Baking out of the pandemic!
An amateur baker is what you get when you cross a pandemic-induced lockdown with a girl with a colossal sweet-tooth. One of the hardest things to adjust to when lockdown came around in March, was the lack of freedom to buy myself my daily dose of whatever scrumptious chocolate I felt like having. My body refused to allow me to be at peace while I tried my level best to convert myself into a homebody.
Being a chocolate connoisseur, of course I had a stash at home, but the anxiety of my stash running out led to me finishing it faster. Before I completely ran out, I decided to see whether I could bring back some of my childhood talents and fend for myself in the confectionery department. Like anyone would, I started small with some of my favourite simple sweet treats: brownies! Now, while the first time wasn’t a complete disaster, there was definitely a lot of room for improvement. After much consultation with my friends, I was finally able to find a recipe that worked for me and prepare some lovely desserts for my family to enjoy for the next week.
The success of my initial experiments reduced the stress that stemmed from the trepidation of a chocolate-free future and helped me savour some of them for longer. Not only did it make the store-bought goodies last longer, it also encouraged me to use them in my kitchen experiments! My love for cookies and the few M&Ms that were left got me experimenting with a new style of chocolate chip cookies that turned out absolutely marvellous for someone who was baking cookies for the first time in her life.
Though a sense of desperation and a LOT of free time is what inspired me to begin my journey with baking and carve a new relationship with my kitchen, what kept me at it was the sense of peace and flow that I felt when I dived into the process, undisturbed (and of course the rewards I reaped moments after). When lockdown began, all the family scholars said it was important to find a hobby or something to keep one engaged while stuck at home. Well, baking found me! It gave me a sense of calm and freedom from the suffocation of being stuck in the same place without an end in sight.
As I got more involved with my baking, my mother and I started experimenting together, away from confectionery and towards a more everyday item of consumption: bread! I had always heard that baking bread was challenging because of the intricacies involved and I suppose that’s what kept me from trying it out earlier. But with all the time at hand and the fortune of living in a metropolis where supply was not as adversely impacted as in other parts of the country, there was nothing stopping me from trying my hand at it. That’s what led us to making some delicious garlic and multigrain loaves that were gastronomical beauties when paired with soup and patties!
Once everyone had started adjusting to life in lockdown, there was no end to the different occasions that called for a baking session.
Zoom party for your uncle’s birthday? Why not try some easy chocolate cake with an even easier chocolate sauce?
Have some over-ripe, nearly rotting bananas at home? Time to make some banana bread!
One of my favourite baking sessions was when I went way out of my comfort zone to try and make something special for my mother’s birthday – I spent half the day deciding whether or not I should try, apprehensive about whether I would succeed, and the other half baking away after having worn myself out of any worry I had (it’s just another baking experiment!). The result of this day-long event was a more than half-decent lemon pie made with love and improvised ingredients. Despite the tumultuous decision-making process and panicked scrounging for ingredients due to my lack of foresight and planning, the pie turned out quite delicious and worth the trouble as I got to enjoy it over the rest of the week and treat my mother with something special despite the limitations.
(There’s my lemon pie, next to the glass of wine and a beautiful ELSA)
(This is my half-demolished lemon pie)
Baking has been something I’ve found a lot of solace in during this arguably dreadful year. Since I started, I’ve also been a lot more involved in the kitchen, learning how to make various dishes (ensuring that I’m not compelled to sustain myself on a dessert diet when I finally leave the nest). It’s been an amazing learning experience and has brought a smile to many faces (mostly mine). I’ve been able to make my friends happy without being able to meet them by getting some goodies delivered to their houses. I’ve been able to celebrate many occasions with my family over a Zoom call while ensuring that our house gets to celebrate with as much sweetness as the person of honour. And most importantly, I get to satisfy my midnight chocolate cravings with the simplest desserts (I rate mug cakes and mug brownies 10/10).
If baking and cooking are something you’ve been meaning to try, I would encourage you to jump right in! The outcome is always delicious!
