Remember when everyone was frantically baking sourdough bread during lockdown in an attempt to escape the fear, that undercurrent of panic, the isolation and the boredom of it all? We may be “back to normal,” busy again with school, maybe even commuting to and from the office, flitting from party to party, but in a post-pandemic era (sorta, maybe, yes?) the baking obsession is worth revisiting. After all, the act of figuring out and following clearly defined directions in a recipe can provide a linear escape from the abstract complexities of everyday life. And we still need that. Whether you’re making savory breads, biscuits and pies, sweets or souffles, baking is a meditative exercise in measure and patience that activates and engages all the senses. Tweak out and be precise with it, then celebrate your work by indulging your munchies. We’ve got all the tools you need.