Did You Know … Baking
Maybe YADAH should have considered this topic around Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Baking is an activity that can be done at home and shared with others.
As it turns out, however, baking is a wonderful, healthy, boredom-relieving activity people can practice throughout the year.
To heck with the holidays, get to the store for some butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. It’s time to get busy and use the oven in creative ways.
Speaking of which, the world’s oldest known oven was discovered less than four years ago in Croatia, dating back 6,500 years.
Despite the potential stress ardent bakers might experience trying to keep recipes “secret,” the benefits of this activity have been documented.
Turns out baking can be rather altruistic, or unselfish. Baking goods and giving them to others can be done for many reasons, including condolences, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other special occasions.
Sometimes it’s just done to be kind.
The reason for participating in the activity isn’t important; it’s a wonderful hobby or craft to replace boredom. Just watch the sugar.
What is baking? Simply, baking uses prolonged dry heat, most often in an oven, to cook. It is most often associated with bake goods, such as cakes, pastries, and cookies. However, it is also the method used to make an American favorite: pizza.
Want to get creative, baking can also be used in conjunction with barbequing, but at this point YADAH might be going a bit too far.
The craft has come a long way.
In the early days of baking, it was limited mostly to the wealthy because few had an oven to bake in the middle ages.
This began to change in the 1400’s and baking saw an explosion in popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries as societies began to change and the middle class began to grow. Today, nearly all Americans can bake.
And why not give it a try? It can help knock out depression or anxiety.
Think about the smell of a home as the oven door is opened and a cake or batch of cookies is removed. That smell triggers feel-good endorphins beneficial to humans.
But, that’s jumping to the end, maybe because it’s YADAH’s favorite part. The preparation requires a lot of attention, keeping an individual focused on the task at hand, and creativity and imagination are encouraged.
It also stimulates all the senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and, of course, taste.
However, maybe the most beneficial quality is the ability for ones creation to make others happy. The baker and the individual receiving the gift feel great. It’s a win-win for all involved.
The benefits of baking have inspired some to use it as a therapy program, known as culinary art therapy.
It can help suppress sad thoughts, and serves as a stress reliever, unless maybe an upside down cake came out right side up.
Such horrible thoughts aside, baking can be done by almost anyone. And, if the passion grows and the food is great, this is a hobby that can become a career.
Just watch out for how much cookie dough you consume.
If you didn’t know, now you do.
