Bread Baking with Children

In this special tutorial video, Sarah shares her favorite bread recipe which she used for many years in her Waldorf kindergarten classroom. Baking is a wonderful activity for children, teaching them a variety of real-world skills as they prepare a tasty meal!

Kindergarten Bread Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
1 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt
4 cups unbleached white bread flour
4 cups whole wheat flour

Optional:
Cinnamon
Raisins
Dried currants
Sunflower seeds
Oats
Millet
Sesame seeds
Poppy seeds

Overnight Prep

The night before you plan to bake bread, mix a teaspoon of honey in a cup of lukewarm (not hot) water. Sprinkle 1 tsp. yeast on top. Allow the yeast to float on the surface of water – do not stir!

Set this in a warm place until foamy (15-30 minutes). Put 3 cups of warm water in a large mixing bowl. The water should not be too hot. Make sure you can hold your finger comfortably in the water while you count to ten. Add 1 tsp. salt and a large wooden spoonful of honey. Mix well. Add the yeast mixture and stir again. Stir in enough flour (half whole wheat and half white bread flour) to make a bread “sponge” the consistency of thick mud. Beat with a wooden spoon for 100 strokes. Cover with a damp towel, and let the sponge sit overnight.

The Next Day

Stir in approximately 2-3 more cups of flour (half whole wheat, half white bread flour) until the dough is kneading consistency and comes away from the sides of the bowl.Knead on a well-floured board or table, using more flour as needed, for 10-15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.Shape into rolls. Place on an oiled cookie sheet and allow to rise in an oven set to “Warm” for 10-15 minutes, or until doubled in size.Raise oven temperature to 350 and bake for approximately 1 hour until the rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Serve with tea, honey-butter, cheese and fruit. Freeze leftover bread. Warm up and serve with soup!

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