One of the sensations we surely miss is walking along the streets and suddenly getting captivated by the smell that envelops a bakery. Whether it’s from a boulangerie with puff pastries or a panaderia serving piping hot pan de sal at the break of dawn along the neighborhood, no one can resist a bite (or eight) of freshly baked goods.
While we wait to be caught in that moment again, anyone has the capacity to make and even reinvent their favorites with the right tools, a positive mindset, and time to watch crash course videos. Follow these channels to discover the magic that you can make with an oven!
It may be intimidating at first, but persevering beyond frustrations will eventually pay off. The only secret to whipping up delectable breads, cakes, and confections is the willingness to take on challenges and a heart that always chooses to come back for more.
Claire Saffitz x Dessert Person
Claire Saffitz, the woman behind “Dessert Person,” is a New York-based pastry chef who gained a following initially through Bon Appetit for her gourmet interpretations of commercial snacks and sweets such as Krispy Kreme donuts, Cheetos, and Ferrero Rocher.
While stuck in quarantine, Claire started her own channel in the comfort of her apartment kitchen. While her recipes range from easy to “very difficult,” she can soothe your baking jitters, especially if you’re new to it, because she’s one to not hide her mistakes. You’ll see that even professionals still encounter mishaps. She segments her episodes based on the parts of the process, so you’re sure not to get lost along the way.
Claire’s not only a dessert person, but a cat person as well. Spot Maya, her pet, in some of the videos!
Bake It Up a Notch with Erin McDowell
Have you ever dreamed of attending a class in a baking school? If you want a free masterclass, tune into Food52’s Bake It Up A Notch with Erin McDowell, wherein each episode tackles a certain kind of baked good or technique in detail. Erin explains the reason behind every step and ingredient so that even the most novice bakers have a full understanding of all the crucial components of a recipe.
She has a bubbly and bright personality that will keep you glued to your screen for more than an hour! Erin doesn’t scrimp on troubleshooting advice, so you’ll feel as though she’s got your back if anything unexpected happens while you’re in the middle of a baking session.
Foxy Folksy
Foxy Folksy is a blog and YouTube channel run by the husband and wife tandem of Armin and Bebs, who used to be based in Germany. Though far from home years ago, Bebs brought the Philippines with her through her Filipino pastries.
If you need no-frills and quick guides to satisfy your craving for local treats, their videos are for you. There’s no commentary, and every episode lasts for less than five minutes. They work with easy-to-find and economical ingredients, but the results show bakery-style quality.
Chef RV Manabat
Chef RV Manabat simplifies common foreign and Filipino pastries to help you get started on your baking journey. He offers substitutions so that anyone can reproduce his recipes with what they have in the pantry. Aside from techniques that can be mastered after only a few tries, he also stresses the affordability of his creations to cater to those who may want to make a living out of their talent.
With hefty servings of hugots and comedic advice, he gets to keep episodes entertaining yet still full of valuable learnings.
