The benefits of baking as a hobby, with student recommendations to get you started
By NATALIE SALTER—arts@theaggie.org
In our digital age, it has become a respite for us to pursue offline, hands-on hobbies. The act of creating something tangible rather than consuming an endless scroll of online content has been suggested as immensely beneficial and gratifying. Amongst these endeavors, culinary hobbies can be especially rewarding, with the act of making food being as personally fulfilling as it is a means of community building; we share meals with each other as a gesture of love and care.
With this in mind, baking is a particularly wonderful pastime for anyone seeking an offline hobby. While you might be craving a homemade sweet treat year round, there’s something especially magical about baking during the colder months of the year. The temperamental weather and cold, dark days of winter make it all the more cozy and comforting to pull a batch of homemade cookies or a loaf of warm bread out of the oven.
From sweet to savory, simple to complex, there are a myriad of baking recipes waiting to be tried. As such, it can be difficult to decide where to begin, especially if you’ve never tried your hand at baking before.
Beginning bakers may want to start out with simple, one-bowl recipes with few steps. Cookies are always a reliable and delicious choice. They’re endlessly customizable too; for example, you can enhance classic chocolate chip cookies by sprinkling sea salt on top, or by adding butterscotch chips for extra sweetness.
For a seasonal flair this December, gingerbread cookies are a special treat to try making.
“Every couple of years, me and my younger brother pull out this gingerbread recipe, and it brings us back to when we were little,” Noorah Dhamim, a third-year applied chemistry and forensics double major, said. “Half the fun was in shaping the dough into various odd-looking gingerbread shapes; the other half came from decorating — we would make the kitchen a mess with icing smeared everywhere.”
Many other recipes include a creative, decorative element, turning them into artistic projects as much as culinary ones. Loaves of focaccia bread can be adorned with herbs and vegetables to make edible pictures. Pies, which already have endless possibilities for sweet and savory fillings alike, can be given unique crust designs.
If you’re struggling to pick a flavor to pursue, try matching the vibes of the season.
“One of my favorite recipes, especially for the fall, is a Dutch caramel apple pie,” Venessa Cuevas, a third-year English major, said. “Not only is it deliciously sweet, but it helps make the house feel so cozy as you channel the autumn vibes into a pie.”
On a more intimate level, the memories entwined with the food we bake can make them all the more significant. Our culinary traditions are often deeply personal, linked to our family histories, cultures and personal experiences. The holidays in particular are rich in these traditions, and perhaps you might select a recipe that is tied to one of them.
“Now, this simple act of baking gingerbread cookies has become a tradition, one consistent no matter how busy each of us is,” Dhamim said. “It was never really about the recipe, but more about the memories growing up together and creating something that brings us closer to each other year after year.”
If you don’t have a long-standing baking tradition, you can always begin one now — in the future, it may become something more special and meaningful than a simply delicious hobby to share with your loved ones. At the very least, it will provide you the wonderful sort of fulfillment that only the act of creating can give.
Written by: Natalie Salter—arts@theaggie.org
