Items

• 
  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.
• 
  2021-08-02

  Macaroons

  The COVID-19 Pandemic led me to try a new and challenging recipe of Macaroons. This is my experience.
• 
  2020-05-31

  Finding Creativity in the Unexpected: Bread Art

  There have been many ways people have chosen to let their creative energy loose during the pandemic. The story that I have uploaded is about a woman, named Manami Sasaki, who found her niche during Covid-19 to be turning bread into works of art. Sasaki designs bread with replicas of art as well as traditional Japanese imagery. Sasaki says that this practice keeps her calm and in good mental spirits. I chose to place this object in my mini archive because I feel as though this source attempts to fill an archival silence as well as amplify the voices of marginalized groups. This is an incredibly niche practice that amplifies Japanese culture
• 
  2020-05-10

  Cookies Wearing Masks

  Local San Ramon baker, KrisPetites, features cookies that reflect the reality of masks in our COVID-19 world. The cookies are round sugar cookies with yellow royal icing emoji faces wearing masks. The cookies expression is sweet - as if the cookie is actually smiling - and the masks are vibrant with unique detailing.
• 
  2020-04-07

  You Shall Pass

  The Hershey Company started having me work from home on March 17, 2020. I am a baker for the Hershey Company's baking products test kitchen. Since March I have been baking and working on recipes from home. In order to re-enter the building, I was required to take my temperature at home, photograph it, and present that photo to the security officer on duty. On April 7, 2020 I took a photograph of my temperature before leaving my house to restock my baking supplies from the test kitchen pantry. I presented this photo to security before filling out a health declaration form and signing into the building. Once I had been fully checked in I was able to collect the supplies I needed before signing out of the building. Since March 17th, I have only had to return to my work area twice to restock. Now Hershey has temperature check points that operate during specific windows of time and no longer requires employees to photograph their temperature. In this way, the Hershey Company has been able to accurately track employees in and out of the buildings in order to keep employees safe. The image shows a closeup of a thermometer reading 97 degrees.