Friday, September 2, 2011

Bread Class 101

Last week I had the pleasure of teaching some wonderful ladies the basics of whole wheat bread baking. It was one crazy setup, since they were all homeschool moms. What does that have to do with it, you ask? Well, it means that our kids are attached at the hip 24/7. Thankfully, mine are at the age when I can say, "I'm working. Go have fun with your friends, and don't come into my area of work."  And then I can dismiss them from my frontal lobe. Some of the moms didn't have that luxury, so it was a bit haphazard!  Oh, and throw in my dog, and the hostess' two mini dachshunds. But a fun time was had by all, I think. None of them had ever seen a grain mill, or a dough mixer. (The dough mixer is not a necessary component, just seriously cool). I explained to them that they just needed a cheap bread machine to start out with. Then, if they really got into it, they could think about the dough mixer. The grain mill is a must, but there are several options out there, including one you can attach to your KitchenAid mixer.
That's the dough mixer on the floor, and 3 bread machines on the counter.

I quickly put everyone to work! You can see a shot of my grain mill on the corner of the counter, the white and green machine.
Obviously not at work! Her daughter in the background was puppy sitting quite well!
My girlfriend insisted I wear the apron. Great for wiping hands off, but stinkin' hot!

Let's make sure we have all the ingredients, K?

A conference in progress....
My daughter(s)...my long-haired one, and my hairy one!! :)

I know that dog was around here somewhere....
Piles of boys....

Piles of kids....

Kids everywhere you look!!

The fruits of our labor.

That's a fantastic jar of peach preserves on the table. And it was made in a bread machine!!
Sorry I didn't get any photos of the completed breads. You can see some pumpkin and Ezekiel bread on the platter. We also had Parmesan-Oregano bread, Pizza pinwheels, cinnamon rolls, and garlic knots.  Quite a successful day. I look forward to more like it.
Blessings, Shirley





14 comments:

  1. Looks delicious. I haven't made homemade bread in ages. My bread machine quit after at least 15 years and I haven't gotten a new one yet.

    Working on another project with your great beads. Will be hopefully posting some pics in the next week or so.
    Thanks

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  2. Hi Shirley, thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such lovely comments.
    Not only do you make beautiful beaded jewellery but you bake delicious sounding bread as well!
    And yes the gift tags are polymer clay and I'm having a lot of fun with them thinking up different sayings and adding some unusual stamps to them. They've been quite a hit with friends and family.

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  3. Looks like you guys had a lot of fun!

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  4. Making and breaking bread with friends equals a good time. You have my mouth watering.
    Therese

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  5. Oh Shirley your house is stunning and I so wish I could have been there!

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  6. Oh, I just drooled all over my Mac. That sounds like the best kind of fun -- good friends & good food. Can't be beat!

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  7. It looks like everyone had a marvelous time and the best part was at the end when every bread maker could sit down and savor the results. Nothing tastes so good as fresh baked bread still warm from the oven. Yum!

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  8. Wow! Sounds like it was fun. Wish I could have been there. Looks like everyone had a good time, and your list of what you made is making me hungry. Time to go scrounge in the kitchen!

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  9. Shirley, oh why don't we live closer? I would have loved to join in on this Mom's-breadmaking-extravaganza! You are a fabulous teacher and I know the ladies enjoyed the day and the yummy bread! And the kids and dogs look like they had a great time too. I can practically smell that fresh bread through my computer. :-)

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  10. Looks like such a great time! :)

    Thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog.

    Amber

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  11. Looks like you all had a fun time. Can you share some of your whole wheat bread recipes? I had one for the bread machine that I really like but it has vanished into thin air.

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  12. Wow, it was a very productive day and I bet so very delicious too!

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  13. Shirley that is awesome!!!! Great home too! Everything is beautiful!

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  14. You need to post a recipe for the preserves made in awesome!

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I'm thrilled you stopped by! Thanks for your words of wisdom.