Community bakery in Miaoli gives older cooks a chance to get into baking

Community bakery in Miaoli gives older cooks a chance to get into baking

2023-05-26

A community bakery in rural Miaoli is a boon for local consumers, older adults and the wider community. The Shuiwei community bakery is a place for older cooks to learn the skills of baking, and produce breads for their neighbors. Every weekend, there’s too much demand for the delicious loaves, which sell out in just a few hours. And the bakery donates its profits back into community projects.

A chewy chocolate and cranberry loaf is cut open, filling the air with a delicious scent.

In no time at all, the matcha bread is also coming out of the oven. These products are made in Shuiwei Community in Miaoli’s Houlong Township. The older women of the community come together each weekend to get baking.

They handle everything from kneading the dough to shaping the loaves. The average age of the bakers is well over 60. They’re all experienced cooks who have picked up the skills of baking fast. Their handmade bread is barely out of the oven before it’s sold out.

Member of public
I just got a loaf of black rice bread. The others all sold out so fast. They’re not like bread elsewhere. I think they have a fantastic texture.

The bread is sold fresh in the community. All the baking processes are open and transparent to customers. And the ingredients are sourced from local small farmers wherever possible.
Liang Ching-wen
Shuiwei Borough chief, Houlong Township
We use local ingredients as much as we can, including onions grown by some of our farmers, and even green peppers, and so on. We put them in too.

The community bakery is only open on the weekends. It’s something to look forward to each week for locals, as well as for the bakers. Even the profits of the enterprise are put back into the community. For Shuiwei, it’s a win-win-win.

阿嬤的手作麵包出爐就秒殺 ! 周末限定

2023-05-26

苗栗後龍鎮水尾社區，有一群專門製作手工麵包的長者，每個周末都會齊聚在社區製作手工麵包，香噴噴的麵包出爐，立刻就會秒殺。而麵包也都選用在地食材，照顧在地小農，而賣出麵包的收入，都直接回饋社區，讓社區發展越來越好。

巧克力蔓越莓麵包，散發淡淡蔓越莓香氣，口感扎實。

沒一會兒時間，烤箱裡的抹茶麵包也出爐了，這些麵包來自苗栗後龍鎮的水尾社區，社區的婆婆媽媽，每個周末都會齊聚在社區製作麵包。

從揉麵團到塑型都得自己來，製作麵包的長者平均年齡60歲，但是人人都有烹飪經驗，一學就會，而這些手作麵包，一出爐通常就會秒殺。

[[民眾]]
“買到黑米麵包而已，其它的都沒了都秒殺，跟外面的都不一樣，我覺得吃起來真的口感非常好”

現作現賣的手作麵包，就在社區進行，料理過程全部公開透明，而麵包製作的食材，也都盡量挑選當地小農生產。

[[後龍水尾里里長梁清文]]
“就盡量用在地原物料，包括我們農民有種植一些蔥啊，甚至於青椒之類的，我們也把它加進去”

社區麵包店，周末限定版，長者開心手作麵包，收入回饋社區，善不斷循環，也有成就感。

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