I think I’ve attempted baking at least once a year for the past 20 years. This year, I made biscuits from scratch. The kids seemed to enjoy the biscuits. I’m not sure how I managed to make the biscuits taste metallic – too much baking soda? I’m not exactly sure, but if I knew how to make gravy that wasn’t runny and floury tasting, I bet that would’ve masked the metal flavor. Anyway, the kids didn’t seem to notice or maybe they’re just used to mama’s home cooking.
I can successfully make Pamela’s Gluten Free cakes. The mix comes in a bag and I’m pretty sure baking from bags doesn’t qualify as real baking. Part of my problem is that I don’t like flour or foods made with flour. It’s not a paleo thing either. I’ve generally been uninterested in breads, cakes and cookies since childhood. I’m also a freestyle, off-recipe type of cook and maybe I don’t follow directions very well – I’ve heard it both ways. Whatever the case, I’ve come to realize that baking needs strong adherence to recipes and that wasn’t currently my strength.
Better off outsourcing
Realizing I’m no better a baker than I was at five with my Easy Bake oven, I asked my daughter if she’d mind if I never baked again. Now my girl has a romance with all pastries. When we travel to Paris, my little girl makes sure we stop at a pâtisserie everyday for an afternoon treat. Once inside the pâtisserie, she analyzes the pastries, cakes and confections and carefully make her selection. I was slightly offended when my daughter agreed that it was a good idea to let the professionals make our oven-baked goodies. She’s a smart one.
Simplifying our Kitchen and My Life
I had gotten good at downsizing our things, and it finally occurred to me that I could also downsize my foods, goals and even my tasks. Outsourcing our baking to neighborhood bakeries removed not only a load off of my plate, it removed the need for me to be good at something I really didn’t enjoy doing. I now feel confident about my lack of interest in baking and no loner feel insecure about being bad at baking.
I am finally free of baking and no one else will ever have to eat one of my metallic biscuits again. Gone are the flour, baking powder, measuring spoons, and a never-used Madeline pan. I decided to stop doing what I don’t particularly love and let those that are good at baking provide us with their artistic and terrific creations.
Our children may one day decide that they want to try baking and when they do, we will get the tools they need to make wondrous treats. However, after 20 years of doing it the wrong way, I will insist that they use a recipe.
xo – Bar