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
Reader Comments and Reviews
Why do I love baking….let me count the reasons. Recently my grandson said to me….”Nina you haven’t brought us cheese danish or chocolate croissants in a long time.” That sums it up best. They love whatever I make and it brings such joy…my 12 year old grandson has now expressed an interest in cooking and baking so I got him both of your baking addiction cookbooks…he makes things from them almost daily and brings to school to share with his friends who go bonkers for his cookies…I will continue to encourage that passion as we have fun baking together….
Baking means everything to me! Making people happy with cookies and candies at the holiday time. Or making my husband happy with his favorite treats otherwise. It is a glorious feeling when the recipe comes out tasting wonderful! Not always picture perfect, though. I feel powerful, when I do something right, that most can not do (or too chicken to try). I love all your recipes Sally! I love that sweet smile you always have on your face. =) And I own all your cookbooks, can’t wait for new one!
What baking means to me is that it’s a positive way to relieve stress and feel such joy and feelings of accomplishment. My mom baked her whole life even baking over a hundred fruitcakes in her 90’s and selling them.
I love trying your new recipes and baking for family! Thank you to you and your team for the wonderful recipes!
I love baking because I love making people smile and it is a form of release for me.. It helps release stress.. Love your recipes..
I bake because that’s my Love Language. Going on a road trip – dozens of cookies to nibble on. Away at college – weekly treat packages. Graduation parties – dozens of bars. Birthdays and holidays call for three major desserts with different flavor profiles. It makes me happy and will probably be the one thing that I am remembered for. I’m a 75-year-old Grandmother always looking for the next great dessert recipe.
Baking means many differenet things to me. I love making other people happy and it is so fulfilling to see friends and family swooning over a new recipe that I have tried out. Also, I used to bake a lot with my grandmother with whom I was very close. Baking brings those memories back and makes me feel close to her again. And I love cake, cookies – everything sweet, and trying out new recipes is so very exciting to me. Love tasting new sweets
Your recipe for carrot cake is absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing it.
A creative outlet and expression of love!
I am inspired and truly enjoy baking in the Fall Season for my family and others. I enjoy seeing the Joy on peoples faces when I offer them a piece of pumpkin bread or a biscotti. It just fills my heart with Joy knowing I just might of made someone’s day for the better. Thank You Sally for sharing with us your passion and for making me a better baker! ❤️
I don’t bake much, as “cooking” is more in my wheelhouse. BUT…that makes baking even more special, as it is *always* for something special for someone. Birthday. Thank you. Congratulations. Memories of a loved one. Or even “just because”. Not only is the reason special, oftentimes it is customized to the recipient – a favorite “somethin’ somethin'” of that person, which makes baking it even more joyful for me. Now retired, I miss doing monthly birthday cakes for my coworkers (or giant cookies or cupcakes, whatever they prefer) – now I have the time to do it, the workplace is gone! Thank you, Sally, for making me feel this not-so-big-a-baker lady can do lots of things I never thought I could. You and your work is a real joy. Love from Atlanta! ….Patty, Piper (kitty 1), and Pickle (kitty 2) – my furry sous chefs, always.
I wish I had memories of growing up baking (or cooking) with my dad. Since he passed away when I was young, it was really important to me to make those memories with my girls. I think (hope!) they enjoy not just baking with me, but baking with each other. I hope they will look back on these days with fond memories and carry on the tradition.
My mama taught me how to bake at age 5, baking cookies for our soldiers in Vietnam( who should have never been there to begin with). It’s a place that I can Zen and create. I bake and cook for my elderly neighbors every week and it brings me much peace and joy. I bake for others who have lost loved ones, anyone really. Sally, I am blessed that I found you. Your directions are the most concise and understandable, and you go the extra mile to tell us how to freeze and adapt to different size cake pans. You are awesome, and I thank God for you and your knowledge. No one out there can write a recipe like you can. Namaste
Baking makes my heart happy. It is warming to my heart to manufacture something that my family loves and others can enjoy as well.
I’m 68 and just started baking from scratch a few years ago. I’m loving every minute of it. It’s a stress relief for me. Plus your recipes are so easy to follow and have given me the confidence to share my new hobby with my family and friends. ❤️
It is one of my creative outlets, and I love watching other people enjoy my efforts when I bake.
Baking is a safe haven for my special needs twin adults sons who have Dravet Syndrome.
