Sunday, May 11, 2008

Food Crafts For Kids: Baking Tasty Bread Rolls


This is one of our food crafts for kids that can serve as a science lesson as well. You can explain to the kids how the yeast grows on the flour and sugar to produce carbon dioxide and that it is the bubbles of carbon dioxide trapped in the dough that gives the bread its lovely soft texture.

As this craft use heat, it must be done with adult supervision. I also do not think the kids will mange the kneading on their own. Make sure you use oven mitts when you take the rolls out of the oven.

What you need for this craft:

  • 1 lb Strong white bread flour
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 2 Teaspoons easy-blend instant yeast
  • 2 Teaspoons sugar
  • 1 Cup of boiled cooled water (you may need a little more depending on the strength of the flour)
  • 2 Tablespoons of oil
  • Milk for brushing
  • A food brush
  • A greased baking tray
  • A large glass bowl
  • A wooden spoon
  • Sesame seeds
  • Oven mitts
  • Wire rack

How to do this craft:

  1. Sift the flour and the salt into a glass bowl.
  2. Add the sugar and yeast and stir it in.
  3. Pour the warm water and the oil into this mixture and stir it in with the wooden spoon to make a soft dough (the water must only be warm and not too hot or it will kill the yeast and your bread rolls will not rise.)
  4. Now you have to dust a clean work surface with flour.
  5. Place the dough onto this surface and gently knead it until soft and elastic.
  6. Keep on kneading, folding the dough and kneading again for about 10 minutes (you and mom will have to take turns!)
  7. Place the dough back into your bowl and cover it with plastic cling wrap.
  8. Leave the dough in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size. This should take about 1 ½ hours.
  9. Going back to your work surface, sprinkle it with flour again and knead it for about a minute to squeeze out any large air bubbles.
  10. Now you break the dough into 12 even pieces.
  11. Roll each piece into a ball and place it on your baking tray.
  12. Cover the rolls with cling wrap and let them rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size (about 40 minutes)
  13. Preheat the oven to 4250 F or gas mark 7.
  14. Brush the rolls with a little milk and sprinkle it with the sesame seeds.
  15. Bake the rolls in the oven for 12-15 minutes until done (to test if they are done knock on them lightly and they should sound hollow, remember to use oven mitts!)
  16. Take the rolls out of the oven and leave them to cool in the baking tray for two minutes.
  17. Place them on a wire rack to cool.

You may be wondering why the rolls stop rising once in the oven. It is because the heat of the oven kills the yeast and it stops growing. So, in this food craft for kids we have learned about yeast and how it works in the baking process. This is an example of food crafts for kids that can be very helpful in homeschooling.

As summer is coming you may be looking for summer crafts, you can get really fun summer crafts at Fun Kids Craft And on the same site you can get Bible Crafts to turn any bible story lesson into a fun activity. If you are looking for even more crafts you will find lots of crafts at Fun Kid Crafts and Bible Crafts for kids.

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