The Life of a Doughgirl

During my time at the Culinary Institute of America, I earned my Bachelor's degrees in Applied Food Studies and Culinary Arts. The Culinary Arts credits in my degree heavily focused on savory cooking, with classes such as "Introduction to A la Carte Cookery", "Modern Banquets", and "High Volume Cookery". I took hands-on theory classes; we studied and fabricated fish and meat. I studied the cuisines of the Mediterranean, the Americas, and Asia, and while in those classes, I had small opportunities to work with dough, making biscuits, tortillas, and pizza dough. Despite enrolling in the Culinary Arts program, rather than the Baking and Pastry Arts program, one of the classes I most anticipated was our Baking Principles for Culinarians class.

During our three-week baking rotation, we had the opportunity to bake bread, make cookie dough, custards and fillings, work with laminated doughs, decorate cakes, and so much more. We had great informational demonstrations, lectures, and piping homework that developed my skills as a baker, and I even left that class with what I would consider a baking encyclopedia full of essential recipes, but I still wanted more. A majority of the class time was spent referencing our recipes on our phones, and we simply measured the ingredients and did as listed in the method for the recipe. We gained further understanding of some of these recipes through our demos, lectures, and quizzes, but I feel I didn't get as much of a baking experience as I would have wanted to during my time at the Culinary.

I truly struggled when deciding whether to enroll in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry. I had so much interest and passion in both, and still do. Ultimately, I ended up studying savory cooking, and I do not regret that decision for a single second. It has been some time since graduation, and I am ready for a new challenge. It is time to embrace "The Life of a Doughgirl," which is what I am calling my new baking era.

I have gathered books, articles, YouTube videos, documentaries, and resources from the CIA, and I have bothered many Baking and Pastry graduates from the Culinary with all of my questions and curiosities about baking. I want to get my hands on as many techniques, ingredients, and skills as possible. I want to look at pastries and desserts from different countries and cultures and understand the cultural significance of the dishes. I want to learn about ingredient functionality and gain the necessary skills to develop my own recipes. I want to create desserts and pastries that are just as beautiful as they are delicious. And most importantly, I want to take time for ME. I want to dedicate time to studying and practicing something I am passionate about and curious to learn more about.

I would love any and all advice on different places to take this journey, including different resources to dive into, challenging techniques to take on, or amazing bakers and pastry chefs to learn about and look up to. Follow along both here on my blog and on my Instagram to see more of my baking and growth. I look forward to sharing it with you!