Giving a home-baked gift is a great way to show someone you care. This March, the Kansas Wheat Commission is teaming up with the Home Baking Association to promote Bake and Take Month. For more than 40 years, Bake and Take Month has been an opportunity to celebrate relationships with friends and family by baking and sharing treats.

“The purpose of Bake and Take Month is to encourage participants to bake a product made from wheat and take it to a neighbor, friend or relative,” said Cindy Falk, nutrition educator of Kansas Wheat and coordinator of Bake and Take Month.

“Bake and Take Month has a long tradition in Kansas as a promotion designed to educate consumers in the importance of home baking and wheat foods consumption,” Falk said. “The personal visit to members of the community is as rewarding and important as the baked goods you take them.”

Falk recommends trying Brown and Serve Rolls to share with friends and family for Bake and Take Month. For recipes and more ideas for Bake and Take Month, visit nationalfestivalofbreads.com or like the National Festival of Breads Facebook Page. Kansas Soybean Commission is also featuring Bake and Take Month recipes on its website at kansassoybeans.org. 

While a month long celebration might not be the right fit for some, Bake and Take Day, celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday in March, is a great opportunity for families and service groups to get together in the kitchen and around the oven. Prepare gifts of fresh-baked wheat foods for relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors and just about anyone who likes to eat. The visit when you deliver the baked goods is one of the most enjoyable aspects! Mark the date on your calendar and plan to participate. If you do bake it off, let Kansas Wheat and the Home Baking Association see your creations on social media.

If you’d like to share the joy of baking, but don’t feel like you have any baking talent, never fear! You can find great video tutorials on the Kansas Wheat Youtube channel and Facebook page. These videos focus on the basics of baking, and even some step-by-step instructions on recipes like Smokehouse Cranberry Cheese Bread, Rosemary Cardamom Twisters, Cupid’s Crunch and more. The Home Baking Association also has some great resources for beginners, as well as seasoned bakers, at their website www.homebaking.org.

Bake and Take Day began in 1970 as a community service project of the Kansas Wheathearts in Sumner County. The Kansas Wheathearts, an auxiliary organization of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, set out to share baked goods with family members, friends, neighbors, and those in need, generating goodwill in the community. The idea of a community member sharing a favorite recipe with someone special became so successful that the Kansas Wheathearts created a national Bake and Take Day celebration in 1973. Although the Kansas Wheathearts disbanded in 2001, the tradition continues to be supported by KWC and KAWG.