Those who bake, what's your motivation for doing it?

[JoshandJamie]

Am having a bit of a philosophical debate with a friend about why mums bake. So can you tell me why you do home baking?

Here are some suggestions but want to know which is your main reason - or perhaps it's something else altogether:

• it's a fun thing to do with the kids
• it tastes better than store bought stuff
• you know what's in it
• because of the memories it conjures up - like when you were a kid and got to lick the spoon
• because it makes you feel just a bit like a domestic goddess
• because your mum taught you how to bake and now you want to pass that onto your kids

Other reasons??

Had to teach myself and it was in general a challenge to myself to prove I can do it. I bake only about twice a week. Started because I needed to get veggies into ds and the only successful way has been through muffins.

It feels cosy and homey and smells nice.

No additives - healthier for them and (I fantasise) less fattening for me.

It is cheaper and nicer than store bought stuff, generally, and I enjoy it.

I bake simply and solely because I love eating cake

Because it's homely and motherly and makes the house smelly nice.

J and J I am fairly surprised that you didnt mention the cost in your original post.
Price and cost has ruled my life all my life, and affects every decision I make.
High quality baked goods cost more than making them at home.

You know what's in it.

You can use non-aluminium baking powder.

You can put in seeds and grains and stuff like that.

You can sweeten with apples and fruit instead of sugar and you can use unrefined sugar and proper butter.

It's healthier all round and it means the children can eat as much as they want and you don't have to worry.

and Overmydeadbody's.. the smelly nice and the doing it.

Because it is comforting (both baking it and eating something homebaked)
Because it is not packed full of preservatives and stabilisers and other stuff commonly found in shop bought cakes with a 3 week use by date
Because I can hide things like mushed banana and grated appled into a 'raisin' cake
Because it is cheaper

And because I love cake!

i don't like sugar much so i can cut half of it out.

mainly i make bread though, because i think shop bread is revolting and cannot afford properly made stuff.

non aluminium baking powder -

Nothing nicer than baking and then the kids coming in from playing outside and saying the house smells nice and asking for your spoils!

Gives me pleasure to bake and seeing everyone enjoy what I have made.

Partly because dd (2) enjoys it.

Partly because I have an arbitrary self-imposed rule to keep me thin that I am only allowed to eat cakey things if they are absolutely top-quality with no evil transfats or additives, so I either have to buy them somewhere posh or make them myself.

I have a strange notion that if I make it then I burn off some of the calories am about to ingest but eating it

anyone?

NO

just me then

For me it just makes me feel good. The bits about it being cheaper, better for you all that - they're part of it but not the main reason. it's the comforting, nostalgic part that really makes me want to do it. Hard to describe it really

because it's satisfying, easy if you pick the right recipe, and i get to lick out the bowl.

• Because it tastes nicer than shop bought cakes.
• DD loves baking, something we can do together, she gets a great sense of achievement.
• I know what goes into it.
• Cheaper.
• Makes me feel like a mum
• Have something healthier to offer them when they want to reach for sweets.
• Generally because I really enjoy cooking.

I just like cake.
and cookies
and bread
and pancakes
and flapjacks
and muffins

Intrigued by the putting less sugar in and using fruit to sweeten instead - have just started baking biscuits with my girls (because it's a nice thing to do together and i also feel they're eating something healthier than shop bought cakes).

Was a bit shocked by the amount of sugar but am not enough of a domestic goddess to guesstimate how much to reduce it by and the cake to still "work". Would you roughly reduce by half? Or less?

Sorry for hijack!

I find cooking and baking very relaxing.
I like the fact that I can control what goes into the mix eg. my stuff won't have preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup or trans-fats.
Reducing waste - a home-made banana loaf is a brilliant way to use up overripe fruit.

all the above and because of the memories and skills I hope my kids will absorb

I find baking and pottering in the kitchen calming. Its a stress reliver, but in the end you have cake so thats good too!

but I also like to bake to give my creations away and make people.. DH, DS, and friends happy...

food isn't love.. but the love is in the making of it. And the smell while its baking in the oven just makes me smile.. and the batter/dough all over DS's face. I'f I didn't have a jar full of cookies I would be tempted to get the muffin tins out.

For me it's the comfort of making it, I enjoy baking and then eating the cake/biscuits etc with family, feeling like a proper provider of good quality food.

Plus cost, I know what's in it, and variation possiblities.

dizzy i have that view too. in fact i think someone has written a paper attributing part of the rise in obesity to the decline in preparation time of food.