“Crave without Guilt,” says The 5 to7 Baker

Early one morning, all was silent, not a creature was stirring. But lo, in one room of the house, two hands were baking some love into a bread. Gluten free in that. Meet the 5 to 7 Baker, Radhika Radhakrishnan and listen as she walks you through her journey of all that is sweet and spicy in a world that’s vegan and gluten-free.

Tell us about the 5 to 7 Baker…

I currently work with software. One day I got thinking about the breakfast options we have other than dosa- there weren’t too many in the baked section unless you counted store-bought bread. I wanted to find something that was “balanced food” on its own. Something that would include fruits and vegetables. I did my homework and went through many sites and magazines that talked about the same. I experimented with different fruits- mango, pumpkin, apple- also with spices. I felt myself thinking about healthier alternatives. Healthier versions of brownies and cakes, to be specific. I found that I could carve out a niche for people who wanted natural sweeteners over processed and the like. I have a vegan friends and love baking for them. I knew I’d be catering to a small group, but it was a group that cared about the things I did.

I called myself the 5 to 7 Baker because that’s who I am. I bake in the mornings before work- from 5-7! Weekends are reserved for family.

What’s available at 5 to 7 Baker?

I specialise in three things, eggless brownies, cakes and breakfast breads. My brownies are made of pumpkin, beet or avocado. Cakes, both for occasions and otherwise are made from mango, coconut and many more. Breads come in flavours of mint and lemon, mint and coriander, etc.

Where is 5 to 7 Baker headed?

We have an organic farm. I source almost everything from there. I want to stand for an be known for this. I take things slow. I do plan to take things bigger, maybe a café for healthy bakes, but slowly.

Find 5 to 7 Baker on their Facebook page here. Their rough price range is breads at Rs 150 (per 1/2 kg), savoury breads Rs 300 (per loaf), brownies Rs 350 (6 brownies), Birthday/exotic cakes Rs 600 (per kg) and basic cakes at Rs 350.