(A Bread Baker with a Horse-Loving Heart and a Gift for the Oven)
Today we’re shining the spotlight on someone who’s brought warmth, insight, and some incredible bakes to our group — Rose Burns!
Originally from upstate New York — the land of great pizza and stromboli — Rose now lives in south-central Pennsylvania, where her days are full of farm life and horses. But no matter how full her week is, bread is always on her mind:
“It is something that is on my mind pretty much daily… It’s never difficult to find a home for my baked goods — there are 96 employees around!”
Rose’s bread journey began in 1981 when an elderly neighbor gifted her a thin old Fleischmann’s booklet, When You Bake – with Yeast, four glass loaf pans, and a dinner invitation where she first tried “Speedy Pan Rolls.”
“I was hooked from then on.”
She still owns those pans and that booklet — though her skills have graduated well beyond speedy rolls. These days, she leans toward rustic loaves and easier week-to-week favorites like pizza, stromboli, cinnamon rolls, focaccia, and fridge-friendly sourdoughs.
Her approach?
Bake in the mornings. Keep the music uplifting. Let life be busy — but make time for what feeds the soul.
Rose also shared one of her most memorable mistakes (and we’ve all had them!):
“I grabbed the wrong dough from the fridge and made donuts with garlic dough. We all took a bite and were shocked! Now, I label everything.”
She offers solid advice for beginners:
“Start with simple techniques. There’s an acronym for FOCUS — Finish One Course Until Successful. Practice builds confidence. It’s hard to beat the feeling of accomplishment — no matter how small.”
Her latest baking goal?
Mastering a fully stuffed two-crust pizza. Friday nights are pizza nights in her home, and she’s experimenting with thin top crusts and sturdy bottoms to hold it all together.
“To me, baking is a gift given to me.”
We couldn’t agree more. Rose, thank you for sharing your story, your wisdom, and your kindness with our group.
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