Hi bakers! I’m sharing a different kind of post today. It’s not a recipe, not a baking article, and it’s not an update on life. It’s a short post where we can all reflect on what baking means to us, either how insignificant or how profound.
I published today’s post on my website a few years ago, and am revisiting it. I received so many incredible responses, and learned just how profound the art of baking can be.
If these words resonate with you, I encourage you to share what baking means to you.
What Baking Means to Me
Besides being an obvious means to an end (a baked good), the act of baking is a form of my self expression. I create what I want to create, however little or magnificent that baked good may be. A mindless rice krispie treat or a tall, towering wedding cake.
When I worked a 9-to-5 job in a corporate environment, coming home and baking cupcakes (even from a box mix!) helped me relax and unwind. It simply “felt like me.” In a job where I didn’t have much creative freedom, baking truly kept me fulfilled and energized.
And, not to mention, it’s a double whammy of awesomeness… baking makes me happy and baked goods make everyone happy. Spreading joy is immensely powerful.
I was able to make a full-time career out of this passion. 12 years later (!!!), baking still provides the same amount of joy and creative freedom. But on a more serious note, baking also helps manage my anxiety. A chronic worrier since my teen years, I find the structure and focus that baking requires to be soothing. I’m in control of the outcome (well, mostly!) and that control is important during times that my anxiety feels debilitating. Baking is my work, my “me time,” and, well, my medicine.
I’m very grateful I’m able to do it.
And the same may be true for you, too. It’s not just about baking cookies, it’s about the joy and calm that come with it. What baking is to me may be knitting, painting, reading, running, yoga, or music to someone else. How incredible that a hobby, or a job, can be a form of therapy.
So, what does baking mean to you?
Photo credit: Paragraphic
My mom was a good baker, but I never really baked with her. I watched at times, and I think some of her skill flowed to me by “osmosis.” I was a chemist as a profession, so the transition to baker was pretty natural. I love baking and sharing with friends. I used to take bake goods to work all the time (I am retired now) and I loved making my co-workers happy. I still make baked goods for church potlucks, picnics, group dinners, etc. I love trying new recipes, and Sally’s has become my go-to site. (I discovered it by searching on homemade bagels, and now I can never eat store bought bagels again!) Baking for me is a fun hobby, and something that always brings me joy.
Some of my earliest memories are those spent in the kitchen with my grandmother and my mom with a mixing bowl and a spatula! I continue to bake my grandmother’s spritz cookies and her famous chocolate roll every Christmas. It’s a way to honor her and carry on sweet traditions.
I am known as the scone lady at work and I’ve been commissioned to bake Irish soda bread for my coworker’s St. Patrick’s day feast. During COVID I joined a virtual baking group on Facebook. It is so nice to be a part of a group that loves baking as much as I do. When I’m at work I often daydream about baking and what I will bake when I get home. I love baking- it is truly my therapy.
Baking is the freedom and joy to create something that I have made with love. It is about the opportunity and sometimes the challenge to make something that is yummy to eat, can be tricky to bake, but is beautiful to look at and such a delight to have made from scratch – with my own hand, in my kitchen and in my time. Baking takes me out of the rush of life and allows me to lose myself in whatever recipe or wonder that I am trying to bake. Baking slows me down, because I take my time, I follow the recipe – only occasionally adding a dab of something extra or substituting something I don’t have. It brings me out of myself and back into who I love to be – in my kitchen.
Learning how to bake have helped me to positively contribute to the well being and happiness of my family and all of our friends. Need a delicious birthday cake, or a delicious loaf of bread, and are short on cash? No problem!
I love this! I can relate to baking being a solace in dealing with stress and anxiety because it does the same for me. Baking means to me a link between myself and memories. Growing up, I remember the house filled with the smell of cookies or breads baking. That warmth that those smells bring when something is baking in the oven just calms me down. Plus, I love how it not only lets me flex my creative side but also nourishes and fuels my body. And it’s always a wonderful feeling sharing what I’ve made with others and seeing them enjoying it so much 🙂
My grandmother was an amazing baker who generously shared her goodies with friends and family. When I bake (whether it’s the “old country” recipes she taught me, or newer ones I’ve learned along the way), I feel that I am honoring her memory and sharing joy. I feel grounded in my memories of her kindness each time I bake, and this connects me with my ancestors as well as my friends and family. And now, I am baking with my own grandchildren……… it doesn’t get much better than that!
Baking at the holidays brings wonderful memories of my mother and I making old family recipes. I have her old recipe box and use it to this day. Mama is gone almost 40 years and I still keep our old traditions. At 76 my baking is
slowing down a bit but not at Christmas and Easter. It is my way of remembering my mother.
A way to eat my gluten free diet.. and like food from home
I love your posting on what baking means to you. Baking to me is a reminder of how much I love my family and want to do something they enjoy. It’s a great hobby. With four boys and a daughter growing up food with an important thing at our house, and baking was the best ever.
Baking is my happy place. My husband has dementia and baking lets me think of something else for a while and do something for myself. I love trying new recipes.
Some of your comments drive home what I feel. When I am stressed or anxious , baking calms me down. A form of therapy.