I am their mother and caregiver. The magic of baking holds no judgement, no criticism and no limitations on their abilities or creativity.
It is a special family bonding time and learning experience that possess the sweetest of rewards and proud smiles!
Baking is a way to express myself. It is my creative outlet. My grandsons are the happy recipients of my efforts, as well as one of their neighborhood friends. It is amazing that so many kids don’t have home baked goods. I am teaching my boys to bake and cook.
Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Baking is much more the end product. It is love, in the memory of making something that a loved one who has passed appreciated. It is giving love to the receiver to show how much you care for them. It is a creative outlet seeing if you can make a successful recipe and even improve on it. It is a stress reliever, beating, kneading, mixing, pouring, an activity that takes up space in your mind rather than negative thoughts.
Baking is a way to bless anyone – who doesn’t like a little plate a of cookies or slice of chocolate cake?
Baking became my “thing” when I suffered a fairly severe back injury and was laid up for months. I binged baking shows when I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep at night. Eventually, I got back on my feet and I went straight to the kitchen to apply everything I had learned from the shows. I found solace in baking…there is something comforting about rising early in the morning when it is quiet in the house and kneading bread dough. Not to mention the fact that it makes the house smell amazing and my family and friends are always eager to taste the results. Thank you Sally, for helping me on this journey and providing amazing recipes!
Baking has always been a hobby for me; one I picked up from my mom and a little thing we shared around her crazy work schedule. Over time, it has become mostly a way to unwind, but often a way I can find a bit of control to ease and manage anxiety; measuring out each ingredient exactly on my little scale; finding that sweet spot for the baking time in your own oven. It brings me joy to make treats for people and see the joy it brings them to eat it!
What baking means me. It is a link to my family, traditions and joy. We would have 4 generations in the kitchen on holidays.Baking cookies, loaf cakes, drinking coffee, laughing and telling stories. It wasn’t listening to our grandparents (yes all the men baked also) that we learned history, ethnic recipes and traditions that came with our grandparents from Norway. I still bake them to this day and smile at the memories.
You are my go-to for recipes that I can tweak and make my own. I began baking (gluten free) out of necessity for my wife. She’s since found an organic flour that she tolerates well so now I bake for fun. Everyone should start out baking gluten free in order to have a sincere appreciation for gluten and how manageable and cooperative it is.
Baking means everything to me! I make cookies every Sunday to bake on Monday for my husbands work. I make a couple dozen a month for my son and his wife. I bake for my grandkids. I love to bake and if I can give them away it’s a win-win for me.
I look forward to all your recipes & had friends & neighbors use your web site. Baking has always been stress relief for me. For me it’s a solitary hobby & frees my mind of the days events. Friends & neighbors love the results. Continue posting recipes. Love them all
Sally, I so enjoy your recipes & always anxious to see your next one,, like you I enjoy baking & cooking!!
What baking means to me? Honestly, my favourite part is making and decorating cakes for my children, nieces and nephews. Love their expressions when they know it’s just for them. ❤️
Baking is my happy place . Then I share with the neighborhood ❤️
Baking means many things to me – for one, I love the challenge of trying new things and learning new techniques. I feel so accomplished when a baking project is successful! It’s also a joy to share my creations with people and see the joy that it brings them, too. Another aspect of baking that I love is the creative outlet that it provides. It’s precise and scientific, but there is so much opportunity for self expression in baking as well. And it’s nice to have some “me time” in the kitchen. One day I’d love to have a baking business of sorts, but we’ll see what that looks like when the time is right!
Baking is a means of stress relief but it’s also a memory. When my gramma passed away, we made the treats that she would make us for her funeral luncheon. My grampa recently passed and I baked the cookies he’d make with us for his remembrance picnic. I taught my daughter those recipes while my cousin and I remembered Grampa. It’s a connection. Always taking me back to those I love and the memories tied to them. I have hand written recipe cards for treasured treats from loved ones gone. While my treats don’t quite measure up to theirs, the memories are forever mine.
For me, baking is both relaxing and challenging. I enjoy trying new recipes and finding new tips and tricks, and it is very different from my job. It is very gratifying when something turns out great, and even “failed” attempts are consumed by family and friends with no judgment! My mother was an avid baker for many years and taught me and my sisters, it was one of those skills that “a good wife/mother should have “. I may not be the best wife/mother, but I can bake!! (I can sew too but that’s a story for another day!). Thanks for all the great recipes that you have posted, I am trying as a many as I can!