Local Blogger Teaches Kids the Fun of Baking
In honor of Bake for Family Fun Month, Explore is turning to the expertise of local blogger Stacey Weichelt of Little Spoons and Spice! The blog focuses on cooking healthy with her daughter and identical triplet boys, introducing them to the joy of cooking with age-appropriate tasks. Read our interview with Stacey here! Visit www.LittleSpoonsandSpice.com and its Facebook page for more recipes and ideas.
Who doesn’t love fresh homemade bread? We put a nutritious and simplified twist on basic homemade dinner rolls. Our secret weapon… a bread machine!
I know, I know, this kinda sounds like cheating. But it’s really not. It’s a just tool in your toolbox. If you’re a busy family that loves the smell and taste of fresh-baked bread, then a bread machine is a must. I primarily use the “dough” setting, which makes it simple to customize to any shape or size, but eliminates the hard part. It saves time, and the kids love watching it work.
Once you hear the “beep”, you and the kids get to divide and form the dough into buns or bread. The kids love this part; it reminds them of play-dough. If it takes a while to form the dough, I cover both the unused and already formed dough with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
The tricky part of getting your buns to rise is finding a warm spot in the house in the middle of winter. Near a fireplace or in an oven works great, and the target temperature is between 80℉-90℉.
OK, LET’S START BAKING. HERE’S A LIST OF SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED:
- Bread Machine
- Cutting board
- Kid friendly knife or plastic knife
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Plastic cling wrap
- Baking pan
KID SKILL LEVEL TASKS
Every child’s ability will vary depending on maturity or cognitive and physical development. Parents need to use their own discretion when assigning tasks. These are general guidelines for the 7 Grain Dinner Rolls.
18 MONTHS – 3 YEARS OLD
- Name and count ingredients with child
- Add ingredients to bowls (except egg)
- Press start button on bread machine
- Assist with kneading dough
3 – 5 YEARS OLD
- All of the younger tasks
- Measure and count ingredients
- Cut, knead and form dough with assistance
- Arrange formed dough in pan
6 – 9 YEARS OLD
- All of the younger tasks
- Crack egg into bowl
- Cut, knead and form dough without assistance
10 – 12 YEARS OLD
- All of the younger tasks
- Put buns in oven
- Remove buns from oven, depending on skill level
- Place cooked buns on cooling rack
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
Wash everyone’s hands!
Clean all work surfaces before starting.
Leave tasting until the end. Your child might not understand the different from a ready to eat ingredient or a raw unsafe ingredient.
It is okay for your kitchen to get a little messy.
Keep in mind that your child is learning, so patience is key!
7 Grain Dinner Rolls
Prep time
6 hours
Serves: 20 rolls
Ingredients
1⅓ cups plus 1.5 Tbsp warm water (110℉)
1 Tbsp yeast active dry
3 Tbsp dry milk powder
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp honey or real maple syrup
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
2½ cups bread flour
¾ cup 7 grain mix (flax, oats, etc)
Instructions
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- Add warm water to bread machine. Sprinkle in yeast and let set for 5-10 minutes. This gives the yeast time to activate.Place the remaining ingredients into the bread machine. Set your bread machine to “dough” setting and press “start”.
- When the bread machine “beeps”, you are ready to start forming the dough. I start by cutting the dough in halves until I get the desired size. This helps stay consistent in bun size. I knead each dough ball then shape into a ball.
- Place final dough into a greased baking pan, allowing enough space between each dough ball for room to rise (approximately ½ inch). If you prefer to make bread, skip cutting the dough and knead and place into bread pan(s).
- Cover buns with moist towel or cling wrap and let rise in a warm spot, preferable between 80℉-90℉. May take up to 2-4 hours depending on temperature of room.
- Remove towel or cling wrap and bake at 350℉ until golden brown (approx. 10-12 minutes).
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Tip: Cover the formed buns and any dough with a damp towel while you aren’t working with it. This helps prevent it from drying out.
Tip: If you don’t have a warm place to set the buns to rise, try turning your oven on the lowest setting for a few minutes, then turn it off. Let buns rise in the warm but cooling oven. Place a bowl of warm water in the bottom of the oven to add moisture.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 roll Calories: 99 Fat: 2 g Saturated fat: 0 Unsaturated fat: 2 g Trans fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 18 g Sugar: 3 g Sodium: 242 mg Protein: 3 g Cholesterol: 7 mg
