Whole Wheat Bread-in-a-bag

A kid-friendly recipe for a snack that is actually good for them! Half whole-wheat and half white flour, this bread is light and chewy, but with all the benefits of whole grain. It's a great way to introduce children to whole-wheat breads if they don't eat them already. This is a really fun recipe that kids of all ages can help with.

Difficulty: Medium

You will need:
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp rapid rise yeast
3 tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 1/3 cups warm water (130 F)
3 tbsp. butter
cooking spray
plastic wrap
1 gallon-size zip-lock bag
2 loaf pans

In the zip-lock bag, mix the 2 cups bread flour, yeast, sugar and water and seal the bag. Let the kids squish it for a minute or so. Add salt and butter. Squish squish squish. They're forming the gluten at this point, as well as letting the yeast proof so let them go nuts for a few more minutes.

Add the 2 cups of whole wheat flour and work until well-blended. Turn out onto a clean, floured countertop and work the remaining 3/4 cup bread flour into the dough. You might not use it all. Things like humidity affect your flour - you'll almost never use the same amount from time to time. When the dough is just barely not-sticky enough that you can knead it without picking it off your hands each time, there is enough flour in it. It should still feel slightly tacky and might even stick to the counter a bit. Too much flour and your bread won't be all fluffy and delicious.

Break off a small amount of dough for your toddler. Together, knead the dough for about 6-8 minutes. It's very relaxing. It should start to feel smooth and elastic in your hands, with a uniform texture and no lumps of flour. Don't tear the dough because it will release all the tiny air bubbles you've trapped inside the dough. Tuck the loose ends under the dough ball so the top stretches out like a skin, and place it on the counter. Spray with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 10 minutes. You can tell the dough is done if you can poke your finger about 1/2 inch into the dough ball and the impression will stay there.

Cut your rested dough into 2 halves. Press out the air bubbles (you can just roll a rolling pin down the dough one time), roll up the dough into a loaf, pinch the seam and place the dough, seam-side-down, in to a greased loaf pan. Let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes or until double in size. For the perfect warm place, let the oven pre-heat for 1-2 minutes, turn the heat off and put the bread in the warm oven with the door closed. It will be protected from drafts (and kids hands!)

Place in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

When you tap the top of the loaf, it should sound hollow. Then you know your bread is done in the middle. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and turn out onto racks to cool the rest of the way. If you want, brush the top of the loaf with a bit of butter.