The Pros and Cons of Baking

I have always STUNK at baking! No joke, I could not bake a pancake mix into a pancake if I tried. After watching the British Baking Show, I was pumped to become the best baker in the world. Then I toned it down a lot and decided that I just needed to become the best baker that I could be. It has been fun to work on perfecting bread, cakes, and cookies. With the help of my husband and other professionals, baking has become something I enjoy doing! So what are the Pros and Cons of Baking?

Pros of Baking

1. Baking is a way to express yourself. Are you a Pinterest perfectionist or have the talents of your grandma? (I guess that depends on how well your grandma bakes. Haha) It is totally up to you how your work of art will turn out!
2. You can spend as much or little time creating a masterpiece. Have you seen birthday cakes that are out of this world beautiful? Or there is the basic frost-the-box cake with some Pillsbury Frosting, and throw the birthday candles on it. Both are baking, and you are the baker deciding which to whip up.
3. There might be a million types of bread to try and make. You will never run out of new bread to bake. You can add cinnamon or garlic to your loaf. Or you can coat the bread with water, egg whites, or oil before putting it in the oven. I am not joking when I said there are a million different loaves of bread you can bake.
4. Baking is something you can use every day. I am grateful for the hours I spent watching my mom bake! It taught me a lot, even though I didn't think I would benefit from it. Now I bake something almost every day. I will never regret the hours it took to learn how to perfect baking.
5. You save a ton of money! A dozen cookies at Walmart can cost you $5 or more. To make a dozen cookies at home, you might spend a dollar.
6. You can easily make money with your hobby! If you find your baking knack, people will pay good money. There are a ton of bakers that sell their famous cinnamon rolls, pumpkin bread, or whole wheat bread for big bucks. (To find out how much it costs to make your bread check out our other blogs).
7. It is a time to come together. Our four-year-old begs for my husband to bake so that she can spend time with him and learn.
8. Baking is a great date night activity! Who can make and decorate cupcakes the best? Blindfolded brownies are always fun when only one of you can see, and the other has to make them. Or you can ding dong ditching freshly baked cookies to friends. Baking and dating go hand in hand.
9. You are learning about different cultures as you learn how to bake. From begets to naan bread, it may feel like you have traveled to other countries as you understand how people around the world prepare their food.

Cons of Baking

1. There are so many rules! Unlike cooking, baking has strict measurements that have to be followed! An extra half a cup of flour can turn perfect cookies into rocks in your stomach. 
2. Baked goods are either mouth-watering or depressing. There are many ways to mess up your pancakes but only one way to get it perfect. Good luck finding the "perfect" way! 
3. How many different flours are there for baking? Bread flour, cake flour, wheat four, or all-purpose flour the list goes on and on. You can use all-purpose flour for your baked goods, but they won't turn out as well. 
4. Rising bread takes a lot of time! The actual act of making bread doesn't take very long, maybe 15-20 minutes. But when you think about the rising process, you add an hour or two. This might not be a problem, but if you over or under proof the dough. Your bread will not turn out.
5. Allergies are real! Are you gluten-free? Baking becomes a little more difficult and expensive when allergies are involved. 
6. Baked goods are often not "Fat-Free". In other words, you may become chubby while learning how to make your favorite baked goods!

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." - Pros and Cons Team

Written by: Sarah