Thinking Creatively in the Kitchen
One of my favorite things about baking is the creative freedom it allows for. I love sitting down and thinking about what I can try out next, or how to marry the conventional with the unique. I’ve always wanted every single pie that has come out of my kitchen to have some little spin on it that makes it my own. Mostly because it helps me feel connected to my own work, and makes it easily identifiable by others.
Being creative with my baking is almost like a reflex these days. It might not always work out, but it is just the way I have trained my brain to operate. Always thinking about what could be… How to make it come to be.. And what the reality of it will actually be.
I feel like creativity in baking is something people tend to be a little bit afraid of, mostly because baking can be so very specific. Everything seems to be rules and exact measurements and time management. It hardly seems to leave the door open for fun and creativity. But where baking can be a little uptight with its processes, there is still so much fun and outside of the box thinking to be found.
Today, I want to walk you through some of the ways to hone your creativity in the kitchen, whether you're baking a pie or whipping up some cookies. Creativity allows for so much freedom in baking, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t processes you can follow to help you tap into that creative well and start coming up with unique baked goods that feel all your own.
Identifying The Basic Elements of Your Baked Goods
Whether it’s a cake, or some brownies, each baked good has specific building blocks that come together to create the whole.
For pie, you have crust, fillings, and toppings. For cookies, you have textures, inclusions, and sizes to look at. In brownies, it’s shape, texture, and that classic crackly top.
In all baked goods, there are components that cannot be taken away or modified too heavily without risking the integrity of the final outcome. The beginning of creativity is knowing which components to leave alone, or how far each component can be taken before it becomes something else entirely (or completely falls apart).
So, before you start trying to add a creative element to your baked goods, make sure you know them upside down and sideways in their original form first. This simply helps you know what boundaries to stay inside of, and which ones can be pushed. Because learning to be creative in the kitchen requires the ability to push the boundaries and to do it well.
Allow Yourself To Be Inspired
Inspiration is the spark that ignites creativity. It’s the little butterflies in your stomach that get you excited to get into the kitchen and try something that may seem completely crazy to everyone else. It’s the driving force.
If you want to start getting creative in the kitchen, do your best to figure out what inspires you.
Some great things to look at for inspiration are: the seasons, family traditions, holidays, other dessert categories, food blogs, etc!
For example, there is a pie in my digital cookbook called “Pistachio Praline Pie”, that was heavily inspired by the summers that I spent with my Great Grandma Ruby while my parents were at work. The first thing she taught me to make on my own as a kid was instant pistachio pudding. When I opened the pie shop, I knew I wanted to create a pie that paid homage to those days, and thus, the Pistachio Praline Pie was born!
You can’t get creative until you figure out what inspires you. Once you find it, it’s hard to get away.
Test, Test, and Test Some More!
When it comes to trying to put creative spins on classic recipes, don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t come out right the first time. That’s what the testing phase is all about!
When you’re wandering through uncharted territory, there are bound to be some bumps along the way. The best way to start out is by doing a small batch practice run for yourself so you can begin troubleshooting what didn’t quite meet your expectations. No need to make a big batch when you don’t even know if it’s going to turn out or not. Better to stick with a small batch and take some notes on what could be improved to your own personal liking.
Once you have met the standards that you set for yourself, it’s a perfect time to start sharing your creations with family and friends to get some constructive criticism. (Remember, other people don’t necessarily get to call the shots on how you proceed from here, but it is good to hear how your recipe has been perceived outside of yourself. Try not to get too discouraged if the feedback is mostly negative! Just take their opinions into consideration and decide how you want to move forward from there.)
It’s important to know that getting creative in the kitchen should be fun! If you find yourself feeling bogged down or defeated, feel free to just take a step back and start making some things you know you enjoy. It’s perfectly okay to feel out the process as you go!
Get Decorative
Of course, when it comes to baking, flavors and fillings are only part of the equation! If you find yourself feeling less drawn to unique flavors and more drawn to styling, there is always creative room on the exterior of your baked goods! There are so many unique things you can do to make your baked goods beautiful and decorative. If you don’t want to get creative on the inside, you can get creative outside.
For things like pies and tarts, you can come up with intricate and unique crust work. For cakes and cupcakes, it’s all in how you pipe the frosting and topping. If you find yourself getting intimidated by the thought of pairing your own flavors and textures, get as creative as you want in the overall design of your items.
In the end, creativity in the kitchen only goes as far as you want it to go. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to stick to the classics and the things you know best. There is enough fun to be had for all. But, for those of you who are itching to start developing your own recipes, you’re gonna want to stick around for the next few weeks, because I am going to be covering all of the elements involved in starting to create recipes all on your own!
And if you’re looking for more inspiration and tips, don’t forget to check out my digital cookbook full of tried-and-true recipes and techniques!
With love,
Your Baker, Hannah