The streak of flour on the counter. The loud whirring of the mixer. The rush of heat from the open oven. Amidst the chaos of my kitchen, I find comfort. 

Throughout senior year, as I’ve grown in the process of preparing myself for college and a career beyond that, one thing about me has stayed consistent: my love for baking.

It seems a bit boring on the surface, and I have nearly 9 months of senior year memories to choose from, yet baking is a standout. It’s especially strange because before last year, I rarely baked, only opening the oven for special occasions.

My baking journey began in earnest in August 2023, when I made banana bread. It was delicious, and at that moment, something clicked in my brain. As I shared the loaf among family and friends and later,  continued to experiment with baking all kinds of sweet treats, I realized that the entire process of baking was a consistently fun, sometimes messy, and utterly joyful experience for me.

Since that first banana bread, I’ve made several more loaves of the same kind. Then came the online recipes, random things that I searched up when I was bored on the weekends. During winter break, I received several baking cookbooks, and that’s when my baking became consistent. Over the past few months, I’ve baked everything from cakes to cookies to loaves. Some of my favorites have been a lemon-poppy seed loaf, blueberry streusel muffins, and honey-brown butter cookies.

Part of my interest in the hobby comes from my allergies—namely, my allergy to eggs, which are essential ingredients in many pastries. Luckily, thanks to the genius of food scientists, there are a handful of common substitutions that have consistently allowed me to bake classic favorites, just with an egg-free, Haven-safe twist. And that’s part of the adventure! I’ve found, for example, that adding applesauce to pumpkin cookies instead of eggs creates a wonderfully chewy texture, while whipped aquafaba can be made into rich frostings. Instead of resigning myself to missing out on store-bought or restaurant-made pastries, which often have eggs, I can experiment at home and bake them for myself.

Of course, I’ve had many failed baking projects: loaves collapsing in the middle, too-crunchy cookies, and — memorably — a disastrous brownie experiment that forced me and my friends to scrape brownie batter off the oven afterward (somehow, the brownies still tasted good!) These mishaps have rarely discouraged me, though. It’s all part of the process. While I wouldn’t say I’m an endless spring of positivity when I’m baking, I know that I can learn from every mistake I make, whether it be forgetting to preheat the oven or spilling sugar all across the counter.

Even with its ups and downs, baking has been a comforting constant throughout my senior year. Out of everything I’ve discovered about myself and about the world around me as a senior, baking is one of the things I’m most grateful for. Finding a hobby that’s just for me and is not connected to academics or stress, has been a joy. 

I may not be a professional pastry chef or even someone who is consistently great at baking. But, as they say, practice makes perfect. I know that with my oven at home, and the communal kitchen I’ll be using come August, I’ll be baking my heart out and making new foods as often as I can.