Baking with Kids- Quick Bread Rolls

Bread Rolls by Chinskitchen

About a week ago, my 6 year old son came home with so much excitement and joy, he couldn’t wait to get through the front door to show me the bread roll he made at school. The pride on his face was priceless, it was the first time he said he wanted to eat his seeded bread roll for tea and I didn’t stop him. Since his first attempt at bread making was so successful he decided that he wanted fresh bread rolls for breakfast the next day.The next day due to a teacher’s strike he had no school hence this request, so being a Wednesday evening and after a long day cleaning the house and tidying up I was totally exhausted and in no mood to make more mess to clear up but as he wanted these rolls for breakfast I physically and mentally found the strength from somewhere to allow a 6-year-old loose in my kitchen and that even with flour. It was 9.00 pm and we just started the bread making process, prior to that I searched online for an easy recipe he could follow as all my bread baking books have recipes requiring a few other ingredients. I came across a quick bread roll recipe on a childminder’s forum and adapted it. My son was having a whale of a time with all the mixing, playing with flour and sticky hands, as much as I was getting itchy to clean up as we go along but, I held it off till later. For me this was a brilliant experience for my son due to his ASD related difficulties, he was able to follow simplified instructions, enjoy sensory input, find it relaxing when kneading the dough and positive achievement of having bread rolls at the end. I have to point out that adult help is required especially with the measuring and some of the processes but kids can definitely take control of mixing ingredients, kneading and shaping. He definitely enjoyed these rolls for breakfast with slathers of butter. He has requested to bake more varieties of bread one of them to include his favourite dried fruit Raisins.

I am entering this recipe to Tea Time Treats hosted by Lavender and Lovage and What Kate Baked this months host is What Kate Baked and theme is Sweet Breads and Yeast Breads. As it is made from scratch I am also going to enter it in Made With Love Mondays by Javelin Warrior.

Quick Bread Rolls
Makes about 12 bread rolls. Recipe adapted from Chilminding Forum online.
Preparation time:20-30 mins
Baking time: 20-25 mins

Ingredients:
500g White bread flour (you can mix wholemeal and other flours if required)
230ml Warm water
100ml Buttermilk
40ml Oil
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Fast acting dried yeast
2 Tbsp Toasted sesame seeds ( you can use any seeds you like)
Milk to brush the rolls

Method:

1. Pre heat oven at 190 degree C. In a large bowl add the flour, salt and sugar. In a jug mix the yeast with warm water.
2. Pour the water,oil and buttermilk into the flour mixture and mix till all ingredients come together. If the mixture is a bit sticky add a bit more flour but careful not to add too much.
3. Turn the mix out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins, I added a bit more flour as the dough was a bit sticky.
4. Break off small pieces of dough and either shape them or roll into small ball shapes. Place them on a baking sheet tray, brush a bit of milk on the tops of the bread rolls and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds ( you cannot see them on these rolls as my son topped the rolls with sesame seeds and then decided to re roll so the seeds got hidden inside).
5. Bake in oven for about 20-25 mins, to check if they are done knock the underside of the bread roll and it should sound hollow.