Food is definitely a love language around here. But more than the food, the preparation of that food is what hits the spot for my people! When I first married my husband, I had no idea he loved to bake. One day I mentioned that I hadn’t had crème brulee and then he made it for me and it was delightful! One day he watched an episode of “Good Eats” with Alton Brown about sour dough bread. After seeing how doable it was, the next day he decided he wanted to give it a go. It turned out great! We have enjoyed watching “The British Baking Show” and several other baking shows together. More often than not he ends up trying out one of the recipes highlighted therein. Almost always, it’s a good bake!! There have been a few times when it hasn’t been perfect, but he’ll inevitably try it again and adjust and create delicious improvements.
This love of baking has definitely rubbed off on my children. He has been known to make cookies and other goodies with them in the past, but more recently, he has had them choose a recipe they’d like to create, made sure we had all the ingredients, rolled up his sleeves and dived right into making it with them. We’ve found that Sundays are the days that work best for this little exercise. We have a few favorite recipe books, but my kids have definitely searched the internet for ideas as well.
Through this venture, Brian has taught them to measure ingredients using a scale and measuring cup. He has taught them how to read the directions all the way through first on recipes that they are unfamiliar with. How to mix dry and wet ingredients individually and together. How to blend, mix, fold, whip, and knead. Even my 2-year-old knows how to knead dough!! My kids know how to proof yeast and store it properly. He has also taught them how to clean their work station properly before and after they bake. And because nobody should be consuming the amount of baked goods that have been produced in our house, he has shown them the joy of sharing those goods with others.
My kids have chosen to bake anything from chocolate dipped merengues and churros to pretzels and whoopie pies.
Most recently, this beautiful braided coffee cake!
This tradition has become a cherished one for us, for sure! I know how to bake, and enjoy it, but Brian is an artist when it comes to fancy breads and desserts!
When I asked him what he enjoys most about baking with his kids he said, “Watching the kids learning a skill that they’ll use for the rest of their lives and becoming comfortable around the kitchen.”
I would say that aside from spending quality time with their dad, I appreciate that they are trying something out that they may have thought that they couldn’t do otherwise.
While my kids each enjoy eating the treats at the end, they all express excitement and pride at having created something beautiful and delicious!
We’ve used baking to teach about budgeting, math and fractions, food safety, and service.
This last Sunday Brian baked a lot of bread, much more than our family would ever finish. He said we could drop them off to friends in the area later. After our kids were in bed, he had his shoes on and grabbed his jacket and invited me along. I hadn’t anticipated going, but our oldest is almost 13 so, I realized I totally could!
As we dropped off yummy bread to various people in our neighborhood, I felt the unique joy that comes from serving others. It made me so happy that we did it together and I realized anew the importance of serving other people with your significant other! The feelings of mutual purpose and satisfaction is deeply gratifying and unifying.
So, if you are looking for a fun date idea, either with your husband or your kids, try it! Choose an easy recipe. Choose a recipe that scares you! It is also a great way to learn how to fail and try again!! We have had plenty of blunders in the kitchen!!
Eating is never going to go out of style, so make it fun and include your kids!!
Be on the lookout for more Baking with Brian on the blog!!
Kayleen
