Hi, Everyone!
Joe-san told me that Election Day baking would be a big adventure, but I didn’t realize how big! I started to get some idea when I helped Nancy-san load her truck with all the flour and sugar we needed. Then Grandma got out all her big pots and rolling pins, and we took those to church, too.
On the Monday before Election Day, Grandma and a lot of her friends from church bake yummy goodies made from yeast dough. Grandma’s church is the place where all the people in the neighborhood come to vote when there is an election. When they come in, they can smell cinnamon rolls baking and they’re happy to buy some of the treats we make. Grandma explained we have to start a day ahead to have bread and rolls available for the earliest voters.
First, the bakers make huge globs of dough. After it rises, other bakers shape it into cinnamon rolls and tea rings and orange rolls. Katie showed me how to make cinnamon rolls. She has been baking with Grandma since she was little, and she is very skilled and very fast!
After the dough is shaped and rises again, it is baked in the big church ovens. Then it has to cool down before the bakers put it in bags to sell. We made lots and lots of rolls and I helped get them upstairs to the place they would be sold. Grandma and I didn’t get home till way past my bedtime!
Grandma got me up very early, while it was still dark, to get back to church on Tuesday. I helped make scones, which have to be made fresh right before they’re sold. Then I helped my new friend John make dough and my friend Mike-San make even more cinnamon rolls! My best buddies Joe-san and Nancy-san were in charge of the oven, and we were all happy when the very last pans of orange rolls and cinnamon rolls were finally baked.
Then Grandma took me upstairs to check out the sales. Most of what we baked on Monday was already gone, and there wasn’t very much left from all our work on Tuesday, either! I helped Grandma Sue-san at the sales table.
When Grandma and I got home, we found that Grandpa had been working hard, too. Look at all the leaves he raked up while we were baking!
Love,
Lion-san