Baking as a Mindful Practice

I’ve talked already how baking is my outlet - one of my mindful practices that helps me clear my head and deal with life’s challenges. But why? Mixing stuff in a bowl and baking it doesn’t sound terribly mindful. And it doesn’t have to be. But since I intentionally want my baking to be a mindful practice, there are things I do to really get lost in it. These are my 4 keys to using baking as a mindful practice.

1. Set an Intention

Just like meditation, start your baking mindful practice by setting your intention for the project. Are you looking to clear your mind? Work out some nervous energy? Feel creative and productive? Simply make a delicious treat to share with friends and family? Take a moment before you begin to close your eyes, and either through pictures or words, decide on what you want to get out of this. You can picture the final product or your friends enjoying it. Or tell yourself, “Today, I will quiet the negativity and experience every step of this bake.” Setting your intention and putting it into concrete words and images will get you in the right frame of mind for what is to come.

2. Prepare

In Pastry School, they teach us about Mise en Place - everything in its place. Before I start on any bake - for school or for myself - I use this preparation step so that I can bake without interruption or the constant run to the pantry for an ingredient I forgot. So before you combine, mix, or bake anything, read through the entire recipe, at least twice. Get a good feeling for what you will be doing.

Then get all of your ingredients out, and measure them into separate bowls or containers (some can be combined if it makes sense based on the recipe). Then put away all the bags and containers so all you have in front of you are the premeasured ingredients and tools you need. This way, you simply follow the steps and can experience them, rather than running over to grab a different ingredient and then rummaging for a tablespoon before you can go on to the next step. I have found my baking much more relaxing since I started using this approach.

3. Take Your Time

Allow yourself plenty of time to prepare and bake your product. Rushing through baking will not bring you joy and will likely cause more stress. So the times that you want to use baking as a mindful practice, block out enough time to enjoy the experience.

Part of taking your time is focusing on the experience itself. Its not about the final product you are making, but the entire process of creating it. So you want to allow yourself time to experience each step and fully immerse yourself in it.

4. Use Your Senses

One of the best parts of baking is that you can experience it with all of your senses. Pause while you are creating your bake at each step to examine the consistency, the glossiness, and the color. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. What is the aroma of the mixture right now? As you are mixing, what do you hear? Does the mix slosh around the bowl or is it a stiff dough that you have the beat and bang about?

And then there is the sense of touch. If there is a choice between using your hands or a spoon to mix a dough, always choose your hands. The best example of using the sense of touch in mindful baking is kneading bread. Really focus on what it feels like as you bring the dough together in a shaggy and lumpy mess. Then as you knead and work the dough, feel how it transforms into a smooth and elastic dough. The change in the dough that you create through your own touch is extremely satisfying to watch and feel.

If you use these keys in your next baking project, you will find yourself getting more lost in the process and enjoying the experience. Baking isn’t the only creative outlet that you can use as a mindful practice, all forms of art can give you a similar feeling and benefit. If you enjoy baking, give this a try to get more out of the experience and find a new sense of calm and peace.

What do you enjoy about baking? Let me know in the comments!