How to Bake: 3 Tips!

HOW DO YOU BAKE?
I get asked "How do you bake?" fairly often. Like all respected crafts, it takes patience, time, and practice. When you first started to read, did you start with Dan Brown novels? No, you started with the basics: short stories and chapter books. Little, baby steps is the key.
I will recommend to bake what you like, similar to cooking. If you love cookies, start baking cookies. If you hate brownies, do not attempt to make brownies. Here are 3 easy tips to becoming a successful baker:
1 - RESEARCH: Watch the Food Network, read pastry magazines (yes, there are magazines dedicated to pasrty arts), ask people for their favorite recipes, and look up popular food blogs! A friend asked me to show her how to bake gluten-free baked goods. I was happy to show her how to one sunny Saturday morning. People love to share their baking skills. The more you know, the more you will gain!
2 - FAIL: Yes, please make mistakes! That is the only way we learn. So what if your chocolate chip cookies burn, cupcakes taste bland, or the french loaf comes out hard as a rock. When I first started baking gluten-free baked goods, many items came out bland and flavorless, yet I kept on baking and experimenting. If you fell down while walking, wouldn't you get right back up?
3 - START BAKING: You can read how to ride a bike but you'll never know how to unless you actually get on the bike and start riding, the same is true with baking. Start small: bake one item every week. It could be cookies for your neighbor, a cherry pie for a friend's BBQ, or brownies for your niece's bake sale. Do not be afraid to bake items from scratch and NOT from a box! Learning is half the battle.
Please feel free to ask me any baking problems you are having! Happy Baking,
Kimm