Is it a lost art? Perhaps, just dormant. Or perhaps, with you it is alive and well.
Last month I went to a class where my friend taught the basics of making wheat bread. My dear friend shared how her mother baked wheat bread and how she would come home from school to the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread filling her home.
WAIT!
My Mother made wheat bread. I remember coming home and smelling freshly made wheat bread. I remember as a small child watching her grind all of that wheat. I remember her letting me rub the tops of the steaming bread with butter. I loved that!
And then I realized…. I have never made homemade wheat bread.
Ever.
Well, at least since I was five and at my Mother’s side. I then decided I would make wheat bread. I bought a wheat grinder. Actually, just an attachment that fits nicely onto my kitchen aid.
My friend even brought over wheat. It sat on my counter for a few weeks.
But then a storm came. (In California, if it rains, it seems like a storm). So I decided to stay indoors and let me inner domestic goddess come out.
I knew my kids would be bugged if I ground that wheat without them. So I knew I must wait for them to come home. While I waited I made jam. I had some strawberries. So why not?
Did you know making freezer jam is sooooo easy! I kept thinking to myself, “Why do I not do this more?” I used Sure Jell. My Mother always used MCP Pectin but my grocery store does not carry it. I thought Sure Jell worked great. I think it gave the jam a bit more of a jelly feel than MCP.
It says in the directions to follow the exact measurements or it will not turn out. I don’t know why but I am not good at following the rules. Not in life, just in recipes. So I experimented. Each batch turned out by the way. My fav was the Strawberry-Raspberry mix. I didn’t quite have enough strawberries to get 2 cups, so I then added a cup of Raspberries. I also added about 2 teaspoons lemon juice, just for fun. It was my favorite batch. I will make this again.
And when the kids came home, we grinded that wheat. Gracie was the one that stayed and helped the whole time. We added all the ingredients. The Kitchen Aid basically did all the mixing and kneading. And in the end, my daughter Gracie melted the butter on top. And that afternoon we ate ourselves sick with warm wheat bread and jam.
I have to say it felt rewarding. I felt I truly had accomplished something. We filled our tummies. We learned a new skill. We baked together. We ate together.
And it even feels good to know I have a shelf filled with yummy jam waiting for me in my freezer.
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How awesome is that?