[WolfyOne]

I grew up with relatives that owned 2 bakeries. As a kid, i really liked spending time there. I can tell you one of my uncles had 3 heart attacks or maybe strokes, I can't remember. I do know my mom said it came from the long hours and heat he'd be in, in the bakery while he baked. That was long ago and and thank goodness for air conditioning nowadays. when they were ready to retire, there wasn't a family member anywhere that wanted to take on the business, so they sold to outsiders. In order to take on a bakery, you don't really need culinary school. You really have to have a flare for baking and want to do it all the time. Most everything my uncle baked were from recipes handed down from family or trial and error until he got a recipe the way he wanted it.

As for me, I always looked forward to making bagels and challah with my mom once a month. her recipe was not one that you could use unless you had the juice glass she used to measure her oil. back then there was cake yeast and converting it to what is used today would not be easy. Smelling the dough as I waited for it to rise for the first time was even harder than smelling the bread as it baked. Making the bagels was also a really fun process for me as a kid. Mom used a boiling the bagel method before putting them in the oven to bake. She said it made them lighter and not rock hard out of the oven. Something she learned from my uncle at the bakery.

Good luck and happy baking Leigh