Learning to Bake!

Hello everyone,

For my inquiry project, I decided that I would like to become a better baker. It all started when I was 7 years old, helping my mom make chocolate chip cookies – our household’s favourite treat. I would often get kicked out of the kitchen, because my mom tends to be a micromanager and a perfectionist. I was never allowed to measure the butter, because I could never get the right amount no matter how hard I tried. I made scones a couple months ago in 2025 for breakfast for my friends, and they went well! This experience inspired me to bake more in 2026, and I can’t think of a better way to explore this goal within the context of my inquiry project.

In this inquiry, I will bake something every week and/or learn something about the science of baking. I am curious about each ingredient function, and how they work to make the final product. I also wanted to begin this project so that I can bring my classmates, family, and friends treats to brighten their day. Throughout this project, I will also aim to learn how to do some video editing, where I create videos discussing the baked good l create. No video this time, because I needed to focus on getting the baking right.

So guess what I baked this week? That’s right, chocolate chip cookies!

One of the challenges I will be facing with this project is that I do not have a stand mixer. Everything is going to have to be hand-mixed, folks!

I think next time I will try to measure everything on the scale – this time, I measured the butter on the scale, and the rest of the ingredients with measuring cups. The benefit of the scale is that it is a lot more accurate than measuring cups. For example, a 1/2 cup measuring cup can be quite different from brand to brand. However, I think the measuring cups are a lot more convenient. I did have fun trying to get 227 grams of butter on the first try though.

The final product turned out quite well, and I brought them to school for my friends to enjoy. I also brought some to my tutoring students, and got amazing reviews!

What should I bake next week? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers,

Rylie