I bake because it gives me something to do. I’m in remission for the second time and I’m loving making goodies for my family and friends.
Baking is my passion, my mental health stabilizer, my way of showing love to those I feed. My kitchen is my world when I’m baking, where I can learn new techniques, experiment with new ideas and recipes to create. Now that my kids are grown and gone, I have a lot more time to do what I love.
Love everything about baking even the cleanup. It’s memories with mom baking pies on Saturday morning. It’s going from disc hard biscuits to lovely light layers of tasty. It’s watching friends families strangers delighting in homemade, love made delicacies. It’s the planning, measuring where chemical miracles occur.
And yes baking takes me away from the world only to bring back a plate of cookies.
I love seeing the joy my baking brings to others. I find it relaxing at times and I love to get creative. I enjoy some of the challenges as well and how it makes me feel when the final product comes out as it is supposed to or even better. Baking and creating are one of my favorite hobbies.
Baking to me is a labor of love. I love making great looking cakes/cupcakes/breads,etc. and decorate them for friends. Just to see the look on their faces, when they realize it was a gift of LOVE, and carefully thought out.. I also do it, when I am down in the dumps. It certainly brings out the best.
Baking is my creative outlet. I bake cookies and create my own recipes. Nothing excites me more than being able to bake special cookies for special people!
Hi, my name is Martha and I am an alcoholic. Today marks 31 years of sobriety. I bake cakes for my fellow recovering alcoholics . I bake them to help celebrate milestones or for gatherings. I also have
Grill Your Own Pizza” parties. I make batches of pizza dough and guests bring their favorite toppings. I guide them through the process from rolling, stretching, charring, topping and finishing on the grill. If people don’t want to make their own, I will make theirs to order. It’s lots of fun and it’s also a safe, alcohol free environment. Baking is my creative outlet and I love to have everyone I bake for enjoy food, fun and fellowship.
Baking is my Woman’s Cave. It is my place where I can be creative, try new recipes, read my new baking magazine or cookbook in search of something yummy to bake. Baking has given me the opportunity to introduce my Granddaughter, at the age of two, to bake and over the years, she is now 14, we have spent summers together baking treats for her Poppa and me teaching her a new technique. Baking has allowed me to share with those who either don’t bake or have the time to bake for themselves and family. Baking has given me the opportunity to bake for our soldiers on deployment and bring a little bit of home to them. It brings me joy along with the satisfaction knowing I tried something new, no matter if it turned out or not. On a bad day it helps to clear my head and on a good day it brings a smile. No matter what, baking simply is my Happy Place.
I find that baking is my absolute ZEN. I love sharing my baked goods.
I loved your post. Baking connects me to my Mom and Grandma. Brings back warm memories. I find baking calming and relaxing, also a creative outlet. I love your recipes and have tried many. Thank you for inspiring me to try new recipes I would not have attempted.
Baking started out being somthing I could share with family. Then I found joy in creating something with my own hand from scratch. Baking is my creative outlet and my therapist. When I got stressed during law school our house was filled with baked goods, when we were stuck inside during covid lockdowns our house was filled with baked goods, when I have a stressful day in the office my house will be filled with baked goods later that night. I love to see the joy my baking brings to my friends, family and colleagues, but I mostly love the peace it brings me.
Baking became a respite for me from my anxiety and day to day life stressors. Picking a recipe and following it gave me something to focus on and hold my attention for an hour or two for my brain to not wander to anything else. It also became very important to me to learn how to make homemade pie crust because my grandmother always made homemade pies growing up until she wasn’t able to anymore. (She apologized the first time she used a store-bought crust!) She passed away last year at age 98 and and I am grateful she got to try one of my own homemade pies in her lifetime and it continues to be a way I feel close to her now that she’s gone.
Bakery Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – I’ve made this recipe 3 times and just love it!! If I had to open a cookie shop, it would be with this cookie! It is beyond FABULOUS, thank you for coming up with this!
your recipes and detailed instructions with hints, make every recipe a winner!! Thank you for sharing your talents and love of baking. I love to share so I bake often for seniors and friends.
Baking checks so many boxes for me! It’s a relaxing/de-stressing outlet, challenges me creatively, and gives me an opportunity to show my love and appreciation to those around me in truly hand crafted, customized ways. Sally, your inspiration and carefully tested recipes have helped me so much in developing my confidence and broadening my repertoire, forever grateful!
Simply put, baking is a gift of love from my heart to yours, no strings attached.
I love making things with my own hands that my people can enjoy! Knowing what’s in the food I’m feeding my family is important. Food is definitely my love language and feeding my family makes them and me happy. I also get a huge feeling of accomplishment at the end of a recipe 🙂
Sharing deliciousness with others, showing them that I care about and think of them, feeling of self-satisfaction after I enjoy the final product 🙂
Mine is a similar story to yours (minus the building a super popular website ;)). I love coming home and making something delicious from scratch; it’s a beautiful science. I also love knowing what goes into the food my family is eating and I take a lot of pride in making something on my own that I could have just bought prepackaged. Thank you for your simple to follow recipes and for explaining the science behind the ingredients!
Bringing joy to others