Early Childhood Bread Recipe

Snack time at Nevada Sage Waldorf School is used to engulf the children's senses, as well as nourish them. There is something special about making snack from scratch every day to feed all the young children at our school. As you enter the front door, the smell of bread, soup, granola, oatmeal, is inhaled. As students have gotten older, they have expressed the nostalgia of childhood that enters their being whenever they experience the smell.

Baking bread with young children is often paired with storytelling and song. The combination of all the sensory experiences creates the foundations for many cognitive and manual skills. The songs and stories help a child make connections with nature and other people. Hearing a story about a farmer harvesting wheat, a miller milling the wheat, and a baker baking the bread can help them understand each essential step in the bread-making process. Therefore, children are using their feelings and thoughts in addition to their movements when they are kneading and playing with the bread dough. Bread-making is a well balanced activity that uses the head, heart, and hands.

The art of baking bread can be taken home now too! Below is the recipe we use. It is a forgiving recipe and can be altered until you create the bread of your liking. This makes it the perfect method for young helpers in the kitchen! Children love to help scoop, mix and knead, and maybe they can tell you a story that they have heard in class. The process of bread making offers a multi-sensory experience that is unlike any other.

Ingredients

2 tsp Yeast

1 Tbsp Honey

1 1/4 cup Warm Water (no hotter than 100 degrees)

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp oil

Flour (we use a mix of spelt, wheat, and white)

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together yeast, honey, and warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly and foamy.

2. Add 1 cup of flour to the mixture and whisk together. Let sit for 20 minutes or more until you can see the mixture slowly bubble. This is called a "sponge."

3. Add salt and oil to the sponge and stir 30 strokes.

4. Add more flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough is in a kneadable form.

5. Pour the dough out of the bowl onto a clean and lightly floured countertop or table. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes. This is also a great time to give a portion of the dough to your child to make snakes, snowmen, snails, or other creatures with. The act of them playing with the dough is a form of kneading!

6. After kneading, lightly oil the mixing bowl, and place the dough inside. Cover with a cloth and let the dough rise for 1 hour in a warm area.

7. Prepare a loaf tin or a baking sheet by oiling and dusting with flour.

8. After the dough has doubled in size, press out the air, and shape into rolls or a loaf. Place into the tin or on the baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and let rise again for 30 minutes.

9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

10. Bake the bread for 15-20 minutes. You will know it is done when the bottom sounds hollow when you tap on it and it is golden brown.

11. Eat fresh with butter and honey!

Learn more about our Early Childhood program!