Little Chefs: Easy Teddy Bear Bread

Baking makes everyone feel better on a chilly day. And why not invite a teddy bear to join in on the fun! This easy bread is perfect for those beginning bakers (both young and old).

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 package of quick active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 large egg
• Raisins (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix 1 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

2. Warm up milk, water and butter in a small sauce pan. You can also microwave the mixture. Mixture should be warm but not hot or simmering. If your mixture starts to simmer or boil, set aside to let cool otherwise you risk killing your yeast.

3. Mix wet and dry ingredients together. Add egg.

4. Add enough flour to make the dough easy to handle and not sticky. Set aside to let rest for at least 10 minutes.

5. Make your bear face: Shape one large ball of dough for the head and flatten out into a rounded oval. Add two smaller balls to the top and a small flat ball in the center of the head. Add raisins for eyes and nose. Cover and let the dough rest for another 10-20 minutes.

6. While dough is resting, preheat your oven to 400  degrees F.

7. Bake 20 minutes if you made one large bear, 10-15 for smaller bears. (Dough will make approximately three small bears.)

Tips: We recommend starting out with the smaller bear heads. You can test how flat you’ll need to make your dough so that the bear shape stays after the bread rises in the oven. Looking for something a little easier? Try making a turtle instead by adding five medium dough balls around your main loaf.

– from the messy kitchen of Miss Rita