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topic_interest is exactly
bake
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2020-03-15
Roller Coaster Ride
The pandemic hit when I was in Saint George, Utah, for school. Being away from family and friends was by far the most challenging thing we had to go through. With everything shutting down and classes moving online, we were all confined to our rooms. Keeping in touch with our families through facetime and video chat, I was grateful that I still had the chance to talk to them. To make up for the lost holidays because of the pandemic, my friends and family began to send care packages. And one of my favorite gifts that my dear friend sent was this little plaque that I was able to hang on my wall during the shutdown. It says, "Life is like a Roller Coaster. It has Ups and Downs. You could either Scream or Enjoy the ride." It became my favorite thing to read whenever I was going through a rough time during the shutdown. Life is unpredictable, and so is the pandemic. I learned that I would either whine and complain about the pandemic and the shutdown or learn to accept it as another challenge in life. As the plaques said, I chose to enjoy some of the good things the pandemic brought, like self-meditation, catching up on my favorite shows, bonding with roommates, learning to cook/bake, and learning how to do tiktoks. -
2021-03-21
A tale of the babka
If you had asked me if I was a baker prior to the year 2020, I would have unequivocally said no. A cook? Yes. But a baker? Absolutely not. But that was before the global Covid-19 pandemic. I worked in the cruise industry prior to the pandemic and I travelled a lot for my job. I was not home enough to really jump into and try to master baking. Following mandatory quarantine in March 2020, I suddenly had extra time on my hands. Further, I was laid-off from my job in early June and ended-up with even more time on my hands. Like so many around the world during quarantine, I took up baking. But unlike the many who tried sourdough, I started with making standard wheat breads and then went straight to enriched breads like babkas or challahs. The photos I am attaching here show my progression as a baker. My first babka was fine and tasted great, but as you can see, I have improved in technique and in flavor over time. My favorite babka recipe comes from King Arthur Flour. As a new baker, I relied on the King Arthur Flour website for flour and yeast tips, baking tools, and recipes. I was too hesitant to add walnuts the first time and I accidently used a quick-rise east instead of standard yeast. As time went on, I felt more comfortable adding walnuts and raisins. I also felt more comfortable working with the dough to perfect the twisting technique of the babka. I relied on trial-and-error for most of my recipes, but I also watched all episodes of the Great British Baking Show and found some videos that gave me the basics of flour, yeast, and water. My family were very surprised by this newfound baking skill. But they enjoyed tasting the results. I have enjoyed bringing people together over food – and I have enjoyed giving loaves as gifts. I am still trying new bread recipes and plan on continuing to bake even as life slowly returns to our new normal.