Any other frustrated baker?

My wife loves to bake as well. If the item will freeze well, she will make it, cut it into servings, freeze the pieces on a sheet, and then vacuum pack or wrap them really tightly. They will keep in the freezer for a long time, particularly if vacuum packed. There is a small, hand vacuum pump system from ZipLock that is inexpensive.

Francl27 wrote: »

Main issue is lack of freezer space. But a lot of the things I'd like to make don't freeze well either, I think.

Recipes? For ... ummm ... research purposes?

I understand that, freezer space is often at a premium around here as well.

http://greatist.com/eat/dessert-recipes-for-one

I bake a lot of doggie treats. Turns out it isn't the eating I enjoy, it's the act of baking. There are so many people in my life who appreciate me thinking of their furbabies. The downside is that now my dogs associate the oven timer going off with goodies for them so I get two huge dogs crowding a tiny kitchen every time I'm pulling a casserole oUT for dinner.

I can relate. I am on a months long experiment perfecting my sourdough. Not only do I have to wait a week between trials, I have to eat the results. I've made bread crumbs and croutons along the way to keep up. This last time I got a little smarter and split the dough to test two different risings in the same week.

My granddaughter likes to bake with me but as she is a busy teenager our events are pretty spaced apart. This past weekend we did a marathon baking for a bake sale. I brought over a recipe I've been trying (home made protein bar).

Giveaways include new neighbors, bake sales, and office staff. We just had a reorganization at work and I told the newcomers in my wing that they are on my treat list now, as a reward for joining me.

I notice that generally people are less interested in high calorie treats these days. I have to sell them as "sugar free", "gluten free", "all natural" or some other thing to help them shed the guilt. But it's all cool because there are all sorts of recipes out there these days.

Have you considered donating baked goods? Maybe there's a place close to you where people might appreciate fresh baked goods. I used to volunteer at a refugee house where they had a kitchen but I they only cooked very basic meals. Once they were sure I wouldn't feed them things forbidden to them by their religion, they were very appreciative of cake.

Unfortunately I lack the time to volunteer regularly so now I bake and feed it to my colleagues or my pupils, but only as a special treat.

If I really feel the need to bake the guys at work benefit from the results - that way I can still lick the bowl and have a piece of cake but not binge.

I you can't send to work are there families or old people near by who could benefit?

You can always bake and donate. I know a lot of women's shelters, soup kitchens, AA meeting type places would LOVE a few dozen bars or cookies.

I thankfully work with 15 hungry guys at work, so I bake a ton and just take to work. Mint Chocolate cupcakes are happening this week for Saint Patrick's Day!

I, too, love to bake, and love to eat. And for a true gourmet, things like black bean brownies (black bean bricks sweetened with chocolate) are not adequate baking substitutes. My husband being prediabetic and on a low-carb diet has put a huge slash through most of my baking experiments.
I've started experimenting with freezing my batters and doughs in small portions, so I can make a few cookies instead of a batch, but with things like yeast dough, as you'd use for French pastries, that won't work. And there is no substitute for real butter in pastry dough. I find myself really looking forward to holidays!

I've started making little mini-tarts in cupcake pans instead of whole pies. Making just six little mini-tarts gives us each dessert, and then a couple to take for lunches later in the week.