Learn to Bake

By Rayna Roy

In today's world, where shopping and eating is more of a matter of convenience than an art, baking has become something that we consider an extravagance, the province of those who wish to wear the crown of domestic god or goddess. With baking often taking quite a lot of time, most people do not have the same interest in baking that was shown by their parents or grandparents.

Baking should be given more precedence than it is shown. The notion of our daily bread and living on bread alone gives us an idea of how necessary baked goods really are to us. Truth be told, baked goods such as bread are still important to most of us, it is just that we let someone else do the baking nowadays.

So, at one end of the spectrum we have bread as our most elemental staple. At the other we have cake as the ultimate celebratory food, used to mark our most important social functions. There can be no doubting that baked foods are essential to us and, while baking each day is a luxury many of us cannot afford time-wise, maybe by baking our own goods every now and again we can better treasure those simple meals and special social occasions by more directly adding to them.

Baking is the technique for extended cooking of food by dry heat, normally in an oven. It covers a huge number of different dishes and bakeware. All the cuisines internationally have a signature bread, dessert, or pastry, so the options can be overwhelming. What if our early efforts are not treasured or prove too difficult to complete successfully? Is there something that might be a sure-fire hit and will be a basic introduction to baking? Well, you will be pleased to know that there is a treat that fits the bill here nicely.

Strangely enough, although their charm is in their small size, cup cakes are huge in today's world! They are not just for kids and, like so many of the basic pleasures we have always loved, they have been touched by the gourmet's hand. Something that is popular, festive and - believe it or not comparatively easy to make - is a good project for the unprofessional baker.

You might be surprised to know that these tasty little dishes have been around since the 19th century and were originally baked in single clayware cake pans or ramekins. Here is a bit of trivia for you: they are named fairy cakes in the UK and Ireland, probably because you can easily envisage one feeding a whole party of thumb-sized sprites. Anyway, cupcakes have a long pedigree, but they have also evolved.

If you live anywhere near a metro area, the probabilities are good that there will be a bakeshop nearby that specializes in cup cakes, because they are currently a favorite. While the hope here is that you will bake your own cupcakes every now and again, these bakeries are great places to get inspiration in terms of decorating and recipes go. Nothing like a ready-made excuse: when you are leisurely savoring their goods, you can say it is all being done in the name of research!

In fact, there are lots of reasons why cupcakes make a good early adventure into the fine tradition of baking. One of the biggest motivators here is that it is not all hard work, an element of play comes into things and anyone can exercise their creative powers - regardless of how gifted they are. Time to break out the frosting and sprinkles!

After you have mastered the cupcake, it is not too much of a stretch to make a cake proper. The ingredients are the same and similar decorating techniques are employed. If you found the presentation element to be the most satisfying, then you will want to explore 3-D cakes or cakes in the round. By that we're talking about cake as sculpture. Certain examples here include birthday cake trains hauling cars of lollies or a village of holiday cake cottages. Several manufacturers, such as Wilton and Nordic Ware, sell 3D cake pans in the shape of castles, trains and more. Cakes made with such pans become real centrepieces at the event or party and they are going to be remembered.

Again, you will find all sorts of information on the web on how to mix, knead, and bake flour, water and yeast (believe it or not, the ingredients are that basic, though what you can add to the standard triad is virtually limitless). It might take you a few attempts to get your chosen recipe perfect, but knowing that you made the most basic of foods with your own hands imparts a deep, quiet gratification that cannot be denied.

For More Info: bakeware, cake pan.

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