Baking with a toddler is always calm and stress-free, right? They never (ever!) stick their hands in the flour or turn on the mixer while the paddle is up in the air, sending batter flying all over the kitchen.
Just kidding. I’ve learned the hard way that curious little kids will get into all kinds of shenanigans when you try to bake with them. But it’s worth it to bake with young kids, and I want to tell you a little story that explains why.
Usually I make homemade pizza for my family every Friday night, but last week we were so busy I never got a chance to make the dough. My 10-year-old son took it upon himself to go find a cookbook, assemble the ingredients, and make the dough himself, even carefully kneading it 100 times. Pizza night was saved and he was incredibly proud of himself.
My 10-year-old knew how to make pizza dough on his own because of the foundation I set for the 10 years before that. Since he was a toddler, he has helped scoop and level flour, crack eggs, knead dough, and do all the disparate steps involved in baking. He was able to put it all together because I had done it with him so many times. And let me tell you, few things will boost a kid’s confidence like making a delicious dinner the whole family loves.
If you’d like to bake with your young kids, but all your previous efforts have been a stressful disaster, I’ve got you. These are my best tips and tricks for a successful and peaceful baking experience with little ones.
1
They will touch everything they can
The first and most important step is to expect and assume that little kids will try to mess with everything, including dumping out ingredients, turning on the mixer if you’re not looking, etc. They’re not trying to cause trouble; they’re just little and curious and trying to copy what they saw you doing a minute before.
This means that the obvious first step is make sure their little hands are washed. That will make it easier to see their fingers poking all the ingredients.
Then, I have learned to unplug the mixer or blender if I step away for even a second, and I’ve learned to never leave an open container of anything next to them. I hover over them while they are measuring and dumping in an ingredient, then move away the ingredient immediately and put it out of reach. I also keep a wet washcloth handy to wipe up the inevitable spills.
Once you get in the habit of keeping an eagle eye on the ingredients and never leaving anything in their arm’s reach that you don’t want them to touch, baking with kids gets a lot easier.
2
Choose super simple recipes
We typically bake basic things like banana bread, sheet pan pancakes, blueberry muffins, applesauce cake, or cookies.
Along with choosing easy recipes, I simplify things a step further with the “everything together and flour last” method. If you’ve never heard of this, that’s because I made it up. I don’t follow all the instructions and steps in baking recipes; nothing is getting sifted in separate bowls with my toddlers helping. Instead, I combine literally all the ingredients except the flour in one bowl, mix that really well, and then add the flour at the end. Flour is the only thing that can’t be overmixed, because it will make the batter or dough too tough, but everything else can be dumped in together all at once without noticeably affecting the recipe. (This does not work with baked goods that need to rise, but is great for quick recipes. Also, add any mix-ins like blueberries or chocolate chips after the flour.)
I know this “flour last” method sounds bananas, but I’ve used it for countless recipes and never had an issue. Give it a try if you want to simplify your baking.
3
Kids love repetitive tasks
Things like mixing batter, cracking eggs, scooping balls of dough, mashing bananas, rolling dough in cinnamon sugar … these tasks feel boring and routine to adults but are so fun for kids.
Outsource as many of these “boring” jobs to your kids as possible, even from a very young age. My toddler loves to crack a dozen eggs into a bowl when we make frittata; my preschooler loves scooping balls of cookie dough and is the designated mixer whenever we bake.
Along with that, when they are very little, I like to measure out the ingredients myself first and then hold their hand while they dump them in with me.
Kids age 3 and up can learn how to level a scoop with the back of a butter knife, which is a good fine motor activity and makes their measurements accurate.
When cracking eggs, have them do it in a separate small bowl and then add the eggs to the main bowl once you’re sure there are no shells in there.
And when they are doing these jobs, I put a baking sheet down on the floor and have them work from down there. It’s a lot easier for them to control their movements when they are on the floor and can easily reach the bowl.
Does this sound like a lot of work? I hear you. It can be hard to let young kids help out in the kitchen. Their work is messy and imperfect, and sometimes watching it makes me cringe a bit!
But the mess is quickly cleaned up and the pay-off is immeasurable as they become skilled and capable cooks. Plus, consider how much math goes into cooking. They get a grasp of fractions from an early age that pays off as they get into more advanced math work at school.
And now that they’re older, it is really nice being able to outsource some of the cooking to kids who know how to do it and think it’s fun!
Take it from a mama with bigger kids: All the years of letting your toddlers and preschoolers help you bake will be so worth it when you’re enjoying a homemade pizza dinner from your 10-year-old. Bon appetit!
And today we celebrate...