Are you tired of hearing about how wonderful our surrounding community is? Well…tough it out, cuz you’re about to learn about one more great program with some really special kids. We’re really proud of these kids.
We recently paid a visit to “Bulldog Bakery” at nearby Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School. “Bulldog Bakery” is part of a special program developed for students who require work-related skills – “Employment Training in the School,” or ETS. (There is also “Employment Training in the Community,” or ETC.) ETS operates under the direction of the Special Education Department of the school.
The goal of this amazing program is to provide problem solving skills, literacy skills, positive self-esteem, appropriate coping skills, independent living skills, and skills that allow the students to seek, obtain, and successfully function in a job that matches their abilities.
If what we saw is any indication, any employer would be lucky to have these students working for them! We hope some of them can help us out at our new Mercantile this summer.
The students receive daily orders for three different kinds of bread from other students, faculty members, and outside customers. Every day that the bakery is in operation, it is up to these students to bake, wrap, deliver and record these orders.
We are very grateful to the students, instructors and parents for letting us take part in one of their workdays. It’s a truly extraordinary, and necessary program. By taking orders and selling the breads at cost, the program is able to pay for itself…a mandatory requirement for it to continue.
While we were there, we discovered a need that we hope you can help with. Next year, the program is slated to have double the students enrolled as it has this year. Which is great. Except that they only have one oven. There is not enough baking capacity to effectively teach this larger amount of students the hands-on skills that they need.
Because this program teaches work skills, we’re not asking for donations. And because most of you don’t live close enough to order bread, we can’t help raise money through sales.
So we asked if the students would share their delicious cinnamon bread recipe here with you. That way, should you decide to use it, you could donate the amount it would cost to purchase a loaf. Or whatever you calculate the value of the recipe to be. We think it’s priceless.
If you do contribute please send an email to beekman1802@beekman1802.com with your mailing address, so that we (Brent and Josh) can send you a personal thank you note. Programs like these are vital to our community, as they are to yours, and we would like to recognize your contribution.
Contributions can be sent to:
CRCS Special Programs Office
1353 State Route 7
P.O. Box 490
Richmondville, NY 12149
Checks should be made payable to “Bulldog Products”
Thank you and enjoy the recipe listed below the slide show.
(Special Thanks to the program’s amazing instructors and school administrators for allowing us to come share the day with them, including: Amy Durfey, Coreen Chacho, Sharon Suchocki, Colleen Williams)
Cinnamon Bread
(makes two loaves.)
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam
Step 2: Add salt and oil into the yeast, mix. Pour in all of the flour and mix until a ball of dough is formed in the mixing bowl. Knead dough until smooth is necessary. Place dough in well-oiled bowl, turn dough to coat. Place on an oiled sheet pan, put in the warming unit for 40 minutes.
Step 3: Punch down dough. Form into a ball and cut in half, and weigh each half to make sure that each half is the same weight.
Step 4: On the sheet pan, press down into a flat rectangle, (or use a rolling pin.)
Step 5: Sprinkle 1/3 cup of cinnamon sugar (see below) onto the dough, covering all of the area.
Step 6: Start with the shorter edge and roll tightly into a log. Pinch seams together, fold the ends under, and place seam side down in an oiled bread pan.
Step 7: Allow it to raise for 30 minutes in the warming unit.
Step 8: Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
Cinnamon sugar: 1 1/2 cups sugar + 3 tablespoons cinnamon.