Pantry Assessment: Learning to Bake
After seeking thoughtful ingredients and growing a small portion of our own food from previous pantry assessments; the next step was learning to bake with new intention.
Most of the items in the pantry were heavily processed but exceedingly convenient. With practice our family could replace a large sum of items with homemade effort.
During a family meeting, I brought an idea to the table. I wondered if we could take the first step in enhancing the quality of our pantry by getting away from processed cereals. I asked if the children would be willing to let me make breakfast and altogether cease shopping the cereal aisle.
Everyone was willing. My husband was a bit concerned I’d be stretched too thin. Cereal, after all, gave me a spacious morning since most of the children could easily prepare their breakfast independently. The older ones could easily serve the younger too.
After making the family decision to move away from breakfast cereal the pressure was on! My husband was right. It definitely took time to create margin for the new baking habit. Not only would I need an idea of what to make but rise early enough to prepare it.
To the children’s delight, weekday cereal and milk was replaced with quiche, muffins, crepes and fun new creations. Breakfast was quickly becoming their favorite meal of the day. Before closing their eyes for bed, many curious children would inquire what delicious treat they could expect upon awaking.
At first, this commitment seemed largely inconvenient and time-consuming. It is a lot of work to make breakfast most mornings of the week. I had to start thinking about breakfast at dinner the night before. Also, I’d need to keep the pantry stocked with new items like rye, semolina and oats.
Overall this transition was a catalyst to downsizing our pantry items, grocery bill, and overall impact. We were able to get rid of or reduce the amount of store-bought breads, pasta, granola, crackers, cookies, and such. Now, we primarily stockpile flour and wheat berries! Can you believe I’m now learning to mill my own wheat?!
Day-by-day, we are learning to bake.
It’s not easier but with time its become second-nature. The practice and growth at this art form has occurred rather rapidly. We set a pace with daily breakfasts— if I cooked or baked each breakfast, I found I was retaining recipes more easily and getting a stronger grasp of actual technique.
The truly amazing part is the children have come to prefer meals at home. Preserving the dinner table was and is a huge value and goal for my husband and I. We are thankful to say many of the meals we make each week at done together. Since our tween and teen love cooking and baking just as much as we do they are gaining confidence in the kitchen right alongside side us.
Another unforeseen benefit to the morning challenge I posed years ago is how it single-handedly pushed me into a love for menu planning too! See how I’ve turned this mundane chore into a weekly joy here.