Over the past year and a half, many people have spent more time at home than usual. Combine that time with restaurant closures and seating limits, and it’s become necessary to prepare more at-home meals each week. Out of this necessity has come a renewed interest in creativity when it comes to preparing meals and baking at home. Several baking trends have emerged as front-runners in 2021.
Nostalgia – A Nod to Traditional Treats
Moon pies, half-moon cookies, and reimagined toaster pastries are gaining popularity in the baking world. Retro recipes are making a comeback, too, like tomato soup cake and other ration recipes from the World War 2 era and 50’s.
Aesthetics – Make it Pretty
The prettier, the better. Pretty colors of frosting, edible flowers, intricate patterns, and sprinkles are making baked goods almost too pretty to eat. Desserts and breads are painted, sculptured, shaped and made panoramic. There are even focaccia artworks, where different herbs and veggies are used to create a “painting” in focaccia bread. Yum!
Add Herbs – And Kick it up a Notch
Herbs are another popular trend, but not just for decorating. Pairing rosemary with strawberry, mint with lemon, basil with watermelon, and other combinations are very popular. Adding herbs to breads, cakes and pies gives them complex, intricate flavor profiles. It’s taking baking to a whole new level and is a growing trend in baking right now.
Sweet and Salty, Spicy or Savory…
Salted caramel and salted chocolate are not new, but they are still trending strongly. Adding salt to your sweets can both balance and intensify the sweet flavors. Feeling a little adventurous? Add subtle spicy heat to your sweet treat and it’s more delectable to eat. Salty, spicy and savory additions to sweet treats are here to stay!
Nutritious AND Delicious
Baking health-conscious ingredients into your cakes, breads, and cookies is a trend that’s still on the rise in 2021. As more consumers go dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, etc., nutritient-rich alternatives to traditional ingredients continue to pop up on more and more baked goods. You’ll see items like flax and chia seeds, cacao, coconut oil, and cassava flour on the shelves and in recipes. Baking with organic veggies, like sweet potato, beets, or protein-rich chickpeas or tofu, are other options to add nutritional value to your baking.
Fresh Homemade Bread
We’ve mentioned focaccia art, but sourdough and other types of homemade breads really ballooned during the pandemic months as well. So much so that it was difficult to find yeast on grocery store shelves! Now, folks are adding a variety of spices to their recipes, braiding them, carving tops and generally perfecting the art of the flawless loaf. In keeping with the nutrition-mindful trend above, many are experimenting with alternate flours: almond, cassava, barley and others. If you haven’t made bread, there are a host of quick bread recipes and traditional favorites you can try.
We enjoy keeping an eye on emerging and growing trends in baking for pros and for at-home bakers. Stop by our bakery in Jacksonville to see what we’ve got ready for you. And post pictures of your home baked creations on Facebook or Instagram.
We’d love to see your trendsetting home bakes!