OVERVIEW and CLASS #1 and #2: 

BREAD MAKING 101:  LEARNING HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BREAD AND ROLLS

Once a basic skill in virtually every homemaker’s repertoire, today making bread from scratch is far from commonplace. However, with the growing interest in eating healthier foods -no additives and preservatives- many novice homemakers want to try their hand at bread making. This two-part class Bread Making 101 and 102 was enthusiastically received! Taught by a veteran mother and bread maker, all the participants had an opportunity to work with the dough themselves and to see firsthand each step of the process. Our presenter answered all the many questions about the ingredients, the process, and the techniques as she demonstrated making several kinds of bread and rolls. Her baking tips and shortcuts, born of her expertise and experience, were particularly helpful to the attendees. Not only did we then enjoy tasting at lunch the ‘fruits’ of our labor, but also breathing in what has to be one of the best smells in the world -the aroma of freshly baked bread!

CLASS #2: 

BREAD MAKING 102

Continuation of the above class.

CLASS #3: 

SOUP MAKING: PREPARING BASIC SOUPS

In the day’s final session another basic food, soup, was the focus of the talk and the demonstration. Beginning with learning how to make soup stock from scratch, our attendees watched and assisted in making soups with a clear base and one with a cream base, a chicken noodle soup and a cream of mushroom soup. The presenters emphasized that, with the knowledge of how to make a basic stock, they could prepare an endless variety of soups using whatever they had on hand, especially leftovers. They also stressed the nutritional value of homemade stock as opposed to the commercial kinds, as well as its superior taste. This session and the previous bread making session aim to contribute to the attendees’ growing knowledge of the basics of baking and cooking and to their skill in preparing simple, nutritious, and delicious meals for their family.