A globally renowned baking Trainer and baker, Sonia Gupta has carved a niche in this industry with her profound love for baking and a proficient expertise. Here’s how!
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do,” aptly stated Steve Jobs and the truly passionate journey of Baker and Baking Trainer, Sonia Gupta stands testament to the same.
A postgraduate in Science, Sonia worked in the corporate sector for almost 12 years before taking the plunge and laying the foundation stone of Any Body Can Bake (ABCB).
It has been over half a decade down the lane, and Sonia has already carved a niche as one of the most sought-after Baking Trainers in the country. The journey which was started as an experimental baker who was striving to bake healthy food for her family, is today an illustrious tale of success.
So, we speak to Sonia to get an insider’s view into professional journey as a Baker and a Baking Trainer.
Tell us about your journey as a professional baker?
Never in my thoughts had I imagined taking it as my full-time career. But as they say, “God always has better plans for you,” Baking happened to me. I started enjoying it to a level where I was spending 10-12 hours just experimenting with the recipes or researching.
I started sharing my experiments and experiences with my fellow bakers and this is how “like-minded” mothers and bakers started reaching out to me where they showed their interest to learn from me. This is how by the end of 2016 I started conducting Baking workshops. There has been no looking back after that!
My expertise is in 100% whole wheat baking and that is why people call me the “Queen of Whole Wheat Bread”. So far, I have trained more than 9000 students across the world.
When did you bake your first cake? How was your experience?
My first bake was when I was 14 years old. I had baked an eggless Malai cake on the gas stove using my Mom’s recipes. During those days, ovens were not a common thing. But baking on a gas stove has its own fun. To my surprise, the cake turned out to be good and my family enjoyed it a lot.
When I started my blog in 2016, I decided to publish my mom’s recipe of Malai cake on my blog so that other bakers could try that and so far, it is the most viewed recipe on my blog.
What made you venture into this profession? Has it turned out to be just as you once imagined?
Initially, the need for healthy bakes for my family and then making the world aware of healthy baking made me create Any Body Can Bake. The dream was to establish it as a known brand in the Baking world and today, I am much closer to my goal. Now people know what ABCB (Any Body Can Bake) is and they trust it.
What is your favorite part about being a Baker and Baking Trainer?
The interesting part of being a Baker and Baking Trainer is that every day I work on new recipes and with a new set of students. I never feel tired or get bored even after working for 12 hours a day.
Before this pandemic, I used to travel to different parts of India to conduct offline classes. Boarding early morning flights and reaching back late at night always kept me on my toes and I cherished those days the most.
What are some of your go-to recipes?
Every recipe on my blog is a sheer piece of multiple trials. They are tried and tested multiple times in my kitchen and that’s why each of them is a No-Fail recipe. So, to name a few will be an injustice to my efforts on others. However, Malai Cake Recipe, Whole Wheat Jaggery Cookies, Ragi Oat Cookies, Babka, Honey Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Semolina Cake, Lemon Yeast Cake, Paan Cake, Nankhatai, and Chocolate Mud Cake are some of the recipes that are really popular between people.
Share some baking tips and tricks for our readers!
Baking is a science, but it’s not rocket science. Once you understand the role of each ingredient going into a recipe and know the importance of the accuracy of amount, then baking is just a cakewalk.
Still many people think that they need lots of investment to start baking at home but trust me, you can start this without any investment with easily available ingredients and tools at home.
If you are a beginner, then just keep these things in mind:
ü Read the recipe twice before you start baking.
ü First, arrange all the ingredients, measure them and then start. Last-minute surprises can lead to a disaster.
ü If you want to change anything in the given recipe, then make one change at a time.
ü Spend some time with your oven and understand its functioning.
ü Baking is a therapy, and it needs focus. So, do not bake when you are too distracted.
ü If you want to take it as a profession, then from day one, start working on ‘Positioning your Brand.’
