Bake On

By Michael Caruso

The pandemic reintroduced many of us to our kitchens.  In the very early days, after common household goods disappeared from stores, dried pasta and canned food were snatched up, leaving shelves bare. Next to go missing was flour and yeast, as millions made their own bread—particularly sourdough.  

And when we couldn't find anything worth streaming, many of us turned to The Great British Baking Show. What was more calming during a plague than watching the contestants bake a Battenberg Cake or make a Sussex Pond Pudding?

This past week two stories were in the news that concerned baking—one nostalgic and the other affirming. 

Growing up in New York, a reliable staple of our kitchen table was the see-through Entenmann's Bakery box, usually the classic crumb cake. Charles Entenmann—who took his family's Long Island bakery business national—passed away recently here in Miami. Although not as fancy as a madeleine, the Entenmann's crumb cake is a reliable memory trigger for many of us who grew up in that part of the country. 

The other baking news is the global effort on behalf of Ukrainian refugees—known as "Bake for Ukraine." And there is a particularly apt effort called Hamantashen for Ukraine. Hamantashen are a symbolic cookie for next week's Purim holiday—a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. If you follow the link, you'll find both national and local bakeries where you can get delicious treats and help those in need.

Bake on.