Quarantine Baking: Sweet and Savory Recipes I’m Making Now

Let’s chat: have you been quarantine baking? Grocery stores have run out of flour, sugar, yeast — it started with paper goods and has somehow evolved into everyone sitting in their homes full of TP and deciding that the next big thing is sourdough bread. But, not just any sourdough bread: sourdough bread made with hours and hours of labor.

I mentioned this to my mom and she was like, “Is there a bread shortage?!” 

WHY HAS QUARANTINE BAKING BECOME A THING?

But, why has quarantine baking becoming a thing? My guess is that we’re all sitting around with a lot more time on our hands on the weekend and baking is something that gives us a productive start, middle, and end to occupy a few hours on a Saturday.

It’s nostalgic, it’s comforting, and, even for those of us who absolutely dread the precise measurements that baking requires, it’s certainly a distraction from the news. Now, I’m not going to get into that sourdough starter life — I don’t have the patience — but, that doesn’t mean I haven’t started to dabble in the world of sweet and savory baked goods.

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WHAT I’VE BAKED DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING MONTH ONE

Okay, so here’s the rundown of all the baked goods I’ve made during Social Distancing, Month One. The hands-down winner has been the No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls, so I actually have an entire blog post planned for those.

But, here’s the lowdown on each recipe and which I’d recommend v. which I’d skip.

Sour Cream Biscuits: These were delicious! I had some sour cream to use up and, while I’d typically use it to make pancakes, I decided to take on something different. I also made a sausage gravy to go with them and it was the perfect Saturday morning brunch.

4-Ingredient Almond Coconut Cookies: I made these during Passover from an Eating Bird Food recipe and they’re definitely good for “healthy” cookies, but don’t turn to them for something indulgent. They’re super easy and Adam was a fan. These are what I’m making in this photo!

No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls: OMG. So good. We didn’t have yeast, so I was glad to find a recipe that didn’t require it. I’m not usually great at baked goods that require precision in terms of rolling out and cutting, but these came together beautifully. I might try a glaze next time because I’m not a huge fan of cream cheese icing but, if you are, you’ll be licking the bowl.

Classic Scones: I love that this recipe is a master recipe from which you can springboard off and develop your own creations! I added pecans, which went perfectly with a pecan butter I had on hand. These are slightly sweet and melt in your mouth.

Banana Soufflé: My friend Whitney sent me this recipe when I said I had some bananas to use up and I figured I’d give it a whirl as an alternative to banana bread. One of my soufflés rose up high — the other didn’t and I have no idea why because they came from the same exact batch. We smothered these with whipped cream and, while they weren’t picture-perfect, they tasted good.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars: I’d had this recipe bookmarked since 2007, but never made it. Well, now I can say I’ll likely make it again and again. But, next time, I’d make it in a bigger pan for a thinner bar and use a higher ratio of jelly to peanut butter. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it doesn’t get better.

Easy Pancakes: I’ve always said, throw out the Bisquik and make your own pancakes. They’re so easy and you can add all sorts of mix-ins. I’ve used up banana, sour cream, ricotta, etc.

So, what have y’all been baking? Any ideas on easy recipes for a novice baker like myself?