Baking. Or Not

I think baking is over-rated.  While I enjoy the results, it's just not in my skillset to bake.  Take banana bread.   I had the overripe bananas. I couldn't throw them out (my father would be watching). I thought, "Why not?"  I dug out a recipe I've had for 30 years.  Seemed simple enough. 

Right away there was a problem for me.  "Cream the sugar and butter."  Cream it?  CREAM it when there's no cream?  

Then it said "1/2 tsp soda" and I knew this wasn't real soda but baking soda and that brought me back to something I've always wanted to know — what IS the difference between baking soda and baking powder?  Baking soda is everywhere — down the drain mixed with white vinegar, in the frig to absorb odors, added to the laundry, mixed with lemon to scrub copper pots — but baking powder?  What is that ever used for?

Next the recipe said "beat well" but not HOW. Does it mean beat with an electric mixer or beat well by hand?  Cause when you hear people who are bakers talk about baking, they (I have a lot of friends who ARE bakers) always mention over-beating OR under-beating making it too leaden or not light enough. I mean which is it?  It never said.  It just said "beat well." So I did.

Two cups of flour.  Should be a piece of cake except that there are so many kinds of flour!  TOO many kinds of flour.  
Self-rising, pure, stone-ground, better-for-bread, cake, and more and more.  It's overwhelming.  It's almost ridiculous.  But still — I wasn't prepared for the royalty of all flours — King Arthur.

SELF-RISING

UNBLEACHED BREAD

ALL-PURPOSE

WHITE WHOLE WHEAT

   

And these flours are not to be confused with...

EUROPEAN STYLE

DURUM

   

   PERFECT PASTRY

FIRST CLEAR  ?

I mean really — why would a person need all these flours?

QUEEN GUINEVERE

    

Because according to King Arthur —  flour matters ... and clearly to many people it DOES.  

Well, with or without durum, first clear, King OR Queen (and truthfully, I didn't even sift), my banana bread couldn't have been all that bad because after two days — this is what's left.

Still, I think my baking days are behind me.