I’ve been baking for as long as I can remember. Growing up in the ’80s, my dad would take us to the local bakery, and we would pick out a loaf of bread and then the local baker would bake it for us. This may sound silly, but it was also one of the few times that my family could be together without us having to cook.
As a kid, I would watch the TV show “How to Make a Nutcracker” and do everything from making a pizza to making a cake. But the thing is, I would never have known a pizza by the time I was 16 or 17, especially not with my Mom and Dad having a baby. I was not in school the way that I am now, and I was not even in college.
So back in the early ’90s, I was in a special high school class that I had to take. We were making the most incredible pies we could, with a whole bunch of different toppings, and then my teacher baked them for us. It was so amazing to watch. I was the only one in my class who could even make a pie. It was a special moment for me because I would have never known how to do it.
The baking is a class activity. The more skilled the baker, the more difficult it is to give it a good score. I know that’s not the case with my students, but it is with my Mom and Dad. My Mom never makes pies or tries to bake anything. Dad makes a few pies that are not so amazing, but they are awesome, and he still makes them. He is not the best at baking. So for him, it was just a class activity.
I think it’s funny how we’ve always had such a dichotomy between our parenting styles. I think everyone is pretty much the same and we all have the same struggles. But for some reason, our parents are always so different. And then for some reason, it’s always been like that.
When I was growing up, I remember my Dad buying me a bunch of cake and cookies at Christmas. It was always the best thing we ever got, but I always felt like there was something missing. When I moved out to California, I remember that his only thing that I had ever gotten was my mom’s homemade cookies and cake. I feel really bad for him because his cookie baking is so great (and I still make them).
This is probably the most important thing I’ve ever learned about baking. It’s called “homemade.” What you bake with “your own flour, butter, sugar, and eggs” is a completely different recipe from what you buy at the store. You put it in the oven, and you get a completely different flavor and texture. It’s just as important to make sure you buy baking ingredients that you can make your own.
To this end, I’m giving a big shout out to our friends at the Baking Buddies. They make all of the best cookies you’ll ever taste. But if you’re baking your own cookies, make sure you buy baking ingredients that you can make your own.
Baking cookies is a great way to learn how to make your own. I love that you can make all of your own flour and sugar, and bake all of your own cookies. But I don’t think baking is a good way to learn how to bake. Most of us bake every day for a living, and the recipes that we’ve tried the most are the most popular. Learning to make your own cookies isn’t as hard as it looks, and it is very rewarding.