In the Kitchen With: Braxton Spencer & Staying Creative in the Kitchen

Hey Foodies, we're back again with another 'In the Kitchen With...' segment and this time, we're excited to introduce you to the incredibly talented Braxton, who's entire feed will have you feeling hungry in seconds. Ready? Lets dive in! 

Welcome, Braxton! It's so great to meet and we're excited to learn more about you and your creative journey with food content so far. Would you like to start by sharing a bit about yourself and what inspired you to start sharing your recipes online? 

Hey guys, thanks so much for having me! I'm Braxton Spencer, 20 years old and based in Melbourne. My biggest passions are content creation and cooking and ever since I was a kid, I've been obsessed with YouTube - which I think would have inspired me to post online and chase my dreams in content creation. 

It was during lockdown where I really discovered my love for cooking, and I haven't looked back since. I'm constantly challenging myself to improve and create better food, and I hope this journey helps me keep doing what I love for a living. 

That's awesome! And your drive to improve really shows through your stunning creations and in particular those gorgeous loaves of bread on your feed - what's your secret to making great bread at home? 

Whenever I make bread, it honestly feels like a science experiment. I find it so fascinating how many different factors go into creating something that seems so simple which is also what makes it so rewarding when it all comes together perfectly. 

[That being said] I definitely feel like I haven't perfected it myself yet, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that making great bread take patience...lots of it. You really get to know your dough by feel, look, touch, and even smell. I probably messed up a hundred times [or more] before I got one loaf that I was truly proud of. 

To anyone feeling intimidated by the idea of baking bread from scratch, don't be!  Even if your dough doesn't rise perfectly or the proof isn't spot on, you've still made something delicious from scratch, and thats more than most people can say. Most importantly - be kind to yourself, you'll learn from every single attempt. 

If I were to choose one top tip, it would be to proof your dough in a warm spot. I personally like using the oven with just the light on, or even the top of a dryer - it really helps the dough rise faster and more evenly. 

Being kind to yourself is such a great reminder when trying new things in the kitchen and we know our Foodies are going to love that tip. With that, it sounds like you really embrace the trial and error of cooking which is such an amazing quality - is that  something you hope to translate through your content? 

[Absolutely] - There's a lot of trial and error but that's what makes cooking fun for me as I view mistakes as such a big part of the process, and just embracing the learning curve has lead to some delicious discoveries. 

When it comes to my content, I try to give off a chill, friendly vibe in all my videos. I do want people to feel relaxed and calm when they watch me cook, as if they were hanging out in the kitchen with a mate. But I also want to leave them feeling inspired [and maybe a little hungry, too]. 

Oh yes,  it's impossible not to feel hungry when looking at your feed! Now, with trying new things comes discovering new tips and...tools! Are there any essentials that have become a staple in your kitchen? 

I think a quality kitchen scale is an absolute must. Weighing everything has been a game changer for me, no cups or teaspoons over here! 

Precision certainly makes all the difference, especially when it comes to baking and we hear that you have a favourite sourdough recipe that you're sharing with our Foodies today - what was it like re-creating your go-to recipe in the Crumble Bread Oven? 

I honestly love it so much and I'm a huge fan of the Broccoli Green colour I received. What really stood out to me was how evenly it bakes a loaf of bread and it's actually quite manageable - I don't feel like I'm getting a full arm workout just pulling it in and out of the oven like I would with similar cast-iron alternatives. It has worked a treat so far and I can't wait to bake more with it. 

We are thrilled to hear! Now before we dive into your delicious sourdough recipe, is there anything else that you would like to share with our community and where can they follow along to see what you're cooking up next? 

One piece of advice I'd like to share to anyone who is keen to cook more but hesitant to start is: don't overcomplicate it, keep it simple and start by finding little things that inspire you, whether that's a colour, a smell or a dish that you've tried somewhere. There's no 'right' way to cook so find a way to have fun with it, it'll make the experience that much sweeter. 

Right now, you can find all my content on TikTok @braxtonspencer and soon on Instagram @braxton.spencer. I have the exciting opportunity to cater an event soon of which I'm looking forward to showing the behind the scenes of what goes into preparing for that. I hope you'll come along on my journey and hopefully i can inspire you to get cooking more at home.