Caroline Radhakrishnan, a home baker and a mother of two college going kids, is in love with baking. She recalls her affair with baking and says, “I had to drop my kids to school and wait there to pick them up. A group of mothers became friends and we would end up chatting while waiting to pick up our kids. One day a baker among us invited us home and showed us the basics of baking. That was it. I was just hooked to baking.”
Soon after Caroline returned home and baked her first cake. “It was burnt to the core yet, my family celebrated it. Gradually I started learning the techniques through videos on the net and soon became a pro,” recalls Caroline. “But when my sons got into their teens, they became conscious about what they ate. That is when I started researching on using whole grains for my bakes.”
To cut down on fat and sugar, Caroline started using fruit and vegetable pulp. “Baked goods are not defined as ‘healthy’, but I can say my bakes are healthier,” beams the home baker. The fruit and vegetable pulp help keep the bakes moist, she adds. She mostly uses beetroot, pumpkin and banana pulp.
She is not comfortable making eggless goodies “as one makes so many changes, using eggs is essential for me. They provide a binding and add a lightness in a cake as whole grains can make the end product dense. Even cutting out on butter can make the cake heavy.”
She adds that she does bake eggless cakes and adds in skimmed hung curd but she is “not happy with the results. Yet, I do bake them for those who insist they want it that way.”
Some of the grains that she uses are whole wheat, oats, barley and so on. Caroline says she draws her inspiration through everything around her. “Baking is mood based,” and most of her Eureka moments “happen during the nights, maybe because it is quiet. There were times when I would bake five or six times a day. And there was so much that I had to sell as the family was a bit tired of eating so much,” laughs the baker. And that is how the selling started. She also started baking classes at her home on Mosque Road.
“I teach how one can bake breads, cakes, cookies and desserts. I do not give the recipe, but teach the theory and the science of baking.” Caroline also teaches the science behind each ingredient — the how and why of their use.
The challenges of being a home baker include working through power cuts and competing with the mass produced wares of the neighbourhood bakery, when it comes to pricing. “If you are looking at cake decor and presentation, you will be disappointed. Mine are naked cakes. I do not believe in cake decorations as I will have to use sugar and butter for icing. But I do sometimes use hung curds and minimal sugar. Given a choice I would love to sprinkle nuts and fruits on my cakes as they are full of good health.”
You can read more about Caroline on www.currylines.com or mail her at omiacara@gmail.com
Published - July 04, 2016 03:29 pm IST
