Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Homemade Rolls for Dinner

Bread rollsImage via Wikipedia Tomorrow I will lead a class in how to make bread.  I love to make bread, and the opportunity to teach others to make it is blessing.

My mother and her family always had rolls for dinner and sometimes I got to help.  I could hardly wait when the bread was rising--cook it now!  The house filled with the aroma when the bread was finally in the oven.  That meant dinner was almost ready.  Break the roll open and add butter to melt and fill your mouth with that special taste.  For a real treat add a teaspoon of sugar to melt with the butter.  Oh, heaven!

My teaching others how to make bread came from a friend who asked me to teach her.  I agreed.  She invited eight people to her home and bought the ingredients.  It was a wonderful party.  Everybody made two loaves of bread.  She only had one oven, so getting it all cooked was an exercise in strategy.  It was a wonderful experience.  From that beginning, several ladies from church formed a very loosely organized group.  Anyone was welcome.  We never had more than about 15 at one time. 

We planned for a three hour time frame.  That gave us time to make the dough, let it rise, cook it, and eat lunch.  Even if you never made bread before, you made two loaves and had lunch.  The rule was you got to keep one and give one away.  During the rising time, we learned what the Bible had to say about bread, and we shared and laughed and prayed.

For a year or two we did it pretty often, but when things got busy, we went on to other pursuits.  Each summer the little kids continued to have a day of bread baking.  Even little kids love it.  By the time they have done it a time or two they are very good.  If they can't read yet, they need someone to help with the recipe and the measuring, but they understand the mixing and kneading quickly.

Recently I led a class from another church.  I am always blessed by making bread and by teaching someone else.  You get to vent all your hostilities and anger when you make bread.  You remember the meaning of bread when you are cooking it.  You get to share it with family and friends.  And the taste is God-sent.

For my recipe, click here.
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1 comment:

Hannah said...

I love baking yeast breads...there's always such excitement watching for it to rise! My kids are really into it. Besides, it's the perfect vehicle for peach freezer jam, which I happen to have too much of at the moment! That's another fun and easy project. Thanks for sharing your know-how. People don't know these things anymore.
Everyone things you have to be a gourmet to make normal things like bread!