Baking Bread....a wonderful sensory experience.

Ahhhh the smell of fresh baked bread, there is nothing like it.  I love making bread with my little helper.  Especially kneading the dough.  We rarely play with playdough anymore as we've pretty much got a batch of bread dough on the go every other day. It smells wonderful, tastes pretty good and the texture is just so lovely to work with.  As far as sensory play goes this one's definitely a winner in my book.

I usually just halve the dough and each of us work with our half and chat and laugh and swap and taste test and laugh and swap again until we think the dough is ready for a rest.

Later we come back to see how much it has grown.  My little helper is always amazed at how much the dough has risen. Then there is nothing but pure joy on his face as he pushes the blob back to the bottom of the bowl.




Versatile Loaf

500g flour
2tsp yeast
2tsp sugar
2tsp salt
300ml luke warm water

*Combine yeast, sugar and water.
*Leave this to sit for no more than 5 min.
*If it's all bubbly,  yeah! If not, it's dead, throw in away and start again.
*Add yeast mixture to dry ingredients.
*Kneed for 10 min or so.
*Leave in draft free place to rise, it should double in size.
*Push back down, kneed briefly and place in loaf tin to rise again. Only about half an hour, just so the dough is 3/4 to the top of the tin.

Bake. 180*C . 20min.

You can add saltanas or any other flavour you like to this base.