Baking is often one of the first cooking experiences we have as children, but more often than not it’s sweet cakes and cookies that are on the menu. How about baking flatbreads with your kids instead?
Lots of people find the thought of making bread a daunting one. Getting the temperature right for the yeast, how long to prove it, how long to knead it, why isn’t it rising? The idea of making bread with your kids might be terrifying, but don’t worry, as we have the perfect solution – Jamie’s easy flatbreads.
Flatbreads are the oldest type of bread in the world and the simplest and easiest bread to make. As the name suggests, these easy flatbreads are no exception. No yeast and no proving, no baking – that’s right, you don’t even need an oven for this recipe!
Put aside some time this weekend and give it a try. Plan ahead, make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment you need laid out and ready to go and you can’t go wrong. I like to put all the ingredients out on the table in the order they will be needed, so the kids can clearly see what they need to do next. Admittedly there are only three in this recipe, but (especially if you are cooking with more than one child) it’s easy to forget that vital ingredient, (like the baking powder) in all the excitement!
You can also use this recipe to help reinforce and practise the skills your kids learn at school, without them even realising it. Get them weighing out the flour, recognising the numbers on the scales, or dividing up the dough into equal portions. Who knew maths could be so fun? Depending on the age of your child/ren you could even bring a bit of chemistry into it by talking about why butter melts, or how the acid in the yoghurt reacts with the baking powder in the flour to help the bread rise.
Of course you don’t have to bring the classroom into your kitchen; just have fun mixing, kneading and rolling!
Once you have your dough rolled out, it’s time to cook. The secret to the gorgeous chargrilled lines you can see in the picture above is a really hot griddle pan. As always when using hot pans with children supervision is important but helping your child to use a spatula to flip the breads over is a great skill to practice.
The recipe includes a delicious (optional) garlic butter which you can slather onto the hot flatbreads as they come off the grill, but you can also serve them plain. They are great as a snack served with lovely homemade dips, dunked in soup or served simply with grilled meat or fish.
Overcome your hesitations about making bread and give this recipe a try over the weekend. Please remember to share with us on Facebook and Twitter how you get on. We love hearing your stories and tips too!
