Christmas Cookies, Anyone?
I spent all day yesterday baking – banana bread, ginger snaps, cinnamon rolls, powdered sugar walnut cookies, lemon poppyseed pound cake – wow. Add to that the coconut meringue cookies, peanut brittle, and peanut butter cookies I've already made, it’s no wonder I had to take a day off to get it all done.
I still love baking, after all these years. I started baking professionally when I was 16, and it’s just something I still enjoy doing. I ran a bakery for a while, and if the offer came along to do it again, I’d seriously have to consider it. It was lots of hard work, but it was worth it to be in charge – just you and the dough.
Some of my favorite memories from 10 years ago were my early mornings alone in the bakery with the radio blaring, just me and the mixer and rolling pin, fighting the deadline to have stuff out & ready to go when we opened the doors at 6:00 AM. I also remember having the Lovely Mrs. G. come visit me as I baked – she’d pull up a chair, and I’d show off...I mean show her my expert baking skills. I always thought it was cool of her to get up at 4:00 AM and come hang out with me. I really fell in love with her there, during those early mornings of baking and talking.
Baking commercially like that was hectic - and almost break-free. But some mornings I’d stop long enough to watch the sun come up, then it was right back to the croissants or puff pastry or cream cheese danishes. The oven ran for 12 hours a day, nonstop, and burning up the products was highly frowned upon. Yet it was still worth it – when you go look at the full display case, or you’d see someone enjoying the pastries you’d just made, and you’d know that you were responsible for all of it.
So to relive those days – and to satisfy those on my Christmas list who insist on having my baked stuff every year – I worked my tail off yesterday bringing my baking skills back to life. It was great fun, and something I’ll have to do again soon.
One way or another.
I still love baking, after all these years. I started baking professionally when I was 16, and it’s just something I still enjoy doing. I ran a bakery for a while, and if the offer came along to do it again, I’d seriously have to consider it. It was lots of hard work, but it was worth it to be in charge – just you and the dough.
Some of my favorite memories from 10 years ago were my early mornings alone in the bakery with the radio blaring, just me and the mixer and rolling pin, fighting the deadline to have stuff out & ready to go when we opened the doors at 6:00 AM. I also remember having the Lovely Mrs. G. come visit me as I baked – she’d pull up a chair, and I’d show off...I mean show her my expert baking skills. I always thought it was cool of her to get up at 4:00 AM and come hang out with me. I really fell in love with her there, during those early mornings of baking and talking.
Baking commercially like that was hectic - and almost break-free. But some mornings I’d stop long enough to watch the sun come up, then it was right back to the croissants or puff pastry or cream cheese danishes. The oven ran for 12 hours a day, nonstop, and burning up the products was highly frowned upon. Yet it was still worth it – when you go look at the full display case, or you’d see someone enjoying the pastries you’d just made, and you’d know that you were responsible for all of it.
So to relive those days – and to satisfy those on my Christmas list who insist on having my baked stuff every year – I worked my tail off yesterday bringing my baking skills back to life. It was great fun, and something I’ll have to do again soon.
One way or another.
posted by Tommy G at
10:04 AM
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