Why You Must Start Making Bread – Like Yesterday!
What’s that you say? ‘Must’ is too strong a word?
As if bread making isn’t something you think can change a person from the inside out?
Sure, it’s delicious, fun, and makes gifting easy – and that alone could be reason enough to start.
But let’s go beneath the surface so I can show you exactly what it has done for me and my family- you just may be surprised.
Making Bread Makes You a Better Person
I’d like to take you back to my second pregnancy during the 20-week ultrasound.
While my husband and I were excitedly making jokes about the sex of our baby, we noticed that the technician spent 45 minutes scanning the same areas over and over again.
Since this was our second pregnancy, we knew that something was different than before.
As usual, the technician didn’t tell us anything and instead left to get the doctor.
A few minutes later we would find out that our daughter had a fatal birth defect that would make her life an extremely abbreviated one – if she survived labor and delivery at all.
Devastated, we went home with our heads in a thick fog.
I began to keep a journal online of what I was dealing with and over time it allowed me to process my emotions.
While I believed that God would perform a miracle, our daughter, Eva, still died shortly after she was born.
I know what you’re thinking: this is a SAD story…and where exactly does bread come into play?
Well, as could be expected, our daughter dying sparked the worst depression of my life.
Small tasks became impossible to carry out and I took time off of work to attend counseling and grief therapy.
Eventually, a friend suggested that I try and use my hands to work out some feelings….and so, I did!
Enter bread making
The first few times trying to make bread from scratch resulted in sticky dough all over my hands and under my fingernails.
It made me so uncomfortable that I went and found a bread machine at a local thrift store for $10 and it made all the difference.
In no time at all, I was busting out tasty loaves of bread on the regular- and for the first time in a while, it really felt like I was giving back to my family again.
I ended up giving kneading by hand a chance again, and soon I was shaping the bread myself and baking them in my oven, as opposed to the bread machine.
While it was a process of learning how to shape pretty loaves, it was also cathartic to have a tangible item that resulted from my hard work and patience.
I started laughing and cooking dinners again. I listened to my husband’s concerns to get help and support for my depression.
Before I knew it, I actually started to enjoy life again, even in the smallest of ways. Making bread changed me from the inside out in ways I never expected.
Bread Brings Family Together
I even invited our then two-year-old son, David, to start helping me- and 5 years later, he still loves it.
To date we’ve made countless loaves together, and his little brother, Noah, began his exploration into the kitchen this past summer.
While you’ve probably heard me say that “every stage is fun for your kids”, I particularly love this stage because they are enamored by creation and fascinated with tactile experiences.
As their primary teachers, we have the ability to bring them alongside us to teach them- and us- the patience required while developing their creativity.
Making bread allows you to share, experiment, and add to your regular meals.
And unlike children’s artwork that enters your home in droves, bread will be gobbled up and gone until you’re ready to make more. Double win, right?
After you’re accustomed to baking bread, it’s almost automatic that you’ll want to share the homemade goodness!
When you start baking for others, it will help your son or daughter have a healthy sense of pride that, they too, can create something fabulous and delicious that people will enjoy.
Sharing Bread Builds Your Community
At the end of the day, I know that everyone and their mamas are busy doing this or that.
It’s when you take time out of your day to notice and appreciate the people around you, that it goes a long way towards showing that person that you genuinely care.
Since we live in the Denver Metro area, there are ALWAYS people coming and going and every time I notice a new neighbor move in I do two things.
First, I chat with them outside to find out if there are any food allergies- because we wouldn’t want that!
And if not, that gives me the green light to take them a fresh loaf of homemade bread.
In my experience, this is the best way to warmly welcome any neighbor to the neighborhood- and show them a little slice of who you are too!
Sources:
https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2016/research/gesture-childrens-ideas/
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751901
Cynthia Ayres is a self-taught bread baker and homeschooling mom of three. She began making bread as a way to cope with a tragic loss and it helped her to fight depression and work through grief in a healthy way. Now, she teaches moms how to use breadmaking to create lasting memories with their children. You can find her over on MomsBreadBites.com.
I loved reading this! And I love making bread! There is just something about it… from kneading to baking that is therapeutic for the baker and those who eat it… especially when it’s been infused with love. 🙂