First, a shout out to my Aunt Sue, who is always giving me the most thoughtful, personal gifts.  A couple of years ago, because she knows how much I love the mouse, she gifted me this glorious cookbook:



I love this cookbook, because it is full of all kinds of fun recipes that you can make with your kids.  Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Daphne was watching SuperWhy (she is obsessed with it) and on the Sprout show before, they were making teddy bear bread. 

Daphne got all excited (because she’s two) and I remembered seeing a recipe for just that in this cookbook.

So, I pulled it out, and today we made it.  I was surprised by how GOOD this bread was.  The recipe was called “The World’s Simplest Bread Dough” and the teddy bear was among several ways to shape it.  It was absolutely delicious.  Light, fluffy, just like a nice crusty loaf of french bread.  We  topped it with some garlic powder and salt on top of the egg wash and served it with homemade turkey noodle soup.

My daughter had an absolute blast making this with me. 

Highly recommend for a great activity to do with a toddler, even if you have to go buy store bought bread dough out of a tube, she had such fun shaping it and watching it rise, and then bake.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Disney’s Family Cookbook

The World’s Simplest Bread Dough:

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (for a tender, brown crust use 1/2 cup warm water and 1 1/2 cups milk)

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon Sugar
5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 Teaspoons salt

Instructions:
1. The key to activating the yeast is finding the right water temp. Don’t let this intimidate you: just think of bathwater. If it feels warm on the wrist, but not hot, it’s ready to pour into a bowl.

2. Add the yeast.

3. Measure the sugar into the bowl. If doing this with kids then explain that the sugar helps the yeast to grow.

4. Whisk until the sugar and yeast are dissolved.

5. Measure 2 cups of the flour into the bowl. Show your kids how to get an exact measurement: Spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level it off with a knife.

6. Whisk the mixture well, then let it “proof” or sit for 10 minutes. If tiny bubbles appear and the batter looks slightly expanded, you’re on the right track.

7. Stir in salt, then add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time.

8. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured flat surface.
9. To knead, fold the dough in half and push it down and away with the heel of your hand, rotate the dough and repeat until it is smooth and elastic. (Kneading can take up to 10 minutes) (You can also put it on the dough hook in your Kitchenaid mixer for 10 minutes on low)

10. Place the ball in a bowl greased with vegetable oil or butter and turn to coat.

11. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a draft-free area for 1 to 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. (I use plastic wrap)
12. Punch the dough down. (a fun job for kids to do)

14. Preheat oven 400 degrees and bake the bread for 25 minutes.