snow day fun day

We read the story Sun Bread twice this week and were inspired to make our own sun bread. In fact today was supposed to be our baking day...but the snow day got in the way! In the story, after the baker shares the warm, fluffy, puffy sun bread with her friends in town the real sun breaks through the clouds and a celebration is had by all. After reading the story in class, two (gray) days in a row, I asked the boys and girls if they thought the sun would shine through the clouds after our sun bread was made. The class was split in half on that theory. We didn't get to make our sun bread today but with just a few ingredients you can at home! The recipe is below. Happy sunny snow day!



Sun Bread Recipe

* Mix Well:
3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar


* Combine:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 stick butter, softened.


* Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat well.


* In a small bowl combine:
2 packages active dry yeast
3 tablespoons lukewarm milk
Let stand until mixture is foamy, at least 5 minutes.


* Add the yeast mixture to the batter and stir. Knead dough on greased, floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes.


* Place dough in greased bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.


* Punch down dough, knead for a few minutes, then separate into two portions.

* To form the sun's face, shape one portion of dough into a round, somewhat flattened ball, then place on a large greased baking sheet. With the greased end of a wooden spoon, or with your finger, punch two "eyes" in the sun; draw a mouth for your sun in the same way. (Make sure you make deep lines and holes in the dough so they won't close up while the bread bakes.) Make a nose for your sun by securely attaching a small ball of dough to its face.


* To make a corona for your sun, roll one half of the remainder of the dough into four or five long "snakes." Then curl the snakes into puffy "snail" shapes. Shape the rest of the dough into puffy triangles. Firmly attach the snails and triangles to your sun's face. (Use a little water if the dough is too dry.)


* Cover the sun and let it rise again in a warm place for about an hour.


* Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To make your sun shiny, brush it with an egg wash (a beaten egg with a few drops of water added), right before baking. Bake the sun bread for about twenty minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of bread . (It should come out clean.)


* Enjoy! Your sun bread is delicious plain or with butter, honey, or jam.