Baking Our Way Through Toddlerhood
Recently I decided to try bread baking with my 2 ½ year old daughter, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect . . . Was she still to little to try something like this? How hard would it be? Would the time consumption and mess be worth it? Would she like it the process and/or the bread?
Yes, I’m an over-analyzer. I’m a bit of worry wart at times. I mean if bread making (completely by hand) were so great why don’t more people do it?
After a little thought and searching for the right recipe or book I struck toddler bread making gold! It’s a wonderful book called “Baking Bread with Children” By: Warren Lee Cohen. And I discovered it while searching through Amazon.com and their Waldorf Education listings. I ordered it right away along with 2 lovely stoneware bread pans (nothing wrong with a little mama splurging every now and again;).
We decided to start off simple with the “Grandma’s Split Top Wheat Bread” which was so fun, we even made it again when Zea’s friend came over. It kept the girls so happily busy for the whole duration. We watched as the fairies in the yeast made bubbles so the bread could rise. We poured flour all over the table to knead our loaves. It was amazing!
Once the whole thing was done the kids & I ate about ½ a loaf! They couldn’t get enough . . . It was pretty good though. Next on the list was the awesome recipe for “cheesy snails” . . . and I’m sure you can imagine how much fun toddlers have making this one.
But the amazing thing about this book is that it takes bread making to a whole new level. There are folk tales about bread and bread making, songs (with simple music notations), poems, blessings, and discussion on nutrition, the benefits of bread baking and using imagination. In the back of the book there are great projects also. It even covers food sensitivities! I’m actually thinking about doing to “12 steps to making your own bread oven.”
Even though it can be time intensive, I seem to always be able to find the time between chores et cetera and nothing makes chores more fun than knowing your going to have home made bread soon . . . And to be able to smell it as you go about the days business. There are even a couple quick bread recipes. It’s the perfect way to spend real quality time as a family and I’m glad my daughter will have the memories to hold onto forever.
