We all have bad days…alarm fails to go off and everyone is late, coffeemaker filter had a hole in it and your mouth is full of coffee grounds, you’ve just finished buttoning and zipping your toddler’s outfit and he spills his breakfast all over it…and these are the little things.  Health, relationships, finances…we won’t even go there!

Life can definitely be frustrating.  I’ve found that baking bread, especially with young children, can lift your spirits, help lessen anxiety and get rid of negative feelings (all that kneading and punching down the dough…I think bakers must be among the most peaceful people in the world).  It also provides a wonderful activity (with science and math concepts) for you and your preschooler AND everyone gets to enjoy delicious homemade bread!

When my children were young, we baked bread at least twice a week.  They had fun.  The house smelled like heaven.  Here is a recipe for their favorite bread.

CHILD-FRIENDLY SWEET WHEAT BREAD

You will need: 2 cups warm milk, 2 packages of yeast, 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup honey, 1 egg beaten, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup wheat germ (optional), 5 cups (or a little more) flour, 1 Tb milk, 1 Tb honey, large bowl and 2 lightly greased loaf pans.

1. Combine milk and yeast in large bowl and mix well.  Then beat in 1 cup flour.
2. Add canola oil, honey, egg, salt, vanilla and wheat germ and beat well.
3. Add enough flour (about 4 cups) gradually, mixing till you can knead the dough.
4. Knead 5-10 minutes (you can give your child a small piece of his own to work on), keeping a little flour nearby for your hands if the dough is too sticky.
5. Put kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean cloth (dish towel is fine) and let rise for about an hour.  Then punch down(YES! Get rid of all those negative feelings…you and your child will be laughing by the time you finish punching the dough) and shape into loaves and let rise till a finger mark remains when you press a finger into the dough (about 1/2 hour).
6. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake about 25 minutes.  Brush tops with milk and honey, if desired, and bake 5 more minutes.  Cool on wire racks. 
7. Makes 2 regular-size loaves or 4 or 5 mini-loaves.

The new parenting book I’ve just written has quite a few delicious, child-friendly bread recipes that have been favorites in our home for decades.  Encourage your young children to help with the planning and preparation of family meals. It will provide a GREAT boost to their self-esteem.  Positive parental participation develops a life-long parent-child bond. 

So, make it a GOOD day…bake some bread!

Have any healthy, child-friendly recipes to share?  I’m going to be setting up a contest to solicit recipes for my next book…winners get a free copy of the book (SHOW ME HOW!  CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING) and their recipe will appear in the book with credit given to them.