Why Saturday is the best day to bake
Saturdays are the perfect day to get your culinary juices flowing. Find out why - and what it is best to bake!
For me, baking and Saturdays go hand-in-hand. In fact, I love baking on Saturdays so much that I write a blog called the Saturday Baking Challenge. And it’s not just me who feels this way.
There’s the BBC series Saturday Kitchen and entire cookbooks
What’s so great about Saturday baking?
For me, it’s the feeling that freedom is going to stretch for longer than the sorry 48 hours the weekend actually comprises. On Sunday you have to go to work tomorrow, on Friday night you’ve been at work all day. Saturday is the blissful eye of the storm with nothing either side of it but lie-ins, questionable TV and, of course, baking.
Do you agree? Let us know using the comments box below!
My perfect Saturday
My perfect Saturday starts with the pre-planned thought of what I’m going to bake, or at least something that can be whipped up from ingredients I already have. I don’t relish a Saturday morning trip to the shops – I like to prolong pyjama wearing for as long as respectably possible.
Next, and this very rarely happens, my kitchen is spotlessly clean so I can just dive right in. Now, I really hope I’m not the only one guilty of this next bit, but I like to prepare all the ingredients in little bowls so that I can pretend I’m a TV chef as I’m plonking everything into the mixing bowl. (Just me? OK then.)
If I lived in a Disney film, there’d be chirruping birds outside on rolling green hills accompanied by glorious sunshine. And my bakes would always come out practically perfect in every way.
In reality, this is not always the case, but that’s another beauty of a Saturday bake. You’ve got time to put it right, or in extreme cases, start over. You just don’t have that luxury at 9pm on a Tuesday when you remember that you’ve promised to bake something for a colleague’s birthday or other such inconvenience (and of course the high pressure stakes inevitably do lead to mistakes).
In short, Saturday baking means relaxed baking. Plus, there’s a smug satisfaction when you manage to achieve something as highly momentous as baking a cake before midday (ok, more like 2pm then if we’re being honest).
Top recipes to bake this Saturday
Eric Lanlard's hot chocolate fondant is the perfect thing to bake on a Saturday morning before having a few friends round for dinner. Foolproof but with the guaranteed wow factor.
Fantastic for a relaxed Saturday afternoon tea, you can quickly whip up this pumpkin gingerbread with a cinnamon drizzle in the morning before tucking in later in the day – or for elevenses if you just can’t wait.
Henry Dimbleby’s Saturday pancakes are perfect for lazy Saturday mornings when the whole weekend seems to stretch on forever – even better if you can stay in bed and get someone else to cook them for you.
If you’re lucky enough to own an orchard like Josceline Dimbleby, you could spend Saturday morning picking blackberries and Saturday afternoon baking them into this delicious blackberry cottage tart – your local supermarket will do if not.
What will you be making this Saturday? Use the comments box to let us know!
Are you a keen amateur baker? Are you passionate about your hobby? Can you turn out a an exceptional celebration cake, mouth-watering pastries or a great loaf of bread? Do you fancy putting your skills to the test?
BBC Two is looking for amateur bakers across the country to take part in The Great British Bake Off series two. If you’re interested and would like to find out more, email baking@loveproductions.co.uk or call 020 7067 4876.
Also worth your attention:
Recipe – Upside-down pear and cardamom tart
*Photo by Amy Davies
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature