All About You FRIDAY – Kneaded With Love

In the middle of one of the worst times in recent history, when the world shut down and people were surrounded by loss, three women bonded over their love of good food and baking and decided to make a dent in this world. 

Realizing there were many families in the community without access to good food and ingredients, they started Kneaded with Love, a local non-profit dedicated to baking delicious honey whole wheat bread and delivering to local food pantries. They tried dozens of recipes to come to the perfect one that was simple and delicious and then recruited women in the community to be bakers.

In 2021, they delivered 802 loaves to local food pantries and now they have recruited over 70 new bakers who have donated almost 2,000 loaves to feed Metro Detroit families. 

I know. Because I am one of the bakers.

I have eaten a lot of bread in my days, but not until January 2024 did I venture to the home of one of these women to learn how to bake a loaf of my own. Oh, what a delight! Mixing the dry ingredients and getting flour everywhere, kneading the dough exactly 50 times, rolling it in oats and tucking it neatly into a bread pan. Then covering it and placing it in a dark, quiet place for 90 minutes so it would rise and then watching it bake to a perfect golden brown. The recipe was so simple. 

The hardest thing was not cutting a slice to eat when it came hot out of the oven.

They supply you with the bags, ties, ribbons and labels so all the loaves come out looking professional. I love their attention to detail. 

There are lessons to be learned in baking bread: 

First, quality ingredients matter. My first independently baked loaves came out flat because I stopped at Target on my way home from work and grabbed the cheapest flour off the shelf. I highly recommend King Arthur’s or Bob’s Red Mill flours and bread flour is a must (instead of all-purpose flour).

Second, you can get a lot done in the 90-minutes of proving time while the dough is resting and rising. Like, eating some snacks or doing some laundry or learning to play a new song on guitar.

Third, your triceps will get toned by kneading dough 50 times. It’s a win/win! Really good bakers have great arms.

But the most important lesson that I learned from these women is when you mix gratitude with a problem, a beautiful solution arises and this world becomes a better place. 

I hope you check out Kneaded with Love and sign up to bake a few delicious loaves. I promise, your heart will be filled.

It’s been a long week. Don’t forget to celebrate.

Until next time…