You’re not the only one considering making banana bread. The global pandemic has turned many into avid home bakers. In fact, there are so many of them that suppliers have been forced to increase production.

Bloomberg reports that baking staples have become a sort-of luxury. Baking yeast sales were up 457% over last year for the week ending March 28. Flour was up 155%, butter up 73%, baking powder up 178%, and eggs up 48%.

Robert Harper, the president at Hopkinsville Milling Co., said the company is packing twice as much flour as usual. Harper commented: “It started to look like Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one. People have time on their hands and are trying to save some money.”

Bored Panda contacted Beth Coombes, a professional pastry chef and the owner of bespoke bakery Pili Pala Cakehouse, who told us about everything you need to know to bake in quarantine like a pro.

Beth suggests always reading your recipe in full before just going for it. “Baking is such a science and things must be done in the correct order to achieve the end result you want,” she explained. Plus, always weigh your ingredients before starting so you can concentrate on the method while making it.

The pastry chef named a couple of beginner’s mistakes that are best to avoid. One of the most common ones is setting the oven to the right temperature. “Cakes cook on so many different temperatures to get different results, so don’t think 'ah, this temp will do,' as it might not work, and you’ll learn that the hard way.”

Another common mistake that anyone who is new to baking could make is simply not knowing the technique. “For example, 'beating' or 'folding' techniques. If you’re not sure what a word means, give it a little google first and you’ll be good to go.”

If you can decide on a recipe to try out when in quarantine, Beth has shared her super-easy salted caramel brownies recipe with all the Pandas out there. The ingredients you’ll need are: 170g dark chocolate, 170g unsalted butter, 3 eggs, 225g caster sugar, 50g cocoa, 50g plain flour, ½ tsp sea salt, 100g salted caramel.

“Preheat your oven to 150℃ and line a 11”/8” tin. First, melt the chocolate and butter together and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. Then, whisk your eggs and sugar together until combined before adding your chocolatey butter mixture. Continue to gently whisk until it all comes together, then add your cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Fold this together, to make sure it’s all smooth and combined—it will be super-thick and shiny.”

“Lastly, add half of your salted caramel to the brownie, fold, and combine. Pour this in the tin, then drizzle and swirl the other half through the brownie. Give it a couple of taps on the table to level it out and bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes.” 

“Once ready, it should still be a little wobbly in the center, but crusted and set around the edges. You must leave this to cool for a few hours before cutting into squares and indulging—trust me, it will totally be worth it!” Bon appetit!