It’s fall, the season known for pumpkin everything, lattes, and Halloween, but most importantly: it’s the season for baking. Baking is a very important hobby for many. Heidi Lewis (English) and Clark Youmans (Social Studies) are two of the many teachers who enjoy baking.
Youmans is known for his famous pie baking, sharing recipes with his classes and telling his students about his pie baking. However, Youmans also enjoys baking cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and scones.
Youmans started baking his own pies when he moved out. Growing up, his mom made a lot of pies, so he was used to having pies at home. “I very quickly learned that when I moved out, that in order to have pies, I had to bake pies,” Youmans says.
Youmans typically makes around 30-40 pies each year. And since it’s currently apple season, Youmans is making a lot of apple pies, which he would consider his favorite pie and the best fall dessert. “It’s more forgiving,” Youmans says, “and it’s also healthy because it’s apples. Apples are good for you.”
Youmans enjoys that when he makes pies they’re appreciated. It’s something he can take to peoples’ houses and something that he enjoys making. “It’s such a good food. It’s the best food,” he said.
Lewis, an English 10 and Senior Composition teacher, enjoys baking a wide variety of baked goods, two of the most frequent ones being cookies and scones. Lewis has a wild apricot tree behind her house, so when she has a number of apricots she typically makes apricot tarts and apricot jam.
Lewis started baking more regularly about 10 years ago. “I have celiac diseases, which means I can’t eat most bread products,” Lewis says, “and you can go and find gluten-free baked goods but they’re usually crappy and expensive, so if I ever wanted to eat cake I needed to figure out how to make it.”
With learning to bake cakes due to celiac disease, Lewis found it to be a relaxing and meditative hobby, a way to wind down at the end of the day. She’ll usually put on a TV show or listen to music while doing so.
Since it’s fall, it is a great way to discover new baking recipes. Lewis’ favorite fall dessert, like the flavor fall is most known for, is anything with pumpkin. Recently, she has been fond of spices in baking. “I don’t think I’ve made anything without cinnamon or nutmeg in the last two months,” Lewis says. But if Lewis were to pick just one fall dessert, she would have to go with ginger pumpkin muffins.
