Despite all internal arguments to the contrary, I have been trying my best to [gulp] cook more often with my children.
I know.
There’s a post brewing in my head about cooking with children, maintaining your sanity, and doing so without destroying your kitchen. I’ve accomplished the first in that list, the other two points, not so much.
So that post is still in process…
In the mean time, I’ve fallen in love with this simple and incredibly easy bread recipe!
We (and when I say “we”, I mean my 8 and 6 year old daughters) have been making this every.day. for snack time at around 3pm. (holybreadoverloadBatman)
They have it down to a science, so they know that it takes 10 minutes to dump, stir, knead, sprinkle flour everywhere, sneak bites and get the rolls into the oven.
Then, 10 minutes later, they’re done and ready for decorating. “Decorating? decorating…” you say? Of course. Because when you’re 6 years old, the fun part is making “frosting” for your dinner rolls”. (yes, that’s sweet potato puree).
What ever floats your boat, chica.
Personally, I prefer butter with these, but the chefs recommend the sweet potato…you can decide.
20 Minute Homemade Rolls
(makes 6-8 small rolls)
1 c. white whole wheat flour or spelt (these are our favorite)
1 c. thick yogurt or greek yogurt (use homemade if you can!)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tb. coconut sugar or sucanat
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Directions:
Preheat over to 350’F and line a small pan with parchment paper (we use a small cookie sheet).
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. This is a very forgiving recipe, so if you (or a little one) adds in a fuzz too much or too little flour, you can easily adapt (more on that in a second). Add in the yogurt and stir with a spoon until it becomes too stiff to use a spoon. At this point, roll up the sleeves, dig in, and start kneading. Knead just until combined and add flour in 1-2 Tb. increments until you get a dough stiff enough to form into balls.
One of the greatest parts about these rolls – they don’t need to rise! Simply grab the dough by small handfuls and form into small dinner rolls. Space them at least 2 inches apart on your pan and place them in the oven to cook for approximately 10 minutes.
Enjoy with butter (or…um. sweet potato frosting.)(whatever.)
A few notes:
-This recipe is PERFECT for soaking, and what a great lesson in soaking grains and flours for your kiddos! Simply combine ONLY the flour and yogurt and let it set at least 8 hours on the counter, covered. The next day, when you’re ready to make the rolls, add in the remainder of the ingredients and knead it WELL. It will be gooier than normal and will take a little more elbow grease to thoroughly incorporate the other ingredients. However, it’s totally worth it, and the rolls will taste a tad more like sourdough.
(For more info on soaking your flours, and WHY it’s a great idea to soak them, check out this fantastic article over at Nourishing Simplicity.)
-If you scrimp on the flour and end up with a wetter dough, simply drop them onto the parchment as you would drop biscuits. They still taste fantastic and they’re not quite as dense.
– Throw in 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/3 c. raisins, and approximately 2 extra tablespoons of flour and one extra tablespoon of sugar for a sweet breakfast roll.
Do you have any go-to recipes for simple breads and rolls?
Do you cook with your kids?
(and if you do and you have the magic formula for making it a little less stressful then please, for the love of a clean kitchen, comment below!)
This post is linked to Simple Lives, From the Farm, Fight Back Friday, Unprocessed Fridays, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Meals Friday, Fat Tuesday, Homestead Barn Hop, Thank Goodness it’s Monday, Homemaking Link-Up, Food Renegade
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