National Bake Day
Observed
annually on December 23rd (since 2010)
Dates
Tags
Food & Drink
Hobbies & Activities
Hashtags
Sources
Baking is celebrated today with National Bake Day! Baking is a type of cooking that uses dry heat, usually from an oven. Heat travels from the outside to the center of whatever is being baked, cooking and transforming it. Any type of food can be baked, with bread being the most common baked food. Bread, along with cakes, cookies, pies, quiches, and other similar foods fall under the category of baked goods. They are made with water, leavening agents, and flour or meal from grain. Sugar, shortening, salt, eggs, and milk are also regularly used in making them. Meats like ham, chicken, fish, and meatloaf are also frequently baked. Pasta dishes, potatoes, and pizzas are some other foods that can be baked.
Baking is done at home, by bakers in bakeries and restaurants, and by machines in large factories. It is believed to be the oldest cooking method, first being done by mashing together wild grass grains with water and cooking the mixture on hot rocks to make a type of flatbread. Bread baking and the use of ovens were part of baking in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, and pastry chefs gained prestige and were in high demand in the Roman Empire. Baking then spread throughout Europe and the eastern part of Asia. Afterward, London and Paris became baking centers. Early on people baked for themselves, with commercial baking industries coming later.
How to Observe National Bake Day
Do some baking! Perhaps you have some secret family recipes you could bake from, but if not, plenty of recipes can be found online, or you could pick up a recipe book such as The King Arthur Baking Company's All-Purpose Baker's Companion. There even is a National Bake Day cookbook you could get!