My Baker’s Dozen: Hicham Ezzaouaoui

Who are you?

I’m lots of things! A black belt in karate and a cyclist but, more importantly, since 2010 I’ve been head baker at Cavan Bakery, which operates in Surrey and south west London. I love it as I get to bake every day and develop so many amazing new products.

What’s your baking background?

I'm from Morocco but have worked for French and Italian bakeries, as well as a confectionery in Poland, making wonderful cookies. I love that I’m able to use all this experience to develop, create and bake products every day for our very loyal and discerning customers.

Which country has the best bread?

I get much of my inspiration from France, as they don't have any additives in their bread* and that's what I do here. I also love the variety you can get in Italy with their focaccia. I’ve created them and they sell very well. Amazing accompaniment to pasta dishes.

Do you think there are benefits of Real Bread?

Oh yes, because I find it digests very easily. I believe it also helps to stabilise your blood pressure. I think that mass-produced products have the opposite effect. I like to keep fit, and strongly believe that healthy bread leads to a healthy life.

Do you eat supermarket loaves?

I think I would choke on it! Can you imagine the things that are added to it, so that it stays usable for not just days but sometimes weeks? It’s not really bread and has not much nutritional value. I think that some people feel bloated afterwards because of the additives.

Sweet or savoury?

I can eat bread all the time, so I love our croissants. They’re freshly-made the French way every day. Perfect with your morning cup of coffee.

What’s your favourite product?

All our products are premium because we do not use additives in them. If I had to choose, it would be our sourdoughs. We have a whole range now, from rosemary and sea salt, to our multiseed. It’s made from three types of flour, with pumpkin and sunflower seeds added. It's all made by hand from scratch and it shows. I love it and it flies off our shelves.

Are customer tastes changing?

The bakery has been operating since 1929 and has always sold lots of bloomers. They’re still very popular, but now a lot of customers are eating sourdough because of the taste and also because it's so healthy. This is something that has been made for centuries so maybe we are just going back to what we have always eaten. Technology has allowed industrial bakers to make things more quickly, but here at Cavan we stick with how things have been done for centuries.

Why do you think that sourdough has become so popular?

When it’s done well, the traditional way, nothing beats it. Just three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. Nothing else apart from a lot of time and love in each loaf. I want customers to understand the process more so hopefully it will add to their enjoyment of our bread.

What’s the best part of the job?

I love to innovate by using a combination of my past experience and the best ingredients, with no additives. We work really hard at Cavan Bakery to ensure we source the best flour and products. We use a mixture of the highest quality British, French and Canadian flour.

Would you want to be the boss?

We have a boss! I’ll stick with doing what I’m doing…for now.

What would you like to do if you weren’t at Cavan?

I love karate. It keeps me fit and healthy.

What would you do if you were prime minister for the day?

I think we need to develop opportunities to attract more people to the profession. Industries like ours really depend on skilled workers, not just to make and bake the bread, but everyone who is so important to the whole process from our drivers, our shop staff to our team in the head office.

@ezzaouaouihicham
@thecavanbakery

*We’d love it if that was true of all bakers in France... [ed.]

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An abridged version of this article was published in True Loaf magazine issue 61, January 2025.

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See also

• My baker’s dozen: Martin Naish
• My baker’s dozen: Cath Lloyd-Williams
• Which is your favourite Real Bread bakery?