Like gardeners who just seem to have a green thumb, some bakers just seem to be born that way. But even with the innate gift, baking takes skill beyond the ability to throw together some ingredients and magically create a culinary delight.
To be a successful baker of delicious confections, you need these five skills in addition to your love for baking.
5 Skills You Need to be a Baker
- Organization – The number one recommended trait that the top bakers suggest you either have or cultivate is the ability to stay organized. When it comes to baking, timing can be essential. If you have to stop to find your ingredients, wait for anything to cool or warm to the appropriate temperature, or you switch or forget a step, your recipe may end in less than optimal results.
- Calm under pressure – If you are making more than one thing at a time, or what you are making requires multiple steps at any given time to turn out right, the pressure building in your kitchen may not just be in the steamer.
As a baker, you have to remain calm in all areas of your life while you are cooking. Don’t let things that are stressing you in your personal life leak into your kitchen, and don’t let the incessant rushing to prepare the next step cause you to become frustrated and miss an important detail.
- The willingness to be creative – Yes, you may have a recipe you are using, but until you have tweaked it to your perfection, be open to adjusting the type or amount of ingredients it suggests. Being creative is what takes a common recipe and makes it your unique creation. If you are always trying to go by a premade recipe, you will never find your own style.
- Practice, practice, practice! – Through persistent practice, you will get better and better. Be patient with your mistakes and use them as learning experiences. Stay dedicated to becoming a master baker and finding your style. And above all, keep practicing.
- Detail-oriented – Missing the smallest detail (like substituting baking soda for baking powder or forgetting the yeast or a pinch of salt) can put a kibosh on your hard work. All of that money you spent on ingredients, all of the time and love and patience you put into your culinary creation, all goes straight into the trash can on the first hopeful bite if you missed one tiny detail.
Your Passion for Baking Will Show in Your Creations
While some people have that green thumb for baking, others have to cultivate it and grow it themselves. If you have the passion for baking but it’s not an innate skill, don’t give up!
With these five skills and your love for baking itself, your passion will quickly rise to the top like your beloved banana bread when you have practiced, perfected, and mastered each individual recipe, one at a time.
Baking is a profession that you will always be learning in as you try new recipe after new recipe. But with these skills, you will be able to master your craft and enjoy your time in the kitchen every day.