Why our love of baking extends beyond the food

Here’s something for everyone who loves to bake. Lara Rutherford-Morrison of Bustle lists eight things people who bake love about baking that have nothing to do with eating.

The first may not have anything to do with eating, but it’s close: baking smells awesome. In fact, freshly-baked bread or cookies are so inviting that real estate agents often encourage homeowners to bake one of those items right before an open house. There’s even science to back up this anecdotal evidence. Neurologist Dr. Alan Hirsch has found that the scents of baking have a powerful impact on memory. One of his studies “found that the smell of baked goods was the number-one odour that made people nostalgic for their childhood.”

Another facet of baking is that it’s a communal experience. We don’t (often) bake a whole batch of cookies or a layer cake just for ourselves. “Instead, we tend to embark on baking with the intention to share what we’re making. We share with coworkers, with friends, or with someone who’s simply having a bad day…pretty much anyone who will indulge our compulsion need to make treats and give them to people.”

Yet one more reason we love baking so much is that baking is a relatively inexpensive hobby. Yes, many of us indulge in fancy ingredients and baking equipment, but much of it isn’t absolutely necessary. The basic ingredients of baking–flour, sugar, eggs, butter–are not terribly expensive. Some of the most loved and honored baked goods, like croque-en-bouche, are made with the least costly ingredients in your pantry.

That’s only three of the eight reasons listed by Rutherford-Morrison; read the entire list at Bustle. To her list, I would add that baking is a great way to express your artistic side without ending up with a collection of art projects that you have no room to display. What’s your favorite part of baking besides eating the goodies?

Photo of Dressed-up white bread (Bread Baking) from indexed blog Serious Eats