ATK Kids

Kitchen Classroom 2021: Week 46

Week 46 of resources to help kids learn in the kitchen—and make something delicious along the way.
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Published Nov. 12, 2021.

Welcome to week 46 of Kitchen Classroom, where America’s Test Kitchen Kids is sharing a weekly kid-tested and kid-approved recipe, hands-on experiment, or activity paired with a Learning Moment that brings learning to life in the kitchen.  

This week of Kitchen Classroom features a weekend project: Almost No-Knead Bread. This (mostly hands-off) recipe is a great way to introduce kids to the magic of bread baking. They can enjoy their bread with a swipe of butter, or use it to make avocado toast or a cheesy panini.

Don’t forget to share what your family makes by tagging @testkitchenkids or using #ATKkids on Instagram, or by sending photos to kids@americastestkitchen.com. Visit the America’s Test Kitchen Kids website for more culinary content designed especially for kids.

Here’s what’s cooking for the week of November 15th through 21st, 2021.

Almost No-Knead Bread

Weekend Project: Almost No-Knead Bread

With a bit of patience, the simplest of ingredients—flour, water, yeast, salt—transform into a beautiful loaf of chewy, crusty, sliceable bread that any kid (or grown-up!) would be proud to have made. This dough in this recipe needs to rise for at least 8 hours, so be sure to plan ahead before you start. 
[GET THE RECIPE]

What You’ll Need
3 cups (15 ounces) all-­purpose flour, plus extra for counter
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon instant or rapid-­rise yeast
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces) room-­temperature water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Vegetable oil spray

Learning Moment
Science (Observation skills):
This recipe provides an excellent opportunity for kids to practice their observation skills. After they’ve stirred together the dough in step 1, ask kids:

  • What does the dough look like? 
  • What does the dough feel like when you touch it with your hands? 

Encourage kids to think of as many adjectives (descriptive words) as possible to describe the dough, such as “shaggy,” “beige,” and “floury.” Kids can also write down their observations and also take a few “before” photos of the dough, both from overhead and from the side of the bowl (if your bowl is transparent). 

After the dough has risen for 8 to 18 hours, have kids observe it before they continue with step 3. Ask kids:

  • What does the dough look like now? How has it changed? (Refer to kids’ notes and photos, if you have them, for comparison.)
  • What does the dough feel like now when you touch it with your hands? How has it changed? 

Again, encourage kids to use adjectives to describe what the risen dough looks and feels like, such as “smooth,” “bubbly,” and “soft,” and “stretchy.”

Kids will likely notice that, after rising, the dough takes up much more space in the bowl, and its texture is smoother and also bubbly. Explain to kids that a few things have happened to the dough as it sat for all that time: 

  • The yeast ate some of the starch or sugar in the flour and “burped” out carbon dioxide gas. That gas caused yeast dough to rise and become bubbly.
  • The flour absorbed a lot of the water in the dough, which makes the dough’s texture smoother. It also helped gluten—a web of proteins—to form, which helps give the dough its smooth, stretchy texture (and will give the baked bread its structure).
On Sale November 2021

Preschool Chefs' Club: Cupcakes Box

Order in November, get the box in time for the holidays! Every month, preschool-age kids receive a themed box filled with kid-tested and kid-approved recipes (that are great for the whole family); hands-on STEAM activities, games, and crafts; an illustrated storybook; a grown-ups guide with a shopping list and additional resources for caregivers; and other creative items (including stickers). Check out our holiday sale pricing and SAVE BIG today!  
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