Herbed Flat Bread

Use any fresh herbs you have on hand or in your garden to add flavor to a delicious whole grain flatbread. Mold the bread into any fun shape you want!

90 minutes, Ages 5+

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon yeast

• 1 teaspoon of sugar

•  2 cups warm water

• 2 teaspoons salt¼ cup olive oil

• 2 cups whole wheat flour

• 2-3 cups white flour, as needed

• handful of fresh herbs (such as oregano, sage, or rosemary) 

Steps:

1. Mix yeast, sugar and warm water together in a bowl until yeast is completely dissolved.

2.  Add salt, oil and whole wheat flour.  Let sit for a few minutes.

3. Meanwhile, remove herb leaves from the stem and tear or chop into small pieces

4. Gradually add white flour to the whole wheat mix, until dough is no longer sticky

5. Knead on a flour-covered cutting board, adding flour as needed.  Add torn up herbs to the dough a little at a time while kneading until herbs are incorporated.

6. Form dough into a ball.  Sprinkle a clean bowl with oil, roll the dough in the oil until covered.

7. Cover the bowl with a damp towel.  Place in a warm location to rise for 45 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 400. Give the dough a couple kneads, then press, stretch, and mold the dough into a flatbread shape of your choice onto a sheet pan.

9. Bake 20 minutes, or until slightly browned and the bread makes a hollow sound when you knock on it. Enjoy!

Bread-making is such a wholesome project for a cozy day at home and this recipe is particularly forgiving and flexible for new bakers!  Certain steps get easier for kids as they get older, but as long as they are old enough to stand at a kitchen counter, all kids love harvesting and tearing up fresh herbs, mushing fresh dough, and molding the flat bread into fun shapes.  This bread is also full of wonderful smells! Try smelling the dough before and after adding herbs, compare smells before and after it’s baked! Enjoy the bread warm, eating by the handful, or slice down the middle for flat sandwich pieces.

A note about kneading: kids LOVE to knead, but might need some coaching on best ways to do it.  Once you turn your dough onto a counter or cutting board to knead, fold the top portion of the dough over, then push down, and turn the dough 90 degrees in any direction.  Repeat the process again and again, always turning the dough 90 degrees in the same direction. You know the dough can rest and rise when it is no longer sticking to the counter and all your herbs are incorporated.  “Mushing” bread is fine for kids who may be too young to learn professional baking practices, but avoid “tearing” the bread dough. Tearing dough ruins the nice long gluten structure you want in bread to make it fluffy.

Enjoy!