If you’re stuck at home with little or nothing to do due to our present circumstances, then allow us to introduce you to what’s trending all over social media—distractibaking.
Many of us have more time on our hands than usual. And it’s the perfect time to start thinking big in terms of baking. If there’s a dessert or special type of bread you’ve been wanting to make but held off because it seemed difficult, now is the time to get adventurous. You’ll find that challenging food-making activities is one way to forget the anxiety or boredom brought about by the quarantine. And, that’s where distractibaking comes in.
We’ve scoured our archives for recipes that take time and effort to make. But believe us when we say that they are so worth it! Also, we’ll be giving you handy baking tips and information all throughout this post to lend you a hand.
Studying for Distractibaking
One advantage of taking on more challenging baking projects is that you need to do some homework. This means researching on unfamiliar baking techniques, ingredients, and of course, recipes.
We’ve put together a list of articles to help you on your way:
A Beginner’s Guide to Baking: Everything You Need to Know – This article covers the basics and then some.
The Art of Substitutes – If you don’t have a particular ingredient or your grocery doesn’t have it in stock, this shows you what you can use instead.
Bake it Easy with These 6 Useful Baking Hacks – These shortcuts will help make things easier. But if you want to do it the old fashioned way, then that’s fine, too!
More Baking Hacks You Can’t Live Without – There’s more!
4 Baking Techniques Every Baker Should Learn – Creaming, rubbing, whisking, and melting—if any or all of these draw blanks, then you need to read this post.
6 Quick Tips Every Baker Should Know – These cover everything from cookies to bread to pies and the tools you need.
4 Oven Tips and Tricks – Let’s focus on that all important appliance.
Cake Decorating State of Mind – You’ve baked it yummy. Now it’s time to make it look pretty.
The Icing on the Cake – Learn more about the beautifying aspect of baking.
Now that you have your reading list, it’s time to get your research on! It’s more time well spent away from negative thoughts. They don’t call it distractibaking for nothing. If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, the Internet has plenty of sources that can help.
Distractibaking Recipes from NewGen Baker
1. Chocolate Surprise
Don’t let their size fool you. A closer look at these cute boxes reveals details and a structure that may come as a challenge for newbie bakers. Imagine a delicious chocolate cake with layers of sweet filling, encased in a chocolate shell with ribbons on top.
Deconstructed, this recipe has three components: the cake, filling, and the chocolate ganache. If you’re wondering what ganache is, it’s a combination of chocolate and heavy cream. Depending on the ratio of cream to chocolate, this can serve as a glaze, harden when placed in the refrigerator, and be the filling in a decadent truffle.
When you’re done, snap up that Insta-worthy shot fast because these will be gobbled up before you know it.
2. Hotcake Boards
While some of the ingredients on these food boards don’t need to be baked, you’re in for a lot of preparation and decoration. These are perfect for cocktail parties or brunches. But during quarantine, they’re great for Netflix and pig-out sessions with the fam—don’t forget to wear pajamas!
Fruit and Nut Hotcake Board
This board is full of bite-sized pieces of your favorite fruits and nuts, including kiwi, mango, strawberry, pistachios, almonds, and more. Yes, that means a lot of slicing and dicing. The superstar of this food board are our Ube Cream Cheese Hotcakes. Check out the recipe using Maya pancake mixes.
Breakfast Hotcake Board
This is the mini breakfast buffet to end all breakfast buffets. Aside from fruit, scrambled eggs, deli meats, and of course bacon, mini pancakes and waffles will stuff everybody with satisfaction.
Cocktail Party Hotcake Board
Pancakes aren’t just for breakfast. Mix your favorite sweet and savory toppings together at your next cocktail party. The possibilities are endless!
3. Chelsea Loaf
Breadmaking is one of the more challenging types of baking, especially if you’ve never done it before. That’s because there’s a lot of science (and math) involved. There’s a first for everything, and our Chelsea Loaf is a good recipe to get you started. There are no shortcuts, and you’ll learn the fundamentals of baking bread.
Cherries, orange zest, and currants give it a hint of sweetness.Serve up this loaf of fruity goodness for breakfast, merienda, or as part of a full-course meal.
We hope that this post helps you make the most delicious use of your time at home in the kitchen. Don’t forget to let the kids in on the distractibaking fun, and make sure to share your story in the comments section below.
