Last evening my son and his family made their first loaf of bread. David remembered watching me knead bread when he was a kid, but just to refresh his memory, he found a YouTube video on kneading bread. Isn't YouTube wonderful. There is almost nothing you can't learn how to do just by searching for videos on the subject. Anyway, Boston, the oldest, was in charge of the kneading.
After the dough rose once in a bowl, they made it into a loaf and put it in the pan to rise.
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Now comes the bad part. The bread took longer to rise than they anticipated. It was a school night. The kids get up early in the morning. So they had to go to bed before the bread was baked. But isn't this a lovely loaf of homemade bread? Yes it is!
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I'm just so proud of them. And it is good that they have learned a new skill that can help them feed themselves should the need arise. Or just to know how to make a treat of a loaf of homemade bread. With lots of butter. And homemade strawberry jam.
Drat. Now I'm hungry.
I'm having one of those old fart moments, when I just about pee my pants with excitement at seeing a younger generation sampling self-sufficiency and learning the things so many take for granted.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking you might have been instrumental in the inspiration; just by example.
That's a good thing and you should be proud.
Thank you, Jess. I am so proud of my children for teaching and my grandchildren for wanting to learn. I fear that so many of the basic self-sufficiency skills are being lost. I feel better knowing that with each new skill they learn, the better they will be able to take care of themselves should the need arise.
ReplyDeleteWe had a great teacher...YOU!
ReplyDeleteDavid.
Thank you, son. I love seeing your kids learn some of the same things that my parents taught me...baking bread...gardening...canning. It is so important that kids learn how to do something besides how to text.
ReplyDeleteWish I knew how to bake....me, check bread...say bad words, chunk outside.
ReplyDeleteStephen, it really isn't that tough. But that is easy for me to say because I've been baking since I was about 10 years old - long time ago! But give me a steak and a grill, and I will wreck that steak every time. We all have our niche.
ReplyDeleteI want to try making rolls or buns for sandwiches. We can go through so much bread daily. A family of 6 with the oldest still in Fla. Sorry I missed this post the other day.
ReplyDeleteRob...I would much rather haul home the flour to make my own than to bring home ready-made buns. For me, it is much more practical for those days when the stairs become problematic. And I am spoiled. I love the taste of homemade. It really isn't hard to do. Give it a try!
ReplyDeleteLast night I made dumplings, (the kind you actually "make" and use a rolling pin) I left them on the countertop overnight to dry (a trick I learned from Catholic nuns when I was a child)
ReplyDeleteToday my husband and I both praised homemade talent!
lotta joy...I hate to admit that I have never had dumplings made using a rolling pin. I have the kind you drop by spoonfuls into soup or stew quite often. I'll have to try the ones you told me about. They sound delicious. And you and your husband are right....nothing can beat homemade! Thanks for stopping by.
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