If an oozing lava cake or a gooey macaroon makes you want to pick up the spatula and head to the kitchen, baking or patisserie is the profession you should choose. Often considered therapeutic, satisfying and soothing, a profession like baking is chosen out of passion and interest. A combination of art and science, measurement and creativity, mixing and innovation, baking as a profession requires the individual to be well-versed in international tastes in order to satisfy the customers’ demands.
Cakes and cupcakes are the most familiar ideas in baking.
Sharmistha, a Baking Science and Patisserie Arts student, believes that it is important to know the science behind the usage of ingredients, as each one plays an important role in the process of baking.
According to Nayantara, a student of Le Cordon Bleu, “A course in baking will definitely give you a new perspective. I learnt a lot about the flavours, techniques, ingredients, textures and the organisation with which you work in a kitchen. I don’t think I would have learnt these had I just stayed at home and baked.”
Whipping, folding, tempering and caramelising are just a few of the many techniques you need to master to be a brilliant baker. Though new media and simpler approaches have made it seem like an easy task, mastering the work requires plenty of practice. Nowadays most people learn these techniques by trial and error, but baking as a profession also requires a level of skill, finesse, expertise and proficiency. Nayantara feels that doing a course in baking is an easier and simpler way to learn all the different techniques involved in the field.
Despite being one of the oldest professions of the world, baking in India is still not considered a serious profession, compared to several others. Breaking the misconception that baking and hotel management are similar, Sharmistha says, “A specialised course in baking is very different in comparison to hotel management where one has to practise other skills like management, accounting and housekeeping.” A course in baking or patisserie will only relate to desserts, confectionary, chocolates and sugar work.
Another patisserie student, Samyukta says, “Hotel management is for people who wish to take up any role in the hotel, while a baking or patisserie course is mostly confined to the kitchen.” Apart from this, it is necessary to remember the difference that lies between true love for the art and not getting carried away by fascination towards the profession.
Some study avenues International Institute of Culinary Arts, New Delhi; Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa; Asscom Institute of Bakery Technology and Management, Noida; Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts, Bengaluru, are some of the colleges that offer programmes in baking and confectionery.
And just in case you want to skip all the hassle of doing a course and still want to pursue a career in baking, home baking is always an option.
Despite being a professional baker, Nayantara agrees that baking is all about understanding the taste, flavour and having inclination towards the profession. At the end of the day, it is truly all about ability, artistry and knowing the right ways to make a sugar-lover happy.
