When you’re trying to make cinnamon buns, but end up with something that can only be described as a tray of ‘shortcrust swirls’...
Do you a) scrap them and start again or b) reset your expectations, cover it with icing and pretend not to be disappointed by the distinct lack of flaky pastry?
Truth be told... these ‘botched buns’ were meant to be made with ready roll PUFF pastry.... not the shortcrust pastry they are actually (mistakenly) made from.
It wasn’t until halfway through baking, when the all-important ‘puffing up’ never materialised, that the error became apparent!
A quick check of the box and there it was... the word that nobody making cinnamon buns wants to see. EVER. .
‘SHORTCRUST’
The realisation that it was the pastry intended for that evening’s pie, that was rolled up with all that yummy nut, cinnamon and dried fruit mix, was a heart sink moment if ever there was one!
But, while this isn’t a baking hour to be especially proud of, it has flagged an important note to self!
The note is this...
That wrong is only really wrong according to one person’s opinion. In this case, the recipe creator, and the expectation they set with their carefully detailed ingredients lists and the all-too-enticing ‘here’s one I made earlier’ images!
In reality, the shortcrust swirls were delicious, and the only element of doubt that they weren’t delicious, came from the imposed opinion that they should look and taste like something else.
What this tells us is that ‘shortcrust swirls’ are a metaphor for anything that might fall short of expectation - or ‘the norm’ - and so make us question our abilities.
Whether it’s a project at work, or a baking attempt gone wrong...there’s a lot to be said for seeing past what something should be, and focusing on what IT IS!
If you’ve ever created some botched bakes (or anything for that matter) that for that reason hasn’t made the Instagram cut, now’s the time to slice yourself a hearty helping of slack, shift the goal posts...and call it a success!
The only person who’ll doubt it’s truth, is you!