Joy in Baking
I come from a line of great cooks and bakers. I love walking into a house and smelling something baking. It makes the place feel warm and inviting. In my teenage years, I wasn’t much of a baker. I would have rather been the taste-tester, especially if it was a dessert. But, over time, I decided I wanted to learn more about baking. If there was a potluck at church or a family reunion, I knew I could follow a recipe well enough to bring a dessert.
As I have gotten older and learned how to bake more, I’ve discovered that I like to experiment and have fun with the presentation, too. Overall, I find the key to baking is that your food is edible, it looks good (presentation can sometimes make or break whether someone will try your food) and it puts a smile on a person’s face. Think about it…most of the time when you have a favorite memory, such as a childhood memory, food will be more than likely involved in it.
My maternal grandmother was almost always in the kitchen, whether cooking, baking or working the newspaper crossword puzzle or cryptogram. I didn’t pay enough attention to her techniques when it comes to baking; I didn’t ask enough questions. However, my grandma’s legacy does continue on. She had four daughters and she taught them well and, in turn, those four daughters have passed on their knowledge to us granddaughters.
Becoming a Baker
When I was in high school, I wanted to either be an accountant or an English teacher. I loved to read and write and I really enjoyed my English classes and had a great teacher. I also felt very drawn to math and thought I would enjoy working with numbers. When I had to declare a major in college, I took the path towards English. It was during my sophomore year of college that I started working at a bank and my love of numbers came back. Somewhere in the beginning of my junior year, I changed majors and decided to go the business administration route.
Since I graduated from college, I have learned about and worked with loans, crop insurance, plat books, hog barns and planning parties and dinners. The job I have now is working as a baker in a local bakery. I never thought, after working behind a desk at full-time jobs for years, that I would eventually be working part-time, on my feet all day in a bakery. And, loving it.
I have learned several tips and tricks working at a bakery; but, more than that, there’s a creativity inside of me that has been waiting to come out. Before working at a bakery, I would bake at home from time to time, but now I find myself wanting to bake more when I get home after already baking all day at work. Why? Because I want to keep experimenting and learning. I think about recipes I have used for years and wonder how I can change them, improve them.
Icing on the Cake
There are several things I like about working in a bakery, but one aspect that sticks out the most is seeing the customers smile when they get baked goods. Hearing them say “Oh, it looks great!” when they arrive to pick up a special ordered llama cake. When the bakery case has so many options that they don’t know what to choose so they take one of everything. The holidays can be stressful for a bakery, but then a teacher comes in and says they wanted to stop and get some treats for their students…it makes it all worth it. Seeing the customer smile and walk away happy with their bakery item? Well, that’s icing on the cake!
*Author’s note: The Bakery is located in Radcliffe, Iowa and is owned and operated by Martin and Angela Steiner. Find them on Facebook at The Bakery by Glory Cakes or on Instagram @thebakeryiowa.
