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Bengaluru has a number of bakers who aren’t professionally qualified. But they know their ingredients and how to market themselves. Resulting in loyal customers across the city who frequently order from them.
Metrolife got in touch with some home bakers to share their baking journey, along with some interesting tips for those who want to venture into this field.
Vegan baked goods
Chaitali Raizada, the owner of Taantraa Organic Handbaking, excels in vegan baking.
She bakes delicious eggless and gluten-free cakes, she’s also accommodating of her customers’ preferences and allergies.
“When my daughter was born, she didn’t take too kindly to all-purpose flour. So I used to substitute that with the likes of almond flour and jaggery. I soon started to market it and sell it to others. It makes me happy knowing that there are other people out there who want to enjoy vegan products.”
She learnt a few tips and tricks over the years. “I never got professional training, and I believe that’s what makes me my baking bold. I enjoy substituting and experimenting. I’ve learnt that you can always substitute baking ingredients. For example, instead of eggs as a binding ingredient, you can use applesauce or bananas. Likewise, instead of refined sugar, you can use jaggery or raisins.”
Indian ingredients can also be used when baking a cake. That’s how Chaitali made moong daal cake.
“You can also use cashews and raisins to make the icing by soaking it in water and blending them until it forms a smooth consistency,” she explains.
Small ingredients, big flavour
“An unusual ingredient in cakes that I like using is orange zest. This ingredient is essential for my secret family recipe, without which the taste of the cake would be incomplete,” says Divya Haldipur, founder of Itsy Bitsy Bites, who often makes fondant art and cakes.
She believes every day is a learning experience for bakers. The temperature of the ingredients plays a big role in the development of the cake. After all, baking is not just a mere mixing of ingredients but a science, she says.
Be your own boss
Though Sumaiya Ahmed, owner of Sweetfix, started her business recently, she has already become quite popular.
“I use quality ingredients — from chocolate and cocoa powder to baking powder — I don’t compromise on the quality.”
She likes that she can be her own boss by choosing to be a home baker. “I can work from home, rest when I need to and start baking at any time. I get to spend time with my friends and family, do what I love and also make a living,” she says.
Always room for more
The Gluten-Free Bread Boutique is the brainchild of Shwetha Muthana. She started off as a home baker selling gluten-free and organically made bread and is now the proud owner of a bakery, a farm where she grows many of her own ingredients, and a baking teacher.
Shwetha also works with doctors, mostly gastroenterologists, to provide her customers with baked goods that suit their allergies and preferences.
“My advice to home bakers is that if they are passionate about baking, then go for it. There is indeed a huge competition in the baking field but it is important to remember each home baker brings their own uniqueness to their products. People who prefer normal cupcakes and cakes may not have the taste for my products, and similarly, my regular customers may not really enjoy regular buttercream cupcakes and cakes. The city is filled with foodies with different tastes, and there is a place for many more bakers,” she concludes.