A couple years ago I promoted a baking contest called Bake and Take Day sponsored by many state wheat organizations. Baking, I have found, can be a fun and inexpensive means of treating people in a special way.
Bake and Take Day, celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday in March (this year will be the week-end of March 27-28) is a great opportunity for families and service groups to get together in the kitchen and around the oven. Prepare gifts of fresh-baked wheat foods for relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors, the elderly and shut-ins. The visit when you deliver the baked goods is one of the most enjoyable aspects!
I took up the challenge, a few years ago, and my neighbors still talk about how much they loved the small loaf of bread that I brought them. This small gesture really opened up opportunities to build relationships with neighbors I would not otherwise have had. This priceless memory has encouraged me to occasionally treat my neighbors to a loaf of home baked bread for no special reason.
Mark the date on your calendar and plan to participate!
Even if you don’t take on this endeavor, I challenge you to get started with whole grain baking today using Marilyn’s Famous Whole Wheat Bread Recipe to make a basic loaf of bread or use this Dough to make cinnamon rolls.
What a great idea! I love the idea of using this to get to know my neighbors.
I love this! I could definitely see this opening some lines of communication and appreciation with my neighbors. What a great way to spread love and charity too.
On another note…I recently tried making bread and realized my wheat flour and my yeast were way past their due dates, so I purchased all new baking ingredients and made this little tracking calendar for the inside of my cupboard that says when I purchased everything (yeast, flours, cornmeal, baking powder and soda, oil, nuts etc.). Hopefully that helps to keep my pantry fresh 🙂