Making My First Loaf #fail

For my first attempt I followed heyitstheleos TikTok bread recipe. I already had yeast in the house so I decided to use that; however, I later found out that the yeast was infact dead.

I am not very familiar with proofing yeast so I thought that the reaction it made in warm water was expected. After a failed attempt of making bread and the inside not cooking, I tested the yeast and did more research and googled what proofed yeast should look like. There were mixed reviews with some peoples yeast very bubbly and foaming and others with very slight bubbles. I thought maybe my yeast was on track to proofing and was just slow. I added a little bit of honey to help feed it, which an experienced bread making friend of mine, Jamie, had shared with me to try. After an hour of waiting and continuously checking on its progress, I came to terms that it was never going to proof and the yeast was dead. The following day I went and bought new traditional yeast from the supermarket. As soon as I arrived home I tested it by adding a 1tsp and 1.5 cups of warm water to a bowl. After 20 minutes I noticed bubbles and foaming, which you can see in the video below.

I decided to remake heyitstheleos bread recipe and I notice a big difference. The dough doubled in size over three hours, the loaf rose in the oven, and the inside was fully cooked!

It was glorious! I was incredibly happy with the results of this loaf. Though the taste could be improved and I would prefer if it was less dense, I was very proud of my creation. Moving forward, I am going to try different recipes with other ingredients in hopes to make the most delicious bread and learn more about baking bread.

What I learned about myself during the experience: I learnt that I am resilient and though I wanted to give up again after that first failed loaf, I was more desperate to solve the problem. I was constantly thinking about what went wrong, revisiting my steps and how I could change my approach. I learnt that I am the type of person who wants to get it right on the first try, but I need to learn that that isn’t always the case. These setbacks are learning opportunities and I will come out with a greater understanding and appreciation for my results.

How I will use this experience to inform my teaching practice:  I think this experience of setbacks and not achieving ideal results immediately is common amongst students, as well as teachers. Knowing and understanding that things take time, patience and practice, will allow me to be more comfortable in the non-linear approaches to learning and will assist me when helping students learn. I am a Type A person and when it comes to teaching I want everything to be successful, but that is not realistic. Students are diverse in their needs and learning approaches, therefore, I need to also be willing to adjust and re-evaluate how I teach. What could help my students best? How can I change my approach? Perhaps We need to take a couple steps back in order to go forward.

How would I design similar personal learning experiences with students: I think when designing personal learning experiences for students, I would include a reflective procedure. Students research, aim and work towards one target/goal, experiment, then reflect on what they know, analyze their problems or what they are missing, go back to researching, and continue the cycle while documenting their progress. I really like this diagram that demonstrates the reflective learning practice by Montclair State University: