KANSAS CITY, MO — With consumers always searching for all-natural alternatives to help manage everyday stress, aches and pains, incorporating cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, into baked goods is definitely trending. Mixing CBD and baking might just be the next thing to take over the retail baking space.
For Amanda Buhrman, owner of Milwaukee-based Sweetly Baked, what started as a hobby during the pandemic turned into a full-fledged retail bakery where she baked goods containing CBD.
After experiencing anxiety from the uncertainty of the pandemic, Buhrman explored baking cookies and brownies with different infusions of CBD. After experiencing positive results, she decided to expand on this concept she had of providing consumers a CBD baked good with the highest quality ingredients.
Buhrman uses CBD isolate, a crystalline solid or powder comprising of pure CBD that has no more than 0.3% of THC, meaning the products are legal to sell to all consumers. It also means Buhrman’s baked goods impart a relaxing feeling without the brain high.
A major reason bakers started incorporating CBD into their menus is because the effects can last longer. Once the effects of CBD begin, they can last to two to four hours longer than those of regular CBD products.
Concern about how CBD might affect the taste of the final product might be a reason some bakers pump the brakes when it comes to adding CBD into their baked goods. A way around this is to mix extracts into the batter.
“We use extracts because there is no taste of the plant,” Buhrman explained. “A regular non-infused baked good and a CBD- or delta-eight-infused baked good will all taste exactly the same.”
Using locally sourced CBD is common among CBD bakers because batch sizes tend to be smaller, so the baker has more control over the amount added.
When baking with CBD, one challenge bakers run into is finding the correct boiling point — CBD must be baked between 320 to 365° F for maximum effect. Baking at higher temperatures for prolonged periods can reduce the effects and potency.
Another challenge many bakers who use CBD in their products must overcome is the negative connotation people have about CBD.
“When I talk to people, I explain how the benefits work for me and the benefits that I get from it,” Burhman said. “It’s not for everybody, but I do hope someday that it does become federally legal, and it can be an equitable space for everybody.”
