Once a week baking day

She willingly works with her hands.

She also rises while it is yet night,

And provides food for her household.

Proverbs 31

The Virtuous Wife

One of the most important skills I have learned in my hearthkeeping/homesteading journey is how to bake wholesome tasty breads.  Growing up I taught myself how to cook but baking yeast breads was something I didn't even think of until a fateful day in Wyoming when a blizzard blew in and I didn't have any bread.  Rather than brave the roads (they don't put down salt or shovel the roads in Wyoming because they're too tough) I decided to try baking bread. 

It was the beginning of a love affair between me and all things yeast.

Knowing how to bake your own breads is a cornerstone of homesteading.

Now I try and have a baking day once a week to provide all our rolls, cookies, coffee cakes, breads, and cakes for a family of six.  Several of my selections are must haves because they are delicious and always turn out  but I also try out new recipes weekly.  It makes so much more sence for me to bake all of this rather than buy cookies, breads and cakes at the store.  This way my children and husband have pleanty of snacks and we don't feel tempted while grocery shopping.  I also have to figure in numerouse neighborhood children that come over to play every week.

So why should we as hearth keepers bake our own breads?  Well there are allot of good reasons as to why we should try. 

First its much cheaper.  I can make better tasting foods than at the store for a fraction of the price. 

Second its healthier.   I use higher quality ingredients than a mass manufacturer with none of the health giving chemicals and food preservatives they add.    I also  can do things like cut down on fat  and sugars and sneak in things like whole wheat fruits and vegetables.

And third it builds amazing memories for my family.  I know some of my happiest memories are of coming home to good foods.


If you've never tried baking your own bread fear not!  It's actually very simple and fun and the end product is worth the work.  Plus it gets better as you do it more and gain more experience.

So what I did today

A Bountiful Table

Breads and rolls

these are much lighter looking in real life

Peanut butter, chocolate chip, gingersnap cookies and old fashioned drop donuts

Hide It Cake that I should have hid because it got raided before I could take a picture

Country Morning Coffee Cake

A must have every week

Viking Boy plotting a raid