By Sue Wambolt, Contributing Writer
Southborough – King Arthur flour brought its “Life Skills Baking Program” to the Margaret Neary School in Southborough Nov. 4. As part of the company's Baking Across America initiative, the event provides students with “a fun, real-world application for skills they'se already learning in school – math, science, reading, planning, problem solving and more,” all while helping people in the community.
King Arthur representative Paula Grey drove from Vermont to head a 50-minute demonstration on the bread-making process for the Neary School fourth- and fifth-graders. Prior to her arrival, a pallet of flour was delivered with enough tools and ingredients for all of the students to bake two loaves of bread. Six Southborough Organization of Schools (SOS) parent volunteers assembled 350 “kits” that included a: two-pound bag of All-Purpose Flour; a two-pound bag of Organic White Whole Wheat Flour; a Life Skills recipe booklet; a packet of yeast; a dough scraper; a clear plastic bread donation bag. Following the demonstration, each student baker was given a kit to take home.
They were asked to bake two loaves of bread – one to enjoy, the other to donate. Parent volunteers Nancy McAndrews and Christa Brady will deliver the 100-plus loaves that were baked at home and returned to school.
The loaves will go to South Middlesex Opportunity Council Miracle Kitchen (Salvation Army) in Framingham and the Pernet Center in Worcester.
Fifth-grade teacher Dave Stubbart thinks the kids learned a valuable lesson.
“The main goal of this program was to show students that at any age, someone can make a difference and bring comfort to others through baking and donating to those in need.”
For the students, Stubbart said, it was almost like a live cooking show with a boy and a girl chosen from each grade to join Grey on stage and participate in the cooking process in front of an audience of their peers. Stephanie Kalinowski and Riley Garand enjoyed the spotlight as the fifth-grade volunteers and Alexandra Ziada and Joseph Zhang took the stage for the fourth-graders.
“The students learned quite a bit using math skills and measurement along with the whole science aspect of yeast and bubbles in the bread mix,” Stubbard said.
Schools wishing to participate in the Life Skills Baking Program are encouraged to do so. For information, visit www.kingarthurflour.com/baking/.
The Life Skills Basic Bread Recipe:
2 loaves (takes about 3½ hours to make)
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
¼ cup sugar
1 packet Active Dry Yeast
2 cups Organic White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
4 cups
Directions
– In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and 2 cups 100 percent 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. (Lightly press the dough, 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.