favorite bakery foods made with honey is a honey shortbread cookie. It has the subtle taste of honey that people find very interesting, and the cookie is soft, which is unexpected because a traditional shortbread cookie is crunchy. We use honey at the bakery because it adds a depth of flavor to baked goods. I am a beekeeper and enjoy educating customers of the importance of honey bees and the many uses for honey.
Floriole Cafe & Bakery, Sandra Holl
Chicago, Illinois
Our honey pecan sticky bun is my favorite. The honey in the caramel glaze is what gives the sticky bun something special. We use honey at Floriole because it is a natural ingredient, and I love that you can really taste the fruit in the honey!
Gracious Bakery, Megan Forman
New Orleans, Louisiana
My favorite bakery item is our Gracious Morning Bun. I enjoy the different spices and citrus combinations that are highlighted throughout every bite. It is one of our signature pastries, and you can guarantee you'll be satisfied every time.
Gusto Bread, Arturo Enciso
Long Beach, California
I love adding honey to our pan de maíz, which is our cornbread made of freshly ground heirloom maize. It adds a balanced sweetness to the bread, and honey is very important to me because it's a wholesome ingredient produced purely by nature. It's ancient, wise and delicious.
Kessler Baking Studio, Clyde Greenhouse the Bow Tie Baker
Dallas, Texas
Our honey roasted peanut butter cookies are one of my favorite items at the studio. It invokes some of my happiest childhood memories and Mom's peanut butter cookies. I use honey in baking to achieve a sweetness that's not possible with other products.
Little Tart Bakeshop, Sarah O’Brien
Atlanta, Georgia
Our house granola has been made since day one. I love the nuanced sweetness it brings to our granola, which is not overly sweet, with just the right amount of honey, maple and salt. I also love honey in our brown butter almond cake! Honey is magic! I just feel so lucky to be able to use an ingredient that has such distinct terroir. Whenever I travel, the first souvenir I buy is local honey. It's delicious, and it's imbued with a sense of place, making it a perfect ingredient in my book.
Made By Lia, Lia Holter
Florissant, Missouri
Winner of TLC’s Next Great Baker, Lia Holter’s made-from-scratch innovative lineup includes a pistachio bundt cake with a honey orange glaze.
Manresa Bread, Avery Ruzicka
Los Altos, Campbell, Los Gatos, California
Apricot danish with sourwood honey and mascarpone cream. Honey has a depth of flavor that is endlessly explorable given the varieties and ever-changing nature of honey depending on the season. I also enjoy the level of sweetness — it's much more balanced..
Montclair Bread, Rachel Crampsey
Montclair, New Jersey
Breads, doughnuts and pastries are the specialty here, and we are particularly sweet on our honey glazed crullers with pistachios and rose petals. If you love Turkish Delight, you’re in for a treat.
Nathaniel Reid Bakery, Nathaniel Reid
St. Louis, Missouri
I absolutely love the combination of honey and garlic. It makes a fantastic condiment — sometimes I sneak in a few smokey chilis for an extra layer of flavor. I really enjoy a slice of pain d'épices in the winter. The honey not only imparts a wonderful flavor in the cake, but keeps it extra moist! I love how diverse honey is. There are hundreds of types — each with a different flavor, aroma and color. When you're cooking or baking, those subtle differences can really make a dish special and unique.
Sofra Bakery, Maura Kilpatrick
Cambridge, Massachusetts
I love honey in cakes and icing naturally as a syrup to soak beautiful cakes and baklava in because we are a Middle Eastern bakery. I love the way a varietal of honey can completely change the flavor of an item. I am thinking of our coconut macarons; we have made them with lavender and also with a white Hawaiian honey — so different.
Sun Sweet Breads, Solveig Tofte
The favorite item we make with honey is our baklava croissant. We cook a syrup of honey, walnuts, orange and cinnamon, and roll it up in croissant dough. The caramelized honey creates a nice textural contrast to the tender croissant dough, and the whole experience is sweet (but not too sweet!). I use honey because it adds complexity to sweetness. And, it's fun to find pairings for the different flavors honey brings to the table — one of my favorites is buckwheat honey with coconut.
The Gingered Peach, Joanne Canady-Brown
Township, New Jersey
The Bee Sting Bar and Honey Lavender Latte are hits at The Gingered Peach, both made with dark, rich and buttery avocado honey.
Good Cakes and Bakes, April Anderson
Detroit, Michigan
Combine honey, oats, maple syrup, dried fruit, dried cranberries and almonds and you’ve got a gluten-free vegan granola. Talk about a good bake!
For more information on our Retail Bakery program and National Honey Month or how to bake with honey, visit honey.com.