Watching Bread Rise

I recently had some family over for dinner, and my 14-year-old niece was hanging around the kitchen. A new addition to my regular recipes is food processor bread. I don't have a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook, so I've been using my food processor to simplify the making of homemade bread. So far it's worked out pretty good.

Anyway, she asked what I was making just as I turned the bread dough onto a floured wood cutting board to rise. I said, "I'm making homemade bread. I'm putting this out to rise."

Her eyes got really wide and she stared intently at the resting dough. "You mean it's rising right now?" she asked. She continued to stare at it, clearly waiting to see it rise.

I admit that I chuckled. I explained that dough rising was a long process and she probably wouldn't want to spend her time watching it rise.

I understand people live busy lifestyles these days, and not every family has the time or skills necessary to make homemade bread. (Hell, I'm a SAHM and I still only make homemade bread about once or twice a month, so I'm not about to judge anybody in the kitchen.) But I did find it just a teeny bit disturbing that people can be so far removed from the basic cooking/baking process.

Of course, I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a mom who taught me kitchen basics from a very young age, and always encouraged me to cook my own food. Funny though, I am still a pretty crappy cook.

Guess knowing the basics of baking and cooking doesn't mean you're going to be a success in the kitchen.