Home bakes up a storm
MOTHER of Peace (MOP) in Lower Illovo, which is to home to some 70 orphaned and vulnerable children, has taken a step towards self-sustainability by baking its own bread.
“We started baking three weeks ago, using equipment donated to us, a 12 loaf oven with a prover, a dough mixer and a bread slicer,” said MOP’s Colleen de Cerf.
They bake 24 loaves a day, Monday to Friday, which has drastically reduced the number of loaves they buy from 170 to 180 loaves a week to just 30 loaves.
Pupils at the school on the premises also have an opportunity to assist in the baking process. “Children from each grade spend an hour every day learning the baking process, from mixing the ingredients to placing the dough in baking pans,” said Colleen.
On being given a recipe and shown the ropes, Colleen joked that every batch of the bread has been edible. “Our children need skills, lots of them. We have started computer training, farming and sewing. Baking has fitted in nicely.”
