A recipe for fun

Bread never looked quite so good.

That was the reaction among many a student at Slatington Elementary School after the aroma of fresh baked bread whet their taste buds.

The students were treated recently to a Life Skills Bread Baking demonstration from the King Arthur Flour Company of Norwich, Vt.

The program was held in conjunction with Northern Lehigh Middle School, where an assembly for seventh grade students was held earlier in the day.

Slatington Elementary Principal Linda Marcincin told the students they were in store for a real treat.

"It's going to be really neat," Marcincin said. "Cooking and baking will be with us throughout our entire lives."

Life Skills instructor Paula Gray then showed the students how to bake fresh, nutritious bread with whole grains through the company's program.

Gray was joined by fifth-grader Darby Pender and fourth-grader Kristi Grabarits to demonstrate how to make basic hearth bread with ingredients donated by King Arthur Flour.

Both Pender and Grabarits were nominated by their respective teachers to help demonstrate the program to their fellow students.

Along with Gray, the students dabbled with oil, flour, yeast and other ingredients while being taught how to make braided bread, cinnamon rolls, and pizza dough.

"One is for you and you get to eat it," Gray said. "The other will be a beautiful loaf of bread you're going to give away to someone else to help them."

After the assembly, Grabarits said she planned to make a braided loaf at home.

"I thought it was really fun to participate in it," Grabarits said. "I liked being in front of everyone."

Pender said she would likely make cinnamon rolls to keep for home, and donate a loaf of braided bread.

"It was really fun to do, and it was a real honor to be picked by my teacher to do this," Pender said. "It was really fascinating doing something I never got to do before."

Each student received a recipe, a yeast packet, four pounds of flour, two pounds of King Arthur 100 percent Organic White Whole Wheat Flour, a King Arthur Flour logo bowl scraper and the know-how to make two loaves of bread.

A letter has been sent home to parents that asks them to encourage their sons or daughters to make the bread at home over the weekend. The students are to keep one loaf for home, and bring the other loaf back to school on Feb. 3.

The loaves brought back to the school will be donated to three local food banks: Angel Food Ministries, Allentown Rescue Mission, and the Food Bank at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Or, the students may donate the loaf to a person in need.

The King Arthur Flour Life Skills Bread Baking Program visits middle schools across the country.

Founded in 1970, King Arthur is the country's oldest flour company and the world's premier baking resource.

For more information about the company, or how to get your school involved in the program, visit the company's web site at www.kingarthurflour.com.