About The Story

Leola Bakes  was inspired by the author,  Stephanie K. Dunlap’s, grandmother, Leola. I enjoyed my grandmother’s storytelling and the reading of what became, two of my favorite books. As a little girl my family – my grandparents, their eleven children, my mother, Barbara is the oldest, their spouses, and eighteen grandchildren gathered for dinner most Sundays at my grandparent’s home in the Bronx, New York. While the younger children and grandchildren sat encircled on the floor in the kitchen listening to my grandfather tell stories or playing his favorite tunes on his trumpet, I’d occasionally look over at my grandmother wearing her favorite apron, while baking our much-loved biscuits.

My grandmother always kept the biscuits fresh by placing them in a special stainless-steel pot where the whole family could reach in it when it was time to go home and take as many as they liked. My aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and I continue to talk about and share these special memories and our times together. Unfortunately, my grandmother’s biscuit recipe remains a mystery, as the family never knew the ‘secret’ to the special biscuit mix!

So, gather your family and friends and have a good time baking the Breakfast Biscuits and the Le Ola Beurre Biscuits recipes found in my book…and include a dash of your very own ‘secret ingredient’! 

Join Leola as she travels the world, makes new friends, learns new words and cultures while reinforcing her reading, math and science skills through the art of baking. 

Leola is inspired by her mother’s love of baking and more important how the two share that love with each other by building memories and enjoying family time, through their Saturday ritual of baking the “Breakfast Biscuits”.

Leola is excited about her adventures! In her travels she has the opportunity to meet new people! She is always eager to learn new recipes from other cities or countries while having fun sharing her own recipes! 

What is a recipe?

A recipe is a list of instructions for preparing and or creating a particular baked product or dish, that includes a formula of required ingredients. Leola likes to add a secret ingredient to her recipes. 

Reading and Baking:

Learn to read while baking! Have your child choose a recipe they’d like. Let them read the recipe from start to finish first. If they don’t know how to read yet, you or someone else can read it for them. Have them respond by repeating or echoing the recipe. Have them check off each step and each added ingredient. This will help them identify and teach them new words. Leola always helped her mother in the kitchen. When she was very young, she enjoyed putting on one of her mother’s favorite apron’s. Then she would help by putting the bowls or spoons on the table or counter, when she grew tall enough to reach it. 

Math and Baking:

Ask these questions. What is the shape of the product I will bake? A square, a circle, a rectangle or a triangle? How many of my baked product will my recipe make? Six (6), twelve (12), twenty-four (24)?

When measuring the required ingredients, be sure to pour or add the exact amount into your measuring cup or measuring spoons. Leola’s Breakfast Biscuits have a round shape and her Le Ola Biscuits have a triangle shape.

Science and Baking:

Baking is a science! Whether it’s liquid or dry form, carefully measure your ingredients. The exact measurement will create the right balance for your baked product. When you’re ready, like Leola you can add your very own ‘secret ingredient’!

A child’s age will determine how much participation they can handle through the art of baking. Be creative, they can enjoy baking at almost any age!