Grandma Will You Teach Me How To Make Bread?

Grandma Will You Teach Me How To Make Bread?

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The other day I got a call from my four year old granddaughter. I was delighted to hear from her. I dont get to see her much because her parents live about an hour and fifteen minute drive from my house, but she does call me a lot and I talk to her almost every day. She then asked me a question that both surprised me and delighted me all at the same time.
Grandma? Will you teach me how to make bread?
Now she is only four so I said, Are you sure you want grandma to teach you how to make bread? Arent you a little young to want to make bread?
No, Grandma Im not too young Im almost five and I want to know how to make bread, she insisted.
Let me talk to your mom.
When her mom, my daughter, gets on the phone I question her about whose idea this really was.
My daughter insists that Faithy thought of it all by herself. I swear mom I did not put her up to this. Shes been bugging me for days now. I thought she would forget all about it, but she hasnt. Will you come get her and teach her how to make bread?
I send grandpa to fetch her while I get everything ready. I get out my wheat grinder and bring in the 7 cups of wheat berries I will need from my food storage. I get out the recipe. I get out the large bread loaf pans. I get down the oil and take out the honey. I have twelve grand kids and this is the first one that has ever wanted me to teach them anything. So I am getting very excited at the prospect of teaching her.
Two and a half hours later my husband and my little darling finally arrive. He announces as he enters that my daughter sent her backpack because she might as well spend the night. He says the backpacks are in the living room and goes outside to do a project.
Well come on in the kitchen and lets get started.
She comes in all smiles. I get a chair and put it up to the counter so she can see everything that Im doing. I tell her that the machine on the counter is a wheat grinder and it is going to turn wheat berries into flour for the bread and she can pour the wheat into the top and turn it on.
She carefully loads the berries into the top and flips the switch and is delighted at the sound it makes. I point to the bottom and she squeals with delight at the sight of all the flour coming out. We have a Kitchen Mill which has a clear plastic bottom on it which makes it easy to see how much flour you have ground at any given time. When the grain runs out it changes sound and I tell her that is a sign it is done, to turn it off. I help her take the top off and then transfer it to a bowl for her. I tell her to touch it. When she does her eyes pop open and she says, Grandma its so warm. How did it get so warm?
I tell her that every time you grind wheat its warm like that. I tell her to smell it.
Oh, grandma that smells good, is it done?
I laugh and say, Oh, baby girl if only it were that simple. No, its not done we have a little bit more to do yet.
I move the chair over to another counter where the Bosch Mixer is. The first thing we must do is proof the yeast. I put some warm water in a bowl along with a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of dry active yeast. I put it aside to work. Next the warm liquid, from the recipe, goes into the mixer along with the oil, honey, salt, sugar and half the flour. Then we check on the yeast. It has almost filled the bowl with yeasty smelling bubbles.
Faith is excited with the result and asks, Grandma how did it do that? Is it like bubble bath?
Now how do I explain yeast and how it works to a four year old? Ok, sweety its this way. We gave it the sugar to eat and in return it got gassy and made bubbles. When we put it in our bread its going to eat more and make more bubbles and that is what is going to make the bread puff up. OK? Did that make any sense to you sweetheart?
You mean its the yeast thats going to make the bread rise?
How do you know about bread rising? I asked puzzled.
Grandma, mom makes bread all the time out of frozen dough and we watch it rise. I know about rising.
Hmm, I said. Well, anyway lets now add it to the mixer and then we can put in the next half of the flour. We put in the yeast and as Im putting in the last half of the flour I instruct her as to how to tell when you have enough flour. When the dough pulls away from the sides and the bottom and clings to the hooks you have enough flour. Now I could have told her that it depended on how much protein the wheat has as to how much flour you would have to put in, but I didnt think she would get that bit of information. But I did tell her that since it was whole wheat bread we must knead it for ten minutes. I set the timer and when it went off I went over and pinched the dough. I had Faithy pinch it as well.
If it were sticking to your fingers it would need a little bit more flour, but it isnt so its fine. Now lets butter the pans.
Faithy loved this part. She was going to be able to put her fingers in butter and smear it all around and it was going to be ok. I finally had to stop her and tell her the pans were good enough.
Now, lets go watch a movie because it has to rise in the mixer once.
We watched a Disney cartoon movie and then it was time to check on the bread. It was perfect. I told her to turn on the mixer, which she did, to punch it down.
Now I told her now came the fun part. We were going to get to mold it and put it in the pans. I taught her how to turn the big lumps of dough under all the way around to smooth the tops. I had to help her do this part; her hands were not big enough. We finally got all the loaf pans full.
There now we are done. We just have to wait for it to rise one more time. Then well bake it and then you can take a loaf of bread home.
I look at her and shes crying.
Whats wrong?
Wheres my bread?
Honey I told you, you get one to take home, any one you want after its baked of course. Why are you crying?
Because I wanted to make some bread for me, Faithy whimpers as tears run down her cheeks.
Now Im getting frustrated. She can take it all home if she wants to. This was all going so well, what happened? I try once more. Honey, Grandma doesnt understand what it is you want?
She jumps down from the chair and runs into the living room. She is digging in a big bag and she pulls something out and runs back to me.
I want my own bread, and shoves a tiny little bread pan at me.
Whats this? Honey you cant put this in the oven, its too small. Are you sure you wouldnt want a big loaf to take home?
She starts crying again. But mommy said you would help me make a loaf of bread and I want to make this loaf of bread.
But honey I already told you I cant put this in the oven its too small.
But it will fit in my oven.
Your oven? What oven?
She gets down and runs into the living room again and this time brings back a small oven of sorts that is almost as big as she is.
What is that? Im almost afraid to ask, it looks very familiar.
My easy bake oven. I want to bake it in here.
You mean you wanted to make bread so you could play with your toy?
She starts to cry again at my displeasure with her and I feel bad.
Ok, Ok, give me the pan and I will put some dough in it. Well try and bake it in your easy bake oven but no promises. I have never used one and I dont know how long to bake it, but well try. OK?
Ok.
Well, my loaves came out of the oven and they were perfect. I greased the tops with real butter, turned them out of their pans and lined them up back to front and covered them with two towels so the crusts would get soft. Faithys bread also turned out ok, at least I hoped so. She wouldnt let me cut it. She wanted to take it home to her family. But we turned it out and buttered the top and wrapped it in two wash clothes.
Next time I think I will ask a lot more questions before I take on another task with Faithy.

About the Author:
The author is Gini Johnson. She has a website, Ladybug Horizon, http://www.grainmillandwheatgrinder.com She has 42 years experience with grinding flour and making homemade bread. On our website we have the finest, yet affordable wheat grinders and grain mills on the market. We have electric and hand grinders. Come check out the videos and read the History of White Flour. We also have recipes and helpful hints on how to make bread. If you want to eat healthy we can help. Come visit us.



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