"Bird Seed" Bread for Kids

By freshlyplanted - 12:23 PM


This might be our easiest yeast bread yet! And this was a perfect week for easy. I woke up to plumbing malfunction on Wednesday, with a basement flooded with septic water. So I quickly got dressed, got the kids woke up and dressed, and- since we had to shut off the water- headed to someplace with working bathrooms, breakfast, and lots of hot coffee. The rest of Wednesday was a blur, and by Thursday I was ready to take a deep breath and make some bread. It's hard to not breath deeper when you're baking, and kneading is always therapeutic for me, too. To keep it peaceful, I'll share some tips below for baking with kids. Baking is great math practice and a wonderful introduction to where food comes from. Food magically appears on store counters for most of our world, so connecting children to the process of making food is very important.

This is also edible science in action! Did you know that yeast is actually alive? Here is a great online article about teaching kids about yeast and how it works in bread. One of the best things about this bread is you don't have to wait all day for the yeast to rise- only two hours in the refrigerator. 

Since we're continuing to study The Burgess Bird Book for Children, we used only "bird seeds" in this dough. It was fun to hear Isia & Billy explain why birds like seeds- "They're easy for them to pick up."- and discuss why seeds are healthy for us, too. This led to a conversation about other foods we eat that animals like to eat, too: lettuce, carrots, meat, fish, etc. 

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"Bird Seed" Bread

"Bird Seed" Bread
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"Bird Seed" Bread

A Waldorf teacher once advised me to make bread ahead of time for the littlest children, especially if you're cooking for a class. That way they can enjoy the process, then enjoy the product right away. So smart! For young children at home, you could also mix the dough the night before, let it rise in the refrigerator overnight, then knead in the seeds together in the morning. We like start this process together after breakfast and bake the bread in time for lunch, or an early afternoon snack. 

“Bird Seed” Bread

 click here for printable version

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups warm water
2 tsp fast acting yeast
2 ½  cups white flour
¾ cup wheat flour
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
1/8  cup chia seeds

Instructions:
  1. In a small bowl, combine warm water (110-115 degrees) and yeast.  In a separate, large bowl add flours and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add the water-yeast mixture all at once. Stir with a large spoon until a well-combined, sticky dough forms. 
  2. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise in the refrigerator for at least two hours. While you wait, lightly spray a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. 
  3. Once the dough has risen, sprinkle your work area with flour and scrape the dough onto it. Knead it a few times, and then sprinkle on seeds.  Keep kneading, rolling the dough over any loose seeds, until everything’s combined. 
  4. Place the dough on the sprayed or parchment-lined baking sheet, sprinkling a light coat of flour on top to keep it moist, and let rest for 45 minutes.  While it’s resting, preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a metal pan on the lowest oven rack. Prepare 1 cup of hot water for the next step.
  5. When ready to bake, make a few ½ inch slashes on top of the bread. Place the bread, still on the pan, in the oven and carefully pour hot water into the metal pan on the lowest rack. Close the door quickly!
  6. Bake the bread for around 25 minutes, until it’s a nice golden brown. It should sound “hollow” if an adult knocks it carefully.
  7. Remove bread from the oven and cool on a rack. Any leftovers should be stored in an airtight container, or plastic bag, at room temperature. Enjoy!
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I'  I'm teaming up with Erin from The Usual Mayhem for fun activities to accompany "The Burgess Bird Book for Children." Here are other fun bird posts you won't want to miss: 

http://www.theusualmayhem.com/2016/02/5-minute-birds-nest-breakfast-with-recipe/

http://www.freshlyplanted.com/2016/02/bird-seed-favors.html

http://www.theusualmayhem.com/2016/02/bird-beak-adaptations/

We'll be posting for the next few weeks, so stay tuned! 
"Bird Seed" Bread | Freshly Planted
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