Comments on: Life Lessons In Baking

By: Jenni

Jenni — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:56:44 +0000

You are rockin’ the metaphor, AM.

By: Shalee

Shalee — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 13:09:22 +0000

I love your disclaimer, AM!

Looks like I’ll be making this bread sometime this week. I have everything that’s needed.

By: Quirky

Quirky — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:41:29 +0000

What a co-inkie-dink! I made bread just yesterday too! Although your fociccia bread sounds delicious! I’m making a note to try it next!

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:21:48 +0000

I look forward to making this recipe! Thanks for sharing it. Would you be willing to share your bread recipe too? It’s been a long winter here in the midwest.

By: Beverlydru

Beverlydru — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:24:19 +0000

Great lessons. Great post. I make pizza dough for homemade pizza almost weekly and I really enjoy it. Haven’t done bread in quite a while. I’ll have to get up to my elbows in flour. I’m as messy as any kid I know. : )

By: Tara

Tara — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:41:27 +0000

YOU ROCK AM!!! I’m watching a 4 year old for a new friend. She’s taking her 2 year old to the clinic today to have mega testing done to find out why he’s having “huge” seizures. I had already planned on making her dinner for tonight and was digging out the bread machine when I got distracted by the computer and stumbled on your recipe. Sounds much better than bread machine white! Thanks for posting this, I’m hoping it will bless a family who is in more than a little bit of worry today. And, if you can pray for Liam and his doctors I know they’d appreciate it.

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:03:17 +0000

I love baking. I find it relaxing and enjoyable.

However, I have not yet conquered bread making.

By: Pat T.

Pat T. — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:04:12 +0000

ooh – just the thing for us! We typically bake cookies but since my goal right now is to make a lighter footprint (not carbon – I mean lighter as in less weight) – I can’t wait to try this with my little ones. Thanks AM!

By: Maggie Garcia

Maggie Garcia — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:03:54 +0000

When I became a nanny, I wanted to start baking. Something about it seemed pioneer-ish to me or something. Oh wait, and then I realized I didn’t know how to do it AT ALL. I work really hard, and I can make a pretty mean vanilla cake, but no bread has made it intact out of my oven YET.

By: April

April — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:04:18 +0000

We do a lot of bread making here too. AND I have three kids. One OR three, it’s work and there will be flour spillage. The end result, though is fabulous. I have a recipe that I will share with you and your readers. The great thing about the recipe is you can shape it into bunnies, letters, little nests with birds in them and they end up being cute and OH so tasty buns! My kids make very personal things for each person in the family and each other. Let’s just say, I have LOTS of booty-kickin’ days!

1 to 2 TBs. dry yeast
1 tsp. organic raw honey
2 C. warm water
1/3 C. honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
6 cups unbleached flour (you can use spelt, oat, whatever you like)

Mix yeast w/ 1 tsp. honey and 1/2 cup warm water until frothy, set aside. Mix remaining honey, water, oil, and salt in large bowl then mix in yeast mix plus 3 cups of flour. Stir well. Add remaining flour a bit at a time. Knead 10 minutes (and let the kids do the work after they’ve washed their hands;) Place dough in greased bowl and cover with a hand towel. Rise 1 hour. Punch down dough and shape into any fist size or smaller creation. Place on greased sheet and let rise another hour. Bake 20 minutes @ 350.

This recipe also teaches patience and appreciation of the final product. The rolls will keep for up to a week in an airtight container (I warm ours in the oven for a few minutes and put butter on them)