I like to bake. I think I’m pretty good at it. Those who have tasted my baking say I’m pretty good at it. But, lately I’ve wondering if I’ve lost my baking mojo.
Why do I think that you might be asking? Because my main thing, banana bread, has not been turning out in the same way as in the past. Parts of the middle are not baking through, while the bottom is a little more dense than usual.
I thought leaving in the oven a little longer might help, but then the crust starts to get very dark. I thought weighing the flour, rather than just measuring with a measuring cup, might help; it did, but not much. So, my banana bread still has taste, just not thoroughly done.
It hit me today what the main culprit for my current baking state might be—my oven.
Here in the apartment, the oven is part of a stove, temperature is off I believe, and it does not have a fan to circulate the hot oven air. I firmly believe this last part is what is throwing off my baking.
If I’m to continue baking for the next 25 days in the apartment, I need to make some adjustments. One, get an oven thermometer to check the actual temperature. Two, reduce the heat a little to be able to bake a little longer. And three, put foil over the pan sooner than I’ve been doing to contain the heat, but lower the chance of burning the crust.
Or, I think I may just not bake until I get my new ovens in the new house with the circulating fans. This is probably the best choice since it requires no additional costs, finagling, and has less stress.
The real question is, can I do no baking for 25 days? That is the real challenge as I bake at least once a week if not more at times.
What would you do?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 