Hello to our amazing, brave families and readers.
We want to start by saying thank you. Thank you for your compassion, for your bravery, for your smiles, for your kind words and for your support over this challenging time. We are navigating uncharted waters and we are unsure of exactly where we will end up. But we are going together.
Many families are spending more time, or all of their time, at home. This can be challenging for people so used to spending time out of the house. We will be using the blog as a way to share some ideas and tips for families who want to bring a little Flinders home with them. If you would like to receive all our posts in your inbox, please go to the About page on your PC, scroll to the bottom and enter your email. On your mobile device a “follow” box will hover on the bottom of your screen; tap on that to enter your email.
Many children at Flinders have baked bread over the last couple of years. Whilst at this time we have suspended our cooking programs, you might like to have a go at baking bread at home.
Easy Bread
adapted from Baking Bread with Children by Warren Lee Cohen
Ingredients
1kg strong flour (we use half white, half wholemeal)
100g extra flour, as needed to keep dough from sticking
30ml natural sugar (we use honey)
15ml dried yeast
600ml warm water (body temperature)
30ml vegetable oil
Method
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar. Let the liquid rest in a warm place for 10 minutes, until it is bubbly and smells yeasty. If the water is too hot (above 50°C) this will kill the yeast. If it is below 20°C it will move very slowly
- Mix the salt into the yeast and slowly add this to the flour until it comes together into a blob. the dough should still be soft and slightly sticky to the touch
- Sprinkle some flour onto a clean work surface (the right height is between waist and navel). Knead the dough, folding in the loose flour until the dough is elastic but does not stick to your hands or the counter. It is better to start with dough that is too wet and add flour than to have it be too dry and have to add more water, although that too can be done. knead with vigour for 10 minutes. this is the perfect time to sing a bread song!
- Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a moist tea towel to keep in moisture. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours until it doubles in volume.
- Press the dough down to release extra gas. Treat it gently. Cut the dough in half and shape into loaves by stretching and folding the dough so that is has a nice taut skin on top without any creases. Place in greased baking tins with any seams on the underside. let is rise again until the volume doubles, about 1/2 an hour.
- Bake in a preheated over at 200°C for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. The underside will give a hollow, wooden sound when tapped with a finger.
- Let the bread cool for 20 minutes before slicing. this completes the baking process and improves the final texture.
- Enjoy!
