Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
West Side students Peter Edholm (left) and Laramie Trauntvein use teamwork to braid a loaf of bread during a demonstration for their classmates as part of the King Arthur Flour Bake For Good: Kids program Thursday morning, while King Arthur representative Pam Jensen (center) supervises their efforts.
King Arthur Flour Bake for Good: Kids program instructor Pam Jensen (far right) talks to students about how to properly measure flour when making bread, while her assistants Peter Edholm and Laramie Trauntvein work together to make the dough.
WORLAND - West Side students Thursday learned how to make two loaves of bread in a program that encourages baking and sharing.
A representative of King Arthur Flour's Bake for Good: Kids program taught the students how to make a regular loaf and a braided loaf of bread during a demonstration Wednesday morning, with assistance from West Side students Peter Edholm and Laramie Trauntvein.
King Arthur Flour's representative Pam Jensen said King Arthur is the oldest flour company in the country, making and selling flour since 1790.
According to the King Arthur Flour website, "For 25 years, King Arthur Flour has run their Bake For Good: Kids program, sending instructors into schools across the country - over 175 annually - to teach students between fourth and seventh grade about baking. Free for schools (all materials are donated by King Arthur), the classes are designed to match the grade school curriculum. Instructors rely on concepts like fractions and changing states of matter to explain what happens when you mix up yeast, flour, salt, and water and turn it into bread dough."
West Side Food Services Director Heather Trauntvein said she had wanted to bring the program to West Side a few years ago but it is hard for the company to bring the program to a state with just one school interested. She said last year the Wyoming Department of Education announced other schools were interested so she got on the list right away.
"This is a great opportunity to learn how to make bread using math, science and reading," Trauntvein said.
According to the website, "After a 50-minute lesson, each student takes home a custom baking kit in a re-useable tote bag with a recipe booklet, a Red Star yeast packet, a dough scraper, two 2-pound bags of flour, and a bag" for wrapping their bread that they will share."
The flour provided to West Side was one whole wheat bag and one all-purpose bag. Jensen said they did have some gluten-free packages to provide students who are allergic to gluten.
Jensen told the students that she wants them to "get excited about baking."
She emphasized to the students that the recipe says preparation and baking will take 3.5 hours.
"Always read a recipe from top to bottom and read it two to three times so there are no surprises," Jensen told the students.
The King Arthur Flour's Bake for Good: Kids program has a three-fold mission of learn, bake and share.
Jensen said by having the students go home and bake the bread they have an opportunity to share what they learned at school, as well as share delicious home baked loaves of bread.
The program is designed for the students to then go home and over the weekend bake two loaves of bread with their families. One loaf is to enjoy at home, the second comes back to school to be given away. Trauntvein and Principal Bruce Miller said they opted to have the students select someone in need for them to give the second loaf.
According to the website, "The final component of the program - sharing - is the most important lesson of all. The bread donation is a way to show students the kind of impact an individual can make. Community-building is a key element of King Arthur Flour's mission, and the program helps to plant this seed in elementary school."
