Homebound Activities: Making Bread!

Since we are in Maine and winter is coming I figured I would also post fun things to do with your kiddos indoors when you just feel like staying indoors. I know it's super tempting to throw on a movie and popcorn to snuggle on the couch. From personal experience very time I do that I feel like crud. Who is really benefitting from this experience in the long run?  Since I have been home on leave I have been spending A LOT  with the two IN the house. All of this time indoors brought me back tot he days when I was with my Grandmother at her house and the things I would do with her.

We, my daughter and I, have started a weekly tradition of making breads. Since most of the time the recipes make two loafs we have been giving a loaf to friends that means a lot to us. I feel this works on so many skills and teaches her a lot. We do math (counting when adding ingredients), fine motor and gross motor skills ( scooping, pouring, leveling and mixing), sensory ( kneading the dough), science (watching it proof and raise) and social skills ( delivering to people we care about/ thinking of others). This does make a mess, again cleaning up is a learning opportunity as well! Below is the recipe we use and it's an idea to teach your children to give!

Wheat Bread Recipe

• 1 Tbs. dry yeast
• 3 1/2 cups warm water ( 110- 115 degrees)
• 1 Tbs. raw sugar
• 2 tsp. salt 
• 8-9 cups whole wheat flour

Grease two large loaf pans (9 x 5 x 2 3/4)

Pour water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast over it. Wait at least 5 minutes before it completely dissolves. Add sugar, salt and 4 cups of flour. Stir well ( I use this as an chance to practice our counting too). Continue stirring and adding flour, a little at a time, until dough becomes stiff and pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn the dough out on a floured board and knead for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Divide dough into two equal parts, shape and place in bread pans. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until it doubles in bulk.

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until done

What we do with the left over flour and dough remains is add a little water and let our daughter play with the dough. She usually asks to add spices, I may let her and let her sniff them and tell her what she is smelling. Sometimes she brings it to her play kitchen and bakes her own bread or put the dough in cupcake holders and makes "cupcakes". I let her be creative with it and have fun. She always get excited about delivering the bread to friends and I always feel good knowing how excited she gets to share our work with people we care about. Building community is so important to us and being able to give back to folks. I know we have one neighbor that gave us some of her surplus tomatoes she didn't know what to do with and she is next on our list :)