Today we’re doing some fun hands-on learning with this herb and olive oil garden bread. And if you’re looking for another fun recipe look here at Cherokee Garden Pan Bread and look at my page Easy Seeds and Gardening Unit Study for Kids (Middle – Upper Elementary) for more garden ideas.
Cooking and baking are some of the best ways to teach your child without any kind of textbook or formal classroom setting.
The lessons they learn, not to mention the memories you make together, are substantial.
Since it is spring and many of us have at least simple gardens, like herb gardens, I thought we would work on an herb garden bread.
This is a perfect recipe for the whole family to prepare and enjoy together.
If you don’t have a garden with fresh herbs, just pick a few up from the store farmers market, or grab them in pots.
And place a few in your window to grow.
You don’t need a sizable garden for herbs.
Gardening is another great way to teach your child some important skills and life lessons.
Homeschool Cooking
Even if you don’t have the space for a large garden consider trying out a few things in pots.
Cooking teaches practical life skills:
- following directions,
- knife skills,
- food prep planning,
- budgeting,
- kitchen safety,
- sanitation, and nutrition.
And it introduces and increases knowledge of different cuisines (which can become a quick geography lesson).
This one is a lesson in patience as you must wait a bit for the bread to rise.
Don’t forget that cooking also provides reading, math, and science lessons as well.
This recipe offers all the above and if you want to get even more intentional you can include cookbooks and other food-related books in the “lesson”.
Easy Curriculum for Cooking
I found this recipe went along great with Julia Rothmans Food Anatomy.
If teaching cooking was on your to-do list this is a must-have.
The illustrations are so pretty, and the book covers a host of food-related topics like the history of food, place settings, types of flatware, types of refrigeration, fruits and veggies, grains, meat, dairy, street food, seasonings, drinks, and sweets.
The two-page spread on olives makes a great supplement to this herb and olive oil garden bread.
It covers types of olives, acidity, cold press, origin country, harvest, and how they ripen.
There are also a few pages on bread around the world that go hand in hand with our recipe.
There are some fantastic food-related vocabulary suggestions as well.
Before we get into the recipe here are some more great activities to go along with it including some recipes from the garden that are fun to make and use.
Also, do you wish your kids knew how to cook? You’ll love the program Kids Cook Real Food.
More Garden Bread Hands-on Activities
How to Plan And Start an Easy Gardening Unit Study for Kids – perfect if you are ready to start a garden with the kids but aren’t sure how to begin.
The next natural step in gardening is composting to reduce waste and create your own free-rich garden soil.Easy Composting With the Amazing Dr. George Carver.
Butterfly & Bee Garden for Pollinators – How to Make an Edible Tea Garden– What a great idea.
This is a simple and fun recipe How To Make Herb Salt
And here is a fantastic post on Kids’ Knife Skills if you need a little extra help.
Finally, look at this fun recipe.
You will need:
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 2 Tablespoons fresh Rosemary and/or Basil
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 egg white whisked with 1 tablespoon of water.
- A little extra fresh rosemary and basil for the top of the bread
I recommend using a stand mixer with a dough hook if you have one.
It’s the easiest for simplifying bread recipes. If not, you can still mix by hand.
How to Make Herb and Olive Oil Garden Bread
Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of the mixer and let it sit for 10 minutes until it becomes foamy.
Add olive oil and mix lightly.
Here is a great opportunity to teach knife skills and demonstrate how to hold it safely as they chop the fresh basil and rosemary.
In a separate bowl whisk together flour, rosemary, Italian seasoning salt, and pepper.
Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and mix just until the dough starts to form.
Lightly flour the counter surface and transfer the dough to the counter.
Then knead for 5 minutes until the dough becomes smoother and has some elasticity. You could also just do this in the mixer with the dough hook
Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray, transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover it with a towel. Allow it to rise for 1 hour.
Remove from the bowl back to a floured surface and punch it down.
Transfer to a pan. I prefer a pizza stone and then form your loaf. You can make it round or create a longer loaf.
Cover with a clean towel and let it rise for the final time, 45 minutes.
Just before the time is up preheat the oven to 400℉. And place a second pan on the bottom rack to prevent the underside of your bread from burning.
Brush the egg white and water mixture over the top of your bread.
Use a sharp knife to cut 2-3 slits or a simple design into the top.
Add a little of your fresh chopped herbs to the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Remove it from the hot oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
