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Easy “Hedgehog” Bread Rolls Recipe for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Baking bread is one of our favourite recipes to cook with toddlers and preschoolers. We started a tradition that every week we would bake some bread. For our Winter Animal Themed Week, you can use our easy bread recipe to create some delicious hibernating hedgehog bread rolls perfect to eat whilst you read our book of the week Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner.

Cooking with Kids Hedgehog Bread Rolls to Bake

Talking About Hibernation and Winter Animals with Preschoolers & Toddlers

Before starting we spent some time talking about Hedgehogs and hibernating animals in winter especially after reading our book of the week Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner.

We talked about what they look like, what happens in the autumn to them and why they hibernate as well.

We have included affiliate links to some of the products and resources as an associate we may earn from qualifying purchases.

We have chosen to feature Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner as our book of the week for our Winter Animals theme because of the beautiful illustrations and the wide variety of animals included in the store.

Find out more about why we love this book so much here!

Ingredients for Making Hedgehog Bread With Kids

A simple bread recipe for kids to make in just under 2 hours that will make 4 - 6 small hedgehog bread rolls perfect for some autumn baking
  • Strong White Bread Flour
  • Quick Yeast (about half a packet)
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Vegetable oil
  • “Hand” hot water
  • Raisins for decorating the hedgehog face

These are the basic ingredients for our Easy Bread Recipe to Cook with Kids.

Making Hedgehog Bread Rolls with Preschoolers

Bread is one of our favourite things to make with preschoolers and toddlers. Our easy bread recipe (link above) is great to make as it only needs to prove once and the bread tastes really nice.

Although we love making basic bread there are lots of other recipes you can try we’ve put our favourites together here – The Best Bread Recipes to Cook with Kids it, of course, contains our favourite pizza dough recipe as well.

preschooler mixing the dry ingredients for bread making

This recipe is really simple to make, we’ve included our recipe card below so you can print it out and use it with your preschooler and toddler without having to have a screen nearby.

Top Tips for Making Bread with Toddlers and Preschoolers

Different factors affect the dough so it is useful to know a couple of these tips.

Bread Dough is too Sticky

This happens often especially with our older preschoolers that like to help to measure out the water and oil.

It’s easily fixed just add some more strong white bread flour a little at a time until it becomes less sticky.

preschooler kneading bread at the kitchen table

The dough is Dry

Another common one and again due to measuring of the ingredients.

It’s solved by sprinkling a little more warm water over the dough and kneading it in until it’s not too dry and not too sticky.

The dough Isn’t Rising

This can be due to 3 things.

preschool forming bread rolls in her hands
  • The dough hasn’t been kneaded enough – give it some more kneading.
  • It’s too cold – cover and place in a warmer room.
  • The Yeast you have used it out of date – unfortunately this is a case of throwing away and buying some new Yeast.

Making the Bread Rolls Into Hedgehogs

This like our clay hedgehogs we shared recently is a great way to practice scissor skills and cutting with your toddlers and preschoolers.

Wash the scissor thoroughly beforehand and dry.

cutting into bread dough to make spikes for hedgehog bread

Then cut into the dough. As the dough has a different consistency than the clay it’s a good sensory experience as well.

adding a face to hedgehog bread rolls

As the hedgehogs rise during proving you may find the spikes disappear they may also disappear during cooking.

We’ve discovered that the best way to make the spikes stay visible is to cut after the proving with fairly deep cuts into the dough.

Cooking with Kids Hedgehog Bread Rolls to Bake
Easy Hedgehog bread recipe for cooking with toddlers and preschoolers

Hedgehog Bread

Cerys Parker
A simple bread recipe for kids to make in just under 2 hours that will make 4 – 6 small hedgehog bread rolls perfect for some autumn baking
No ratings yet
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course bread
Servings 4 Rolls
Calories 356 kcal

Equipment

  • Bowl
  • Measuring spoons
  • Scales
  • Measuring Jug

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine them. 
    Making bread - learning about the process of harvesting wheat, milling and bread making as part of #playfulpreschool
  • Add in the table spoon of vegetable oil and then the water. 
  • Start to mix together, as it becomes sticky get your hands in the bowl and start to knead the dough.
    Easy Bread dough recipe for kids
  • If the mixture is a little sticky add some more strong white bread flour and if it’s a little dry sprinkle on some water.
  • Once the dough is combined turn out onto a lightly dusted surface and knead the dough – it needs around 5 minutes of kneading
    preschooler kneading dough for bread on a pink surface
  • Once the dough is kneaded divide into 4 or 5 small rolls and shape into mini hedgehogs.
    Hedgehog Bread Rolls for kids to make - perfect for some autumn baking
  • Take some scissors and cut spikes into the dough
    Hedgehog Bread Rolls for kids to make - perfect for some autumn baking
  • Add a face to the hedgehog rolls
    Hedgehog Bread Rolls for kids to make - perfect for some autumn baking
  • Leave to rise for around about an hour
  • In to the oven for about 25 minutes on 200C – you can check they are done but turning over and tapping the bottom, if they sound hollow then the bread is ready.
    4 hedgehog shaped bread rolls on a bread board cooked by a toddlers in autumn

Nutrition

Calories: 356kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 12gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 7mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Bread Recipes, Cooking with Kids, Preschool Recipes, Toddler Recipes, Winter Activities
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Hibernating Animal Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Toddler and Preschooler Winter Animal Art Project
Simple activity to set up for toddlers and preschoolers supporting learning of names. Based on the classic theme of Teddy Bears.
Toddler and Preschool Scissor Skills Hedgehog Clay Craft
Toddler and Preschool recipe to make easy hedgehog bread together
Author
Cerys Parker

Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.

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