Self-Taught Homework #11: You rediscover efficient mania & bake 4 desserts in 7 hours

You spend a full Tuesday prepping and baking for a bachelorette in the false idea of being generous and having a clear direction.

In anticipation of disappearing from your regularly scheduled life for a bachelorette on Thursday, you bake cheesecake bars, apple turnovers, individual soufflés, two layers of chocolate cake in a seven-hour stretch on Tuesday.

Thank goodness you did. Your Sunday hangover after the six hours in the car dissolves your thoughts as soon as you formulate them. You lost your credit card, your glasses. Even taking a bath and narrowing down a dinner option drains your brain. Any time you have to bend to pick something up, your headache blooms.

Where cooking is an improvised trial, baking is precise. It’s a different mental muscle. Throw cumin in a chili, and the smell changes the kitchen, and you can immediately dip your spoon into the pot to taste the transformation.

With baking, you can’t (or aren’t supposed to) consume the raw ingredients. Outside of taste, the balance is required for the chemical metamorphosis from batter to baked good. An extra pinch of salt impacts the chemistry. An eg…