Bread-Making Lessons

Lest you think I'll be doling out advice in this post, I'm simply informing you all that I have been on the receiving end of bread-making lessons. Here was my first attempt at a braided bread. It was fun to make and tasty too~;-), although a bit dry. My friend Suzanna had Elijah and I over for a lesson on Sourdough Bread. First, Elijah and Ian practiced cooking in Ian's kitchen. Elijah LOVES to play in these little kitchens.
Then Suzanna was kind enough to let them play with the real food. Elijah and Ian stood on little chairs to ensure they could reach (almost) everything.
Ian was super helpful in instructing Elijah...
...and surveying his work. (Look at Ian's face in this pic!)
We had several water spills and an episode in which around eight cups of flour were wasted, but overall we had a productive morning. Suzanna didn't even show signs of irritation after Elijah made his fourth (or so) spill. ....maybe someday I'll be a Mom like that!
Here is the lovely dough after the second rise:
I was sent home with my own starter and some very elaborate directions. I've pretty much been making all our sandwich bread since then. With the same starter I've also attempted an Italian dinner loaf (French bread style) and cinnamon rolls. The former was delicious, the latter will not be made again. This week I'm trying my own pizza crust. It may be a little tricky as I've frozen the dough after the first rise.

While I was busy making bread, Laura was busy growing Baby Luke.
Isn't he coming along nicely?