I think the Roemertopf would be a great gift.

It addresses the fact she bakes bread but is also not limited to bread baking. I think people who are very good at something usually have the tools they prefer to produce their results. So this is something she could use in her hobby plus use for others things if she prefers another way.

If I were the giftee I would prefer one of the unglazed versions. I have never found modernized for ease old world products to be much of an improvement over the originals and sometimes a downside.

I'm a hobby bread baker so here's my input: I inherited one (vintage) and it makes the most incredible loaf of bread ever. But, you really have to be careful with it and follow the instructions on soaking it in water and not putting it in a hot oven. (You have to start it in a cold oven.) Also it is clumsy to grab hold of when done to remove it from the oven and you have to make sure you put it on a thick towel and not on a cold surface when it's hot. So if the giftee is capable of all this then yes, it's a great gift. Another great gift I've gotten is a large stoneware bread crock for mixing and/or proofing the bread. Another great tool if they don't have one is a bench scraper. And one thing that I don't have and wish I did is some kind of special sized paper bags (preferably white) to store the loaf in and especially to use for gifting a loaf. I've looked on Amazon and they have them in different sizes, they also have some made of linen that are very cool. Also I've often thought that some kind of container with a shaker top would be handy for flouring the surface for kneading the bread. Even a cool apron would be nice since flour gets everywhere.

I love the apron and scraper Idea's ritaweeda gave you. I use both all the time. Also the bags are a wonderful idea.

Great ideas, thank you!

I just thought of this one: if your friend is a serious baker who likes to try out all kinds of recipes you might want to nosily ask if they have a kitchen scale. I recently bought one because some of the recipes I was interested in trying were in metric weights instead of cups measurements. (Foreign countries use weights instead of cups.) They don't cost that much, I got one at Walmart at a good price.

I'm hesitant on the clay baker. It's one more large thing to store. An enameled dutch oven makes incredible no-knead bread, and she probably has one of those.

I always wear an apron when making bread. I hardly think of wearing one when doing my other cooking which is silly.

One thing I've thought that would be handy is a clear plastic rising container with measurements printed on the outside. That way you can see at a glance when your dough has doubled. I currently use a straight sided metal container with a lid and the lid is often raised because of the dough before I notice it.

Oh! I wanted a Danish dough hook one year for Christmas. It's great for mixing dough, cookie dough etc. There's no need to switch from a whisk to a wooden spoon. We got mine at Lee Valley Tools.

Note: My Dollar Tree carries really nice bench scrapers, $1! If it said "William Sonoma" on it...I would use THAT one. lol I also cherish my William Sonoma place mats.

I bake bread and received an appreciated gift....King Arthur sourdough starter & urn

My sourdough starter was actually from Alaska. Friends took a vacation there.Bamboo sour dough stirrer to go with the starter, NICE!

Murraysmom gave my cat a cat toy that makes noise and moves. something like this

(P.S.-My cat loves his water fountain)

A "flour wand" is nice for sprinkling a light, even layer of flour. Amazon shows them, but King Arthur Flour has them in stock. Not difficult to store. No need to wash, either, if all you ever use it for is sprinkling flour. I think mine will last forever -- one of those simple, sturdy kitchen hand tools that can be passed down through generations.

This is the one I was so generously given by my sister a couple of years ago. It’s one of the best out there. I don’t cook as much as I used to but she’s a bread connoissuer and loves hers.

Breadmaker

Before you do go in that direction, can I suggest you confirm that it’s a welcome gift before hand? My sister was so tickled with herself and really excited to give me mine but it’s a space hog and diet wise it isn’t helpful either. Her thought and generosity was the gift IMO but I really wish she hadn’t.

I am going to have to look up all your suggestions tonight. You are having a good point of the pot taking up space.

Storage space is a good point, if there's not a lot of room for it the chances of breaking it are pretty high since it's made of clay. But if the person has a wonderful kitchen with lots of space to have nice showpiece items, it would be wonderful because I think they are nice to look at. I keep mine on top of the frig. but I know lots of people don't like to do that.

Depending on the type of bread she makes and how she does it for some the idea of a bread machine is an insult so be careful with that. A suggestion if she makes round or long loaves is a proofing cloth or proofing basket. I have several some more decorative than not. You heavily flour, put dough in to rise. You may turn it out and bake it as is or just treat it as any other dough and divide as you wish. Amazon has several different types so look for "Proofing Cloths" but here is one similar to my first one. https://www.amazon.com/Forsun-Banneton-Brotform-Proofing-Rising/dp/B01CNV40D6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1542657190&sr=8-5&keywords=bread+proofing+basket

If she's a competent bread-maker, I wouldn't get her a bread machine. Like me, she might enjoy the kneading of the bread, and get a feel for the dough.

She is more than competent. My husband crowned her Queen of bread. I am so glad I asked here first before I bought something. Her kitchen isn’t that big. Of course I have never looked into her cabinets to see how full they are (other then the hall closet for kitty litter and the refrigerator for the wet food). There is one shelf that has some nice jugs and baking dishes (look hand painted), but that is full.

Thank you all so much again! I think I will get the proofing basket from maifleur’s link and fill it up with the other suggestions like the dough hook, scraper, wand and such. Should probably add some nice golf balls for the husband.

Iris, I am glad you started this. It has given me some ideas for a friend that bakes bread. I wasn't even aware some of these items existed. Jasdip' s spoon is interesting. Hmmmm, wonder if I would find it useful.

what about bread pans or a bread recipe book?

OMG! I apologize, I was in a rush when I posted earlier and didn’t read the title through. I saw bread maker and ran with it! I’m glad the size issue at least helped.

Nichole, my sister loves hers....I love mine too, it’s just so big! LOL

Lukkiirish, no problem at all! It might be something I would be interested in for my own wishlist. Making bread, I can use all the help I can get. My neighbor gave me the recipe for her amazing dinner rolls. Mine don’t even come close to hers. Tried a couple of times.

Just an update. My neighbor’s husband was playing golf in the yard yesterday, so I handed him my big, heavy bag. It had the some of the items suggested like the dough hook, flour wand and so on. Also some artisan bread flour to try out. Golf balls for the husband of the brand recommended in another thread. She came over a couple of hours later with a still warm Dakota bread and turtles for my husband. Asked if I was hacking into her emails because I had also included the “proof basket” or what it is called recommended here. Said she had it in her online shopping cart before but didn’t get it yet. She said she normally waits until Christmas to open ours since it’s her favorite, but because it was kind of heavy and her husband was like “what did she do now?”, they did open it. While she was here, she also asked my daughter about what her favorite rolls are. Met me at the hedge today to deliver a dozen warm ones. She said she is also going to try baking a chocolate almond torte to be ready when our family comes over for Christmas. (Said it’s a Rich one to serve twelve, so she wants it to be fresh). Gosh, I love my neighbor. Thank you so much for helping me making her happy. As for my family, we better take some long walks or something.

Oh, that's wonderful that your gifts and our suggestions were a hit!!!!

Be prepared to receive lots of goodies!

I love that you put a lot of thought and effort into your gift for her and that it was so well received. To me, seeing the reaction of the receiver is the best part and very rewarding. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you! Wish I could share the torte she brought over earlier.

I am glad she liked the proof basket. It is one of the things that bakers want but seldom purchase for themselves.