My journey into baking began early and has since grown into a lifelong hobby. It all started when, at the tender age of three, I attempted my first effort at baking under the watchful eye of my mother. According to her, the omelet I prepared turned out to be the most perfectly fluffy and presented one she had ever been served. While it may not have been the most spectacular achievement, it planted the seed of my baking journey.
From Young to Young at Heart
When I was five years old, I used the Holly Hobby Easy Bake Oven for the first time without direct supervision from my mother. Convincing the babysitter to let me try my hand at baking a cake, I remember my excitement as the cake started to rise in the oven. However, the oven vanished upon my mother's return, a memory etched in my mind as a mix of fondness and loss.
As I grew older, I continued to experiment with baking. At around nine, I started using baking mixes for cakes and brownies, and by the age of ten, I moved on to baking cookies from scratch. My interest in baking took a significant leap when, in the seventh grade, I enrolled in a home economics class. This marked a turning point in my baking journey. I learned how to make bread rolls and popovers, and from that moment, the love for cooking and baking became a constant in my life.
Fond Memories and Hand-Copied Recipes
My sister and I started going to the local library, checking out cookbooks every week. We eagerly rushed home with our recipe books, copying down interesting recipes by hand. Despite the challenges of not having dry erase markers or whiteboards, we managed to make the most of our 50-minute classes by copying recipes from black chalkboards, taste-testing our creations, and cleaning up the inevitable mess we made. To this day, I still have my original yellow-cover notebooks filled with my scrawly cursive handwriting from that home economics class, a testament to our early baking endeavors.
Through the Decades
As I got older, my baking skills continued to grow. At the age of 9, I baked cheese straws, a hand-crafted pastry with grated cheese. Around 4 years old, I learned to make coffee from scratch, which, as I recall, was the hardest part being the grinding of coffee beans in a hand-crank grinder. Despite my young strength, I managed to turn the handle to grind the coffee, a task that was both challenging and rewarding.
The most memorable experience in my baking journey occurred when I was 60 and had just retired. Baking a fougasse, a simple yet delicious bread, was the easiest kind I could manage. Since then, I have been baking various types of bread once or twice a week. This regular practice has not only kept me busy but has also provided me with a sense of satisfaction and joy.
My baking journey is rich with memories and personal growth, and I am grateful for every step of the way. Whether it's the first omelet at three or the fougasse at sixty, each baking experience has been a valuable and cherished part of my life.