• Explore legends related to a staple bread or grain
• Identify staple or traditional foods from several cultures, including your family
• Select a bread with a legend or tradition to prepare.
• Discuss the roles of mealtime in health and for passing on traditions and culture.
• Identify some family food traditions at mealtime.
• Practice leadership at home. Determine three ways to ensure that meals together happen.
• List ingredients your family would like in a bread you design for them

• Choose one of the recipes in this activity to make:
  Flour Tortillas
  Soft Pretzels
  Stone Soup Bread
• Gather the ingredients for the selected recipe
  

EQUIPMENT:

• Select a suggested book to read about bread or grain food stories or legends.
• Select appropriate equipment for the selected recipe such as:
  • Bowls
  • Liquid and dry measuring tools
  • Spoons for mixing
  • Rolling pin or short, thick dowel rod
  • Oven, griddle or skillet
    
    

Before you begin:

1. Wash hands and prepare a staple or legendary bread.
   

1. Identify your family’s mealtime traditions or practices—
   
2. What would you change or do to help your family make meals together happen more? Name three ways.
   
3. There are many food myths, legends and traditions related to staple foods we enjoy. Discuss or read one related to bread.
   
4. Name three breads or grain foods you enjoy that are not originally from your family’s history. Other cultures’ food staples are quickly adopted in America. For example, the tortilla is the fastest growing bread product in America. It is becoming a staple for many non-Hispanics!
   
5. Flat breads of all types (tortillas, chapattis, pita, naan, focaccia) are fun and easy to prepare. In the countries where they are staples, they are often prepared by hand.
   
6. How many times each week do you eat together as a family? Goal: Eat together as a family five times weekly.
   

RECIPES

Flour Tortillas
Makes 12, (1.8oz) tortillas

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water

1. In medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder and salt.
2. Stir in the oil until mixture is crumbly. Add the water to form a soft dough. Knead 5 minutes.
3. Cover, let dough rest 30 minutes.
4. Preheat a griddle/skillet without oil, to 350 degrees F.
5. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll from the center out until about 8 inches across. Bake on griddle about 1 minute per side; light brown speckles should appear. Wrap in clean towel to keep warm.

Source: Kansas Wheat Commission

Soft Pretzels
Makes 24, (1.5 oz.) pretzels

½ cup warm water (100-110°F)
1 pkg.(1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk (100- 110°F)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
4 to 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour or half whole wheat flour
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Poppy or sesame seeds, seasoned or coarse salt

1. Place warm water in large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved.
2. Add milk, oil, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups flour; blend well. Mix in additional flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
3. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Punch dough down; divide into 24 pieces. Roll each piece to 16-inch rope. To make pretzels, curve ends of each rope to make circle; cross ends at top. Twist ends once and lay down over bottom of circle.
5. Place pretzels on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rest in warm, draft-free place for 5 to 10 minutes, until risen slightly.
6. Preheat oven to 350. F. Brush pretzels with beaten egg mixture and sprinkle with selected topping.
7. Bake at 350°F. for 35 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack.

Source: Fleischmann’s Yeast

Stone Soup Bread
Makes 15, (1.75 oz.) pieces

1 lb. prepared bread dough
1 egg, beaten
Sweet or savory option ingredients

Sweet option:
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or ¾ cup cinnamon chips
½ cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped fruit (canned & drained, fresh or frozen)

Savory option:
1 cup shredded cheese
½ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup chopped olives
¼ teaspoon garlic powder or dried herb, to taste

1. Take dough from the plastic bag or bowl.
2. Using blunt table knife, dough scraper or kitchen scissors, chop or cut up the dough into small pieces (size of golf balls).
3. Put dough pieces into the bag.
4. Add the beaten egg, plus either the savory ingredients or the sweet. Squeeze out air, fasten top and mix the ingredients with the dough by squeezing.
5. Grease a 13x9-inch pan. Spread dough mixture in pan.
6. Cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.

Source: Kansas Wheat Commission

VOCABULARY:

Legend: A story handed down from the past.
Staple: A major product or part (of daily life)
Tradition: The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation.
Webster’s II New Riverside Pocket Dictionary 1991

BOOKS FOR READING TOGETHER!

• Stone Soup Marcia Brown. 1947 & 1975. Aladdin Books.
• Tony’s Bread De Paola, Tomie. 1989. G.P. Putnam ’s Sons.
• Walter the Baker Carle, Eric. Simon & Schuster, NY. 1995.
• Loaves of Fun Harbison, Elizabeth M. 1997. Chicago Review Press. A history of bread with activities and recipes from around the world.