Somehow baking is thought to only be for people who have way too much time on their hands and have nothing better to do with their lives. For people who spend many years mastering the art of mixing a few simple ingredients together, that’s not the case.
The amount of people who tell me that they wish they could bake, but think that it is the most impossible thing to do is outrageous. I don’t understand where they get this idea from, because to me baking has always been a walk in the park. There are so many positive outcomes to baking aside from the end product. I personally find it a relaxing and meditative exercise. It is an exercise that forces you to slow yourself down in the moment and focus on one particular thing. Aside from its meditative qualities, it is also a great way to stay in shape.
Here are a few ways to get yourself into baking. I promise you that once you’ve mastered the art of baking, you’ll never go back.
Have confidence in yourself.
This is something that I have learned from experience. The moment, and this can apply to everything in life, you believe that you can do it, that is the moment you have the power to accomplish anything. If you mess up, have the confidence to keep going.
Start off with bread
I only say this because that is how I found my passion for baking. Baking bread has got to be one of the most rewarding experiences. It might seem like the longest form of baking, but actually it requires the least amount of effort. The dough basically does all the work for you and whilst it is working you can get on with life (that is during the rising and cooking times). Once you have practiced making bread a few times, you don’t need to follow a recipe. You can understand how simple it is to create a piece of dough. Once you understand bread, you can move on to other things like cookies, or cakes.
This is a spiced Christmas Challah.
Read the recipe
If you can read, you cook, and most importantly you can bake. It’s as simple as that. Simply follow the recipe and you’ll reach the result.
You Should Also Read: How to Make Homemade Baguette Bread | How to Make the Perfect Flourless Chocolate Cake | Sugar Free Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
This is a heavenly chocolate pomegranate cake.
Bake with friends
What I love about baking is that it forces you to share whatever you have made with whomever you are with. Unlike cooking, you can’t go and eat an entire cake by yourself. So bring people into the process, share it with them. You’ll make the best memories, I promise you.
You don’t necessarily need fancy equipment
My blog, Ben’s Kitchen Blog, is all about fuss-free living. I try to create recipes that don’t require you to have fancy equipment. You can bake without breaking the bank. All you need is a pair of clean hands, maybe a mixing bowl, cake tin, rectangular tray, measuring utensils, spatula, and a whisk.
Use good quality ingredients
This is a given. You only want to put good things into your body.
Get to know your oven before you bake in it
Ovens can behave differently so it’s important that you understand how your oven works. For example, my oven seems to be hotter at the top right corner and so I constantly have to turn my bake goods around so that they don’t burn. Also temperatures vary in different oven makes.
This is a upside down peach cake.
