Bread is the most widely consumed food on the planet and has a rich history that some scientists speculate may date back at least 30,000 years. Mixing water and grains to make gruel has been a popular practice in prehistoric times, and it took a short amount of time before people were cooking the mixture to make bread. The reason why it has been a staple in our diet is not only because it’s rich in carbohydrates, which represent an important source of energy, but because it’s easy to make.
If you want to have a fun, indoor activity that you can do with your kids, you should consider baking bread. This is a great way to introduce your children to the basics of cooking. No matter how delicious food at a restaurant can be, there’s something about making your own at home that makes it taste unique. It’s very rewarding to eat something that you prepared. Something as simple as baking bread can give your kids a sense of accomplishment that will fuel their future passions and interests.
Most people are used to buying bread at a bakery or supermarket. Because of that a lot of adults don’t know how to make bread at home. Today, you’re going to learn that it’s incredibly simple and something that you can teach your kids even if they don’t have any experience in the kitchen.
Use a Bread Making Machine
The most straightforward method for baking bread is to use a bread machine. Before you learn about how to do this, it’s important to keep in mind that there are many different bread machines available on the market today. That means that you shouldn’t buy the first one you come across. Some of these products can break down easily and not even produce good bread, so it’s important to do research before you make a purchase.
After you get a bread machine, there are a few things you should find out before you start teaching your kids how to make bread. First of all, you should learn what your bread bucket capacity is. Another thing is to get familiar with the settings to ensure your bread gets baked to perfection every time.
Now that you’ve figured out the basics of how to use your machine, it’s time to get all of the required ingredients. The most basic bread requires only four ingredients – flour, water, yeast, and salt. However, your kids may be more inclined to bake their own bread if you introduce them to different varieties.
You can show encourage them to make bread if you give them a recipe for a delicious loaf that also includes milk, butter, and a bit of sugar. If you have a small bread machine that can be used to make a 1-pound loaf of bread, you can try the following recipe:
· 2/3 cup water
· ¼ cup lukewarm milk
· 2 ½ cups flour
· 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
· 1 teaspoon dry yeast
· 2 tablespoons butter
· 5 teaspoons sugar
The process of baking bread using a bread machine is incredibly simple. You simply have to put all of the ingredients in the order recommended by the manufacturer and the machine will take care of the rest. Make sure to teach your kids why it’s important to put ingredients in a particular order. This is a lesson that they’ll be able to use even when they start making complex meals.
For instance, you can teach them an important lesson on why it’s recommended to put salt later on in the baking process. This is because salt can have a negative impact on yeast growth. In case you were to make bread without salt, you’d see it rise faster and more than before. Of course, that’ll ultimately destroy your bread and make a lot of irregular holes in it.
Bread in a Bag
Bread machines are an excellent way to teach your kids about the basics of baking, especially if they’re very young. In case you’re confident that your children would be able to make bread by themselves without the help of a machine, you should teach them this method.
What a lot of people don’t know is that you can make bread in a bag. Although it may sound silly, this is a fun and simple way to make a delicious loaf of bread. For this recipe, you’ll need a big Ziploc bag and the standard ingredients.
The ingredients you use depends on the recipe you choose to follow. Here, you’re going to learn about the general process of making bread in a bag, so you’ll choose the recipe and the ingredients. The first step should be to grab a bowl and pour flour, sugar, and yeast into it. Mix these ingredients in your bowl and afterward pour them into the Ziploc bag.
Once you do that, add water and seal up the bag. Make sure to help your kids with these first few steps, especially if they’re very young. After you seal up the bag, give your child the bag and let them shake and mix all the ingredients. This will undoubtedly be a fun activity for your child. In case you have more than one kid, let them each take a turn in the shaking and mixing process.
After this step is done, you should wait about 10 minutes to let the mixture proof. Once 10 minutes have passed, grab a bowl and use it to mix flour and salt. Pour this mixture into the Ziploc bag and let your kids shake and smoosh it again. If the recipe requires it, add melted butter to the bag along with the mixture of flour and salt.
After the dough starts pulling away from the bag, add one final cup of flour and start shaking the ingredients in the bag. Pull the mixture out of the bag and onto a floured kitchen surface that your kids can reach. Show them how to knead the dough and let them do this for around 10 minutes.
Grease your loaf pan and put the dough inside it. Cover it with a piece of cloth and leave it for half an hour to rise. The dough will now be ready for baking!
