National champion.
Youngster Dayna Schaly of Burnstown celebrates her national win in the Beginners Best Bread Youth contest with Gladys Curry, chairperson of the Renfrew Fair’s junior fair committee.
Steve Newman, Renfrew Mercury
Competing comes naturally to 12-year-old Dayna Schaly of Burnstown.
But winning first place in a national bread-baking contest came as a big surprise.
The youngster recently received her grand prize, a Sony portable music player, for winning the Beginners Best bread youth category.
She did so with a double-braided bread after getting the translation from a neighbour’s German recipe.
There were three braids on the top layer and five on the bottom layer, while the bread had a golden look after being brushed with egg yolk.
“It’s pretty cool. I didn’t expect to win,” says Dayna, whose entry was judged at the national level after winning her junior division at the 2012 Renfrew Fair.
That win came after the 23-inch bread nearly didn’t fit in the oven at home.
“The fair has been a big part of her life,” says her mom, Marlene, whose daughter has competed at the fair since age four, while excelling in the horticulture and art categories.
“She hasn’t missed a year. It’s a lot of effort, but we value our country fair.”
In 2011, Dayna entered 22 categories, including several with the adults, and came away with 20 prizes, including 11 firsts.
In addition to her horticultural and artistic ventures, Dayna also enjoys making chocolate chip cookies and desserts.
“I don’t even do breads that much,” says Dayna.
“I think she likes the reward of seeing how well she does,” adds mom.
“She just does her best and feels really rewarded (doing that).”
Dayna’s winning entry was judged on appearance, taste, texture and recipe creativity.
“I’m very proud of her accomplishment,” said Gladys Curry, chairperson of the Renfrew Fair’s junior fair committee.
Curry noted the win came after the Renfrew Fair introduced youth bread-baking categories in 2012.
Marlene, and Dayna’s grandparents Hank and Hennie Schaly, are frequent competitors at the Renfrew Fair in the horticulture and/or art divisions.