The Perks of Baking

Written by Lizzie Learn On 10th Apr 2022

aking is an incredibly common hobby, especially since the covid pandemic started. People often bake for themselves or others, giving cakes or other baked goods away as gifts or selling them at charity bake sales. Some people even started up their own bakery business during the lockdowns.

Baking is a great way to enjoy delicious treats for a fraction of the cost of purchasing them at a store or bakery. In addition to these obvious benefits, there are psychological perks that go along with baking, especially when you are baking for others. In fact, study after study has found that baking is one of the most rewarding hobbies a person can have.

The Benefits of Baking

It Saves Money

One of the biggest perks of baking for others is that you can save a lot of money. Most people bake goods for special occasions such as birthdays or holidays instead of buying expensive gifts. A small baked gift can go a long way, much further than an expensive scarf, for example. Not only does your recipient know that you baked a treat with them in mind, they are aware of the time and effort that went into the gift. This can make a simple batch of cookies or cupcakes much more meaningful than something that cost a lot more.

Of course, if you buy all your ingredients at once, it may not feel like baking is any cheaper than eating out or buying treats from a bakery. However, once you start only eating treats you make at home, you are quickly going to notice a difference. Consult a shelf-life chart and buy certain ingredients in bulk to save money.

It Helps with Mindfulness

Mindfulness, or the state of living in the moment without your mind wandering to the past or the future, comes with a host of benefits. People who practise mindfulness on a regular basis are less anxious, have better memories, and have improved cognitive abilities. It can also help you fall asleep faster at night, feel calmer throughout the day, and decrease your overall stress levels.

People who struggle with the art of being mindful often say their biggest issue comes from a wandering mind. Distractions relating to work, family or other stressors can quickly change your mood. When you are baking, however, you have no choice but to remain in the moment. Baking is very similar to chemistry. One wrong ingredient, or even one slightly wrong measurement, can throw off a whole recipe.

To avoid a kitchen-related disaster, bakers have to stay in the moment: The very goal of mindfulness. Each act of baking lends itself to being mindful. For example, you have no choice but to carefully focus on the task at hand when you are measuring out ingredients. Mixing and placing the raw dough on baking sheets also requires you to stay present if you are to avoid making a huge mess.

It Sparks Creativity

While baking is certainly a science, there is also an art to it. Coming up with recipes that taste great and work well requires an equal amount of creativity and scientific skill. There is also an art to decorations. Baking cupcakes can open up a whole world of creative possibilities. Experiment with different icings and colour combinations to find an ingredient you are comfortable working with and then let your creative juices flow.

A great way to start is to bake a batch of cupcakes for a friend. Think about their interests and preferences, and try to design cakes that appeal to them aesthetically as well as taste-wise. For example, if you have a friend who is a huge tennis fan, make cupcakes decorated with tennis balls, rackets or even a tennis skirt or shorts on top. Or buy cookie cutters in different shapes to make cookies with a relevant theme. Try using buttercream, royal icing and fondant to see which ingredient you like working with best.

Allowing yourself space to be creative also has a big impact on your mental health. It lowers stress levels, helps you feel more mindful, and can improve your overall confidence levels. If you have a hard time focusing on yourself, baking and decorating for others is a great excuse to improve your design skills without feeling guilty.

It Challenges You

Baking is a skill that you can advance, much like any other. Challenging yourself to improve has a number of benefits that affect the rest of your life. Once you master one particular recipe and move on to the next, the confidence you feel can carry over into other activities.

These challenges also help you improve other skills, such as maths or your ability to come up with new and different recipes. Never let yourself get too comfortable in the kitchen before trying to learn something new. While there is nothing wrong with returning to an old, simple favourite, you should also spend time perfecting new recipes.

One great way to add a challenge is to try to convert a beloved recipe to one that is allergen-free or vegan. Start by replacing one ingredient at a time, making constant adjustments until you get the final product just right. Not only does this prepare you for baking for someone with those specific requirements, but it also gets you familiar working with dough of different textures. If you ever want to move on to try other baked goods, this is a skill that is definitely going to come in handy.

It Makes Everyone Happier

Studies have shown that the smell of freshly baked cakes is almost always comforting to people, no matter who they are or what their life experiences have been. Whenever you whip up a batch of cookies or cupcakes, the smell and warmth spread throughout your whole home.

The psychological benefits also affect others. When baking makes you calmer, you are friendlier and more social, spreading that joy to others you encounter.

Baking is a wonderful hobby with many psychological benefits as well as practical benefits. If you are ever in need of a pick-me-up or know a friend who is, consider baking them a fresh batch of cupcakes. It may be just the thing that both of you need to restart your day on a much brighter note.

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