It’s the first day of Summer break and my kiddo and I are already digging into our themed weeks! This first week of summer has been dubbed cooking/baking week, which means that mea and my girl are going to spend the majority of our time in the kitchen. That’s not really a new thing to me, but… it’ll be new to have her at my side for most of it!
Since we’re baking and since it’s Pride month, I thought it would be fun for me and the girl to try our hand at making some rainbow bread. Now, I used to have a bread maker that was super handy for these sorts of things, but to be honest I couldn’t have used it here anyway. This bread is my hand and hook because of all the beautiful and NATURAL food colors used.
The main thing I did to make this rainbow bread better-for-you was to use all natural food colorings. I used two boxes of powdered natural food color to get this bread