Providing opportunities for families to interact with each other and bond over a shared activity is a creative way to build strong families. The bread making series was a free, hands-on cooking program that took place on Saturday mornings in March and April of 2019. This class was designed to teach the basics of baking by making bread. Topics discussed included how to read a recipe, measuring, and baking terms and techniques specific to bread making. Each class included information on types of flour to use, leavening agents, fat, uses, and storage of finished products.

Each class focused on a different type of bread. The first class was about biscuits and Irish Soda Bread. Both recipes used similar ingredients and techniques which made it easy to use both recipes in the same class. The second class was about quick breads. Participants made the Plate it Up! KY Proud recipe for Big Blue Muffins. The third and final class was about yeast breads. Participants made yeast rolls and the FCS Agent demonstrated how to make cinnamon rolls with the same dough recipe. 

Each class had over 15 people to attend. There were a variety of ages of participants in each class. Some participants represented three generations of the same family, a mother, daughter and granddaughter team. One group who attended the series were a group of ladies who had never met before. They became fast friends and have attended multiple Extension programs together ever since. As a result of some programming the FCS Agent offered previously at the Danville Housing Authority, there were a few members of the deaf community who also attended this series. Last but not least there was another participant who especially enjoyed this series. She was an immigrant from the Philippines who moved here with her husband but didn't know how to cook. She mentioned gaining skills in cooking that she desperately needed.

These bread making classes provided opportunities for people to learn skills in the kitchen as well as build new relationships. Many participants reported that they learned something new. Some learned something new about baking, some learned how to read a recipe, some learned how to measure, and some learned how to work together as a team. All participants enjoyed the class and have attended at least one other FCS Extension program after having been introduced to Extension programming through this bread making series.