So, you want to bake!

 

What I wasn’t told about baking

When I decided I wanted to take this baking thing seriously (mainly motivated by people offering to pay me to bake for them when I’d show up with no baked goods), I did what every logical person would: I looked for a class, advise and even certification to legitimize me as a baker worthy of selling her wares.

This, I can now confidently say, was probably my biggest mistake!

After looking around for weeks, I finally found a class that not only could I afford, but played nice with my schedule. To add, they were in a convenient location and even had free parking. Come the set date, there I was, bright eyed and bushy tailed, despite the exhaustion of coming from another intense class on speech writing and delivery. (At the time I had a vision of my future and was doing multiple things to make my now life a reality.) I was armed with the tools the instructor had said were mandatory to attend her class. Apron. Check. Note book. Check. Fees. Check. A ready to learn disposition. Check.

That was a couple of years back, and I can still clearly remember the day, down to what I was wearing. That is how eager I was. Yet, today there is absolutely nothing that I use from that class. In fact, I intentionally go against the grain of what was taught.

It is not that the lessons were wrong. Rather, it is that they were not my fit. The problem was that the class was on how to turn your hobby into a business, with some baking 101 skills. For our instructor, business meant cutting costs as much as possible. For hours we were taught what to substitute for what, short cuts, where the cheapest stuff could be sourced, and the many tips and tricks that we could employ, all neatly rounded off with a sales pitch for some of her baking items.

I went home wondering whether that is what baking is really about.

Being the person who is always ready to experiment, I will admit that I did try some of the things we were taught. I was never happy with the results. At first I thought that it was because I needed more practice. So I kept trying. At some point I was convinced that this is simply not my calling and I gave up on baking. I was so close to giving out my oven. The only thing stopping me was that it was attached to the cooking banners. A girl has to eat!

It took me taking an extended break from baking for my mind to get over feeling like a failure. The break helped by firstly and most importantly, making me miss baking dearly. Secondly, it gave my mind the much needed reprieve to be able to erase and start a fresh.

I have found my baking legs, and reconnected with that part of me that enjoys creative expression. Over time I have had requests to teach, but I keep putting it off for fear of being that instructor that makes people give up on something that brings so much joy and delight. That does not mean that I have not been thinking about it….

 

If I were to teach, or even just advice anyone on baking, this is what I would probably tell them:

Do not compromise on quality

Baking, like most things, is really affected by the quality of the comprising components. If you use cheap substitutes, what you end up with is a cheap version of what you aimed for. Few things taste as good as the original, and really all anyone wants is for it to taste fantastic! I am yet to find a good substitute for mascarpone, cream cheese, good quality chocolate, and natural flavours like lemon, banana, coconut…

 

Create your own

What I would advise is, instead of substitution, come up with recipes that highlight the ingredients that you do have at hand.

Cooking is an art. And like all other arts, it is highly individualistic in that it will follow the direction of the artist. You don’t have to always colour within the lines. Create your own recipes, come up with amazing things that taste good and are enjoyable for you to create. I have heard of and tasted all sorts of baked goods, ranging from the classics to the more inspired like tomato cake. You are only limited by your imagination.

 

 Find your style

The biggest disservice of the baking class, was to give me a ‘this is how it is supposed to be done’ guide. This robbed me of my own directions. I wasted so much time trying to replicate something. I realise now that the time should have been spent discovering my own way of doing things.

I am not a trained baker, and that was never the goal for me. I wanted to know my way around the commercial end of things, but wanted to keep the magic and wonder of discovering things for myself. I wanted to create.

You do not have to do anything the same way anybody else does. Find your own unique way, infuse what you create with a little bit of your personality.

I have found that I favour the quirky. My designs lean towards the playful and sometimes a little dark. I wish I as the immaculate baker with clean lines and exact designs, or the larger than life baker with extravagant over the top creations, but alas, I am not. I love that I get to play with my food, quite literally. And I continue to get more and more comfortable with this area that gives me great satisfaction with my work.

Experiment with different styles and techniques, until you find the one that sits well with you. The world is big enough to accommodate us all.

 

Trust in your self

Baking haitaki makasiriko! Meaning, baking really goes with the mood you are in. I have never seen anything carry mood like buttercream or fondant!

If you are upset, the end result will show. Nervous? That will definitely come through in the final product. Afraid? This could paralyse you, keep you playing small and restrict your creativity.

When I was convinced that I cannot bake, I cannot tell you the number of items that ended up in the bin! Those that somehow managed to cook well, looked like such ghastly monstrosities when I attempted to decorate them, I could not bring myself to share or even take photos. But when I am in my element, aah the things I have put together! Chef’s kiss!

I figured out being in my element simply means being in that space where I trust myself to do a decent job, and I trust my intuition. The recipe might be iffy, but intuition will guide me on what to change.

Go with your gut, and trust that you got this. After all, it was always meant to be fun, not stressful!