Blueberry Pie & Bake for Good

A few weeks ago, I joined ten wonderfully talented bloggers at a Bake for Good event sponsored by King Arthur Flour. The mission behind the event was to bake—bake bread, rolls, brownies, and pies—and serve it alongside a meal at the Family Service Center in St. Paul, MN. When I was invited to this event, I immediately agreed. Volunteering my time and skills to help others is something I have grown up doing, something I wish to continue doing throughout my life.

As we kneaded dough and assembled pies, I searched inside to figure out what baking for good meant to me. I bake for others often, bringing cakes and pastries to work to share with my colleagues. The plate is often empty by lunch, with just a few crumbs to prove it was once full. I like to think that it brings a smile or two to someone's face, adding a little bright spot to an otherwise normal Monday morning. Is this baking for good?

When the next door neighbors at my childhood home had a baby, I made a batch of sugar cookies and decorated them to mimic baby buggies, bottles, and onesies. After I walked the plate over, I hoped they would fuel the late nights and act as a quick treat for any visiting guests. Is this baking for good?

I bake for the people I love in my life, finding time to make my boyfriend's favorite dessert when he needs a pick-me-up. A s'mores pie gets pulled out of the oven at least twice a year for my sister, for no other reason than she adores it. When the weather gets warm, I make a banana cake, because it reminds my father of summer (and it is a nostaglic memory for me too, as my mother made me the same cake when I was young). Is this baking for good?

After we served the families our meal, scrubbed down the kitchen, and stocked the freezer with leftover loaves of bread and pies, I had a moment to breathe and to dwell on the answers to these questions. Could all of these reasons be baking for good? I would like to believe so.

Baking for good is baking for joy. It is making a blueberry pie to share with your dearest friend for an afternoon snack. Baking for good is baking for need. It is bringing a meal or dessert over to a neighbor undergoing a new experience, whether the news is bad or good. Baking for good can come in dozens of forms, as long you put forth an effort to heal or to help or bring happiness to someone else.

For the blueberry pie above, I used my favorite pie dough recipe for the crust and this blueberry filling recipe.

Front Row: Jena, Little Rusted Ladle | Natasha, King Arthur Flour | Alice, Hip Foodie Mom | Shaina, Food for My Family | Erin, The Law Student's Wife
Center Row: Julia, King Arthur Flour | Kathryne, Cookie & Kate | Chef Susan Reid, King Arthur Flour | Stefani, Cupcake Project | Taylor, Greens & Chocolate | (me)
Back Row: Amanda, I Am Baker | Brenda, A Farm Girl's Dabbles | Jim, Little Rusted Ladle

This giveaway is focused on helping you begin your own journey of baking for good. While certainly any number of breads or desserts can be shared when baking for good, I wanted to focus this giveaway on pie. Pies have long been one of the most challenging desserts for me, personally; I want to give you the tools to help you conquer your own fears.

Perfect Pie King Arthur Flour Giveaway:

• Dough Whisk (which is quickly becoming a favorite tool in my kitchen; shown above)
• French Style Rolling Pin
• Pie Filling Enhancer (to thicken the fruit juice)
• Boiled Cider (concentrated apple juice that is perfect for enhancing apple flavors)
• Sparkling White Sugar (to make your pies twinkle)

To enter this giveaway, simply comment below and make your own pledge to bake for good. What does baking for good mean to you? Who will you share your homemade breads or pastries with?

The giveaway ends on Thursday, May 8th at 9:00 CST. The giveaway is open to US residents 18 years and older only. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be contacted shortly thereafter.

Disclaimer: The post and giveaway are sponsored by King Arthur Flour. My trip lodging and meals were covered for this event. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Comments

[Cristen]

I am blessed to have friends that bake for me during difficult times. As life has evolved, I have taken a queue and passed on the love with savory & nourishing pot pies for others dealing will illness in the family. These days, I bake in celebration and am looking forward to sharing the fruit pies that come with summer.

[Leah Davis]

This is beautifully written!!! Baking for good to me means taking the time to prepare something that your friends and family will enjoy. It is about taking a few extra minutes out of each day to savor something delicious. Baking for good to me is also about knowing what ingredients you put into something ~ so even though it is indulgent, you aren't just going to the store and picking something up where you have no idea where it came from and what ingredients are in it.

[Molly]

I bake for good because it's a big part of how I care for my favorite people (it's right up there with early morning and late night rides to the airport). I remember my friends' food allergies better than I remember their birthdays.

[cait]

i loved this post :) i think baking for good is all you described and more. it is to help ourselves, but moreso to help others by showing our love through our food- mess-ups included :)

i pledge to bake for good. sharing food with colleagues, my students, my daughter, my husband, neighbors, family, and friends- be it a birthday, or just a Thursday :)

[dina]

what a beautiful pie!

[Steph]

I love the KIng Arthur Flour folks! I am lucky to live close enough to take some of their classes in Vermont, and they are always so fun and informative. For me, baking is a way of showing how much I love someone, remembering the bakers before me, bringing a bit of home to my students, and just bringing joy to myself. For me Baking for Good can be as simple as making someone smile, but it's especially important to those who have very little. Inspired by this/KAF I'm going to bake treats for a friend's Relay for Life team to help them walk the night away. Thanks!

[Francis]

I bake for my family and friends. I have been baking since I was young. My mother made homemade bread, rolls, biscuits, and cookies regularly. We made gingerbread houses every year growing up to give away. And my own children never knew that there was such a thing as frozen/refrigerated biscuits and rolls. Until they started having sleepovers.
I would love to share my rolls and cinnamon rolls with the world by starting a business that provides for a scholarship for struggling families.

[MB@Bourbon and Brown Sugar]

What a lovely post!! For years, as a teacher, I have been "a girl on a budget." But I could always say thank you, or offer comfort through baking or cooking for others... I think those who love to cook are naturally generous spirits, and we know our handiwork makes others happy. Tell me, does King Arthur Flour have such an event in the DC area? I would love to get involved with this...

[jacquie]

baking for good is baking from my heart with the intention of giving warmth, joy, nourishment, memories, substance or support to another. It has many different flavors to it.

[Zsuzsa]

I like to cook - I love to bake. And there's nothing more satisfying than seeing those whom I love enjoy the results of my baking adventures.

[diet to lose 30]

This is a beautiful recipe, we will make it this weekend.

[sara@ health news]

i love blue berries! it's so colorful.gonna to try this pie

[jenn b]

I bake for my friends and family frequently, but especially during the happy times and the sad times. Sometimes the simple act of offering up a home cooked meal makes all the difference in the world.