Lockdown bakers get creative

Whether it’s a seasoned baker making an impressive tart or a newbie tipping his toes into the bread-baking waters, the pandemic has spawned an obsession with baking. Part of it has to do with the ‘comfort-food’ factor, while shortages and disrupted shopping schedules also play roles. As an avid baker who has long attempted (mostly unsuccessfully) to drag my friends into the hobby, I have been thoroughly enjoying this trend.

Watching friends bravely attempt new bakes and post their successes on Facebook and Instagram has been a joy to witness. A neighbor girl was inspired to make macarons, so I loaned her a cookbook and provided her with almond flour and parchment paper to save her mother a trip to the store. A small bag of lovely cookies appeared on my porch the next day. The macarons were all the more impressive since the baker is only nine years old!

Naturally I was mesmerized by the recent Guardian article listing its top 15 reader bakes during lockdown. The entries include people trying to recreate pies they enjoyed long ago, and roommates baking birthday cakes to celebrate milestone numbers. A few people had to get creative with ingredients while others used their creativity on impressive designs. The raspberry tart with the dragon motif is nothing short of phenomenal.

I’m just as impressed with more modest results from newly-minted bakers. With Instagram filled with over-the-top pies, cakes, and breads, people can feel reluctant to post their humble creations. But like a mother proudly pasting her preschool child’s ‘masterpiece’ on the refrigerator, I take delight in seeing misshapen breads, leaning cakes, and shrinking pie crusts made by people who never believed they could bake. I always knew they had it in them.