Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to develop a signature bake master a
Speaker 1: recipe you love to share with the people you love,
Speaker 1: and you will warm hearts and tummies this winter. Plus,
Speaker 1: you will never have to think about what to bring
Speaker 1: to a party. If you are a fan of the
Speaker 1: TV show The Great British Bake Off, you may be
Speaker 1: familiar with the concept of a signature bake. Every episode,
Speaker 1: contestants present a signature bake, a tried and tested recipe
Speaker 1: that reveals their personality. It's usually something that they make
Speaker 1: regularly for family and friends. Now, to be sure, the
Speaker 1: recipes that baking show contestants would make for family and
Speaker 1: friends tend to be a bit more complicated than the
Speaker 1: recipes most of us would make, but the concept is
Speaker 1: still relevant. It can be fun to develop a signature bake,
Speaker 1: a treat you can whip up for the people you
Speaker 1: love with joy and a plum. Perhaps this winter, when
Speaker 1: people tend to spend more time inside and especially in
Speaker 1: the kitchen, it could be a great time to develop
Speaker 1: a signature bake just for fun. It could be something
Speaker 1: simple like chocolate chip cookies, or maybe something a little
Speaker 1: bit more advanced involving meringue. It could be an old
Speaker 1: family recipe or a recipe that you found and developed yourself.
Speaker 1: Once you've decided on your signature bake that it's time
Speaker 1: to work on perfecting it. First, master the recipe as
Speaker 1: it is written. Then, once you can reliably produce the
Speaker 1: recipe as is consider whether there are tweaks that could
Speaker 1: make it even more delicious. Some people swear by a
Speaker 1: little extra salt as this secret ingredient and chocolate chip cookies,
Speaker 1: what about adding some cinnamon or chili powder to your brownies?
Speaker 1: Do you prefer your pound cake buttery or a bit lighter?
Speaker 1: Get your friends, family, and neighbors involved as tasters. Experiment
Speaker 1: with your treat until you get it just the way
Speaker 1: you prefer it. Then document your perfected recipe for future use.
Speaker 1: Keep baking, and eventually you will internalize the recipe so
Speaker 1: that you will progress fluently and confidently through the recipe
Speaker 1: every time. But even if you don't get to the
Speaker 1: master level, you will still probably build your skills and
Speaker 1: confidence with the recipe. When you need to take a
Speaker 1: sweet to a gathering. It's nice to know that you've
Speaker 1: got this covered. You can bake something that you know
Speaker 1: your friends will enjoy. Personally, I've been figuring out more
Speaker 1: dairy free baking as I experiment with butter substitutes. My
Speaker 1: next goal is figuring out how to do cupcakes with
Speaker 1: butter cream like frosting. It's not gonna be easy, but
Speaker 1: my goal is a treat I love just as much
Speaker 1: as the ones from the bakery. What about you? If
Speaker 1: you develop a signature bake, I'd love to hear about it.
Speaker 1: You can reach me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod
Speaker 1: that's b E the number four then breakfast p O D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look
Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from My heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.