The man in the allotment next to ours keeps chickens, we got some eggs from him the other day and in return he asked that I bake him some cheese scones. So to make the most of it we turned it into an edible sensory play session.
T loves baking with his Grandmamma Bear, she bakes along side of him and he copies her actions as best he can.
He loves to break the dough into bits then push it back together – occasionally flinging chunks onto the floor, the walls, anyone standing within range and often into his mouth!
I bought a whole range of fun shaped cookie cutters for edible play days but we’ve resorted to using the simple cutters as the novelty ones always get bunged up with dough and are awkward to get clean.
T even brushed the milk on top of the scones himself before splattering it onto Grandmamma Bears top.
T put his two scones on the tray – note the difference between his and Grandmamma Bears’ – before we put them in the oven to bake.
We’ve always made a point to let T help with the cleaning in the hopes he will enjoy it when he’s older. My Mother and Grandmother are meticulously clean (me not so much) and I think it helps if cleaning and organising are part of everyday tasks instead of being a ‘chore’.
Cooking and baking is a great way to let your child experience new textures, smells and tastes. Part of developing a love of food is having the ability to play with it, it starts with babies and toddlers squishing food with their hands and still applies to chefs who play with recipes and cooking techniques to create their own unique dishes.
T loved making the scones himself and thoroughly enjoyed eating them too! The more we bake with him the better he gets at using the utensils and the more he has fun doing it.
Here is the recipe we used from the BBC Good Food website:
(We didn’t add cayenne pepper or chilli powder in the event that T rubbed some into his eyes)
Cheese Scones – Member recipe by elizabeth73
Ingredients-
500ml flour (2 cups)
15ml baking powder (3 tsp)
large pinch salt
sprinkle of cayenne pepper/chilli powder [optional]
250ml strong cheddar cheese
15 ml vegetable oil (3 tsp)
125 ml milk (maybe a bit more depending on how it mixes)
1 egg
Method
Sift flour, baking powder, salt [and cayenne pepper] into a large bowl. Add the cheese and mix through the flour mixture.
Beat the egg and milk together in a separate bowl and add the oil. The oil replaces the butter/margarine that usually gets used to rub into the flour. By using the oil you cut down on the dreaded calories and it saves a lot of time.
Pour the milk/egg/oil mixture into the flour mixture and using a metal spoon / fork, mix the dough until it clumps together, but is not too dry. If too dry, splash a bit more milk in to use up the flour.
Press the dough out on a flat clean floured surface until it is about 5mm thick, then fold it over ontop of itself (this gives the finished scones the natural “break” to cut open), flatten it again, using the palm of your hand. Do not use a rolling pin as it is too heavy and will prevent the scones from rising.
Cut out your scones out by using a round cutter (you decide on the size) or if you don’t have a cutter handy use a drinking glass. Place them on a baking tray, pop them in the oven at 180 celsius for fifteen twenty minutes. Serve, still warm, with lashings of butter, cheese, jams and honey.
Happy baking! Momma Bear x
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