There are few things as fun as hours spent in the kitchen cooking with your children. With so much of life dominated by screens, the simple act of chopping, mixing and stirring can be the perfect antidote and one of life’s most basic pleasures.  One of the loveliest (and easiest) things to do is bake bread, because even the smallest of hands can knead dough.

The AGA cooker is great for bread as its intense radiant heat gives your loaf a really lovely oven spring. There’s no need to put in ice cubes, water or anything else, you just need to let the AGA do its thing.  Here’s a really simple recipe that you and your kids can do together to make the most delicious loaf:

 

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Ingredients:

• 450g of water
• 750g of strong white flour
• 2 tsp of dried, instant yeast (or fresh if you prefer)
• 1 tsp of salt

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together getting the kids involved in the kneading process.  When it springs back when you press it with your thumb, it’s ready to prove.  Place it in a 2lb loaf tin on a cloth on the top of the simmering plate of the AGA or if it’s warm then just beside the AGA until it rises to the level with the top of the tin. Remove from the tin and place on a piece of Bake-O-Glide and shape the dough into an oval shape. Lift the Bake-O-Glide and drop it with the loaf back into the tin. Dust the top with some flour, slash the top with a knife to give it your baker’s signature and then pop it in the roasting oven for 40 minutes.

You can use the same recipe for pizza dough (just add 20% more water). For the topping, just mix together a tin of plum tomatoes, half a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, a good glug of olive oil and some basil stalks. Spread it thinly on to the pizza base. Then add some mozzarella from a ball and some grated mozzarella and allow the children to choose their own toppings and bake for 10-15 minutes or until done in the middle of the roasting oven. It’s the perfect way to make a weekday supper all the more exciting for the children – delicious too!

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While AGA cookers were once on all the time, the ovens and hotplates of newer models can be switched on and off as you need them. With fast heat-up times, they are brilliantly practical for busy families who are in and out of the home. There are even AGA cookers which come complete with a state-of-the-art induction hob and a fan oven in addition to the cast-iron ovens the AGA is best known for. The smallest of AGA cookers is just 60cm wide, so perfect for even the tiniest of kitchens.

If you’d like to know more about AGA cooking, each AGA shop runs demonstrations throughout the year where you can go along and see the AGA cooker in action and, importantly, taste AGA cooked food for yourself.

 

Receive £750 of AGA Cookware absolutely free when you purchase selected AGA models including the brand new AGA eR3 Series.  Offer ends 26/10/2019.