One day, the Little Red Hen found a grain of wheat while scratching the ground. She decided to plant it. “Who will help me plant this grain of wheat?” she asked. We all know what happened after that. The Little Red Hen enjoyed her bread without any help at all.

She was just fine, thank you, and probably ate it warm with delicious butter pooling in the little air pockets, and maybe some Portland strawberry jam or local honey on top. Perhaps she made paninis with her bread, filling them with thinly sliced country ham, cheddar cheese and roasted red peppers. Did she add rosemary and garlic to her bread? Did she use the leftover bread to toast homemade croutons? So many possibilities for one little hen. But, that is bread. Our daily bread. Our gift of finest wheat.

Though we do not live on it alone, it offers a broad starting point. Tennessee offers ideal growing conditions for soft red winter wheat. It is well suited to flours for breads, cakes, cookies and other baking. Flour mills dot the map in a consistent pattern across the state. Big and small mills distribute fine Tennessee flour every year. How else are we supposed to make our signature biscuits?

Beyond the biscuit, here are a few recipes to celebrate the comforts of winter, the season of giving and the tradition of baking.