My school bread basket
Spinach sunflower bread, quinoa rolls and raspberry honey yogurt buns
I used to hide vegetables in my pockets.
Not metaphorically, actually in my pockets.
School lunches felt like a daily stand-off, and if there were peas or green beans on my plate, there was every chance they’d quietly disappear into the lining of my jacket. I’d sit there hoping nobody noticed that the vegetables had vanished but my plate somehow still looked full.
Fruit, on the other hand, was never a problem. I could happily eat raspberries by the handful, slices of apple, strawberries still warm from the sun. Anything sweet, colourful and fresh was always welcome.
Looking back, I don’t think I disliked vegetables quite as much as I thought I did. I just wanted food to feel familiar, comforting and delicious.
Which is exactly what I’ve been thinking about while baking.
Yesterday i did my weekly bake to be donated to a schools Breakfast club, these are recipes with one simple idea: make food children are excited to eat.
Not worthy food. Not “healthy” food. Just really, really good baking.
The sort of bread you pull apart while it’s still warm. The sort of bun that leaves sticky raspberry fingers. The sort of roll that disappears before it’s had a chance to cool.
This week’s basket was filled with three bakes.
A Spinach Sunflower Bread, so soft that you’d never guess a handful of greens had found their way into the dough.
Quinoa Rolls, light enough to tear open with one hand, adding a little extra nourishment without changing everything children already love about fresh bread.
And my favourite to bake, Raspberry Honey Yogurt Buns, pillowy, fruity and just sweet enough to feel like a treat.
There’s something rather satisfying about gently weaving fruit and vegetables into everyday baking. Not to trick children, but to remind ourselves that nourishing food doesn’t have to announce itself. Sometimes it’s simply there, tucked quietly into the dough
The recipes from this week’s bake are all below for paid subscribers. Every subscription helps support this project and keeps the initiative going!
