Baking is Therapy

 

I don't know about you, but in my book no aroma compares to that of the smell freshly baked goods. Try and change my mind, you’ll fail. Although often times the process of baking anything might be time consuming or extremely meticulous or even both, I can assure you that it’s worth all the hassle. You’ll know when you bake a bread or two! Cause at least to me the entire process of baking is simply beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable making it automatically therapeutic.

Now let me give you a quick recap to when my passion for baking started. From as long as I can remember I enjoyed eating and trying out different types of food, and being very close to my mother not only did I have the privilege of having delicious homemade treats but I also had the scope of watching her make them. So when a 7 or 8-year-old me stumbled upon 'Masterchef' on the television randomly, she was oh-so thrilled. From then on every Monday to Wednesday at 9 pm just like clockwork, I would get ready to turn the T.V on and watch the 45 minute episodes. I was so invested in the show that sometimes I’d watch the recaps the next morning! Looking back, the days I spent watching Masterchef was one of the best parts of my childhood. I truly believe that Masterchef played a pivotal role in shaping the person that I am, it helped me discover a part of myself that I am so very proud of.

It might seem weird to you, but there’s something very relaxing and satisfying about kneading a dough till it reaches a certain form, letting it rise fully for as long as it takes, and then finally poking it to see if it bounces back. Goodness! Just talking about makes me excited. Nowadays, I am learning specific techniques for different types of pie doughs, like how deep dish pies require less baking time to ensure proper crisp, and how apple or fruit pie doughs call for cold butter cubes to get a crumbly texture. You see to me baking in a way is similar to reading a book. Every time you repeat reading a book, you discover something new, similarly when you’re baking a cake perhaps for the second time, you might find yourself figuring out that adding a little less flour makes this type of cake richer and moister.

Baking is very important to me, so naturally I have this fear that if I were to align my hobby with my profession I’ll eventually lose my enthusiasm for baking. Because generally, being good at work comes at the cost of hard work and working hard is stressful, and I don’t ever want to associate baking with stress. As a student studying is something that I have to do on a daily basis under extreme pressure and stress. So basically it’s like a chore that I have to get done with anyways. I don’t want baking to feel like a chore to me. Just the thought of it saddens me. I enjoy every minute I spend baking. Baking is not just a hobby for me, it is much more than that, it is the one thing I look forward to when I have spare time on my hands. I literally daydream about random recipes, and I am always excited to try 'em out at any chance I get.

With all the joy baking comes with, I think for me the best part about baking is the wonderful feeling that comes from watching your loved ones gobble up the food that you made with your heart and soul. It is so refreshing and heartwarming. It is simply therapeutic. It’s like a brief escape from reality. I am the happiest when I am baking. Baking makes me feel seen like nothing else does. Baking is therapy for me and I will not let anyone or anything take that feeling away from me.