Elementary School Students Bake Bread for Hope 7 Food Pantry

TROY, NY (03/20/2012)(readMedia)-- On Thursday, March 22nd our 3/4 and 5/6 class students will be taking part in the King Arthur Life Skills Bread Baking Program.

The Program (sponsored by King Arthur Flour company) has reached more than 155,000 students nationwide since it began in 1992, providing kids with a fun, real-world application for skills they're already learning in school – math, science, reading, planning, problem solving, and more. And they get to use their new skill to help people in their community.

The project begins with a demonstration on the bread baking process (approx 45 min.). Then, each student receives his/her materials to bake two loaves of bread. Once the loaves of bread are made, the bread will be donated to Hope 7 Community Center in Troy. The Center's mission is to provide life essential services to the community through their food pantry and community center.

The Life Skills basic bread recipe (from KingArthurFlour.com)

Makes 2 loaves (takes about 3½ hours to make)

Ingredients

2 cups warm water

¼ cup sugar

1 packet Red Star Active Dry Yeast

2 cups King Arthur Organic White Whole Wheat Flour

1 tablespoon salt

¼ cup vegetable oil

4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Directions

In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and 2 cups King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour. Cover mixture with a clean towel and let stand 10 minutes until bubbly.

Stir in salt and vegetable oil.

Stir in King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, 1 cup at a time. When the dough holds together and most of the flour is mixed in, plop dough out onto a clean, floured surface.

Knead the dough. Sprinkle your hands or the work surface with just enough flour to prevent sticking. Use your dough scraper, too. After 5 minutes, take a break and let the dough rest.

Scrape out the mixing bowl, and smear a little oil all around the inside.

Knead the dough for a few more minutes. (When you lightly press the dough with your fingertips, it should bounce right back.) Put the dough into the oiled bowl, flip the dough once, and cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel. Put the dough in a warm place to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a floured surface. Divide the dough in half and form into desired shapes.

Grease a baking sheet; put your loaves on it. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a clean towel and let the dough rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Carefully remove plastic wrap and slash the tops of the loaves or baguettes with a sharp knife. Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Cool the bread on a rack. Enjoy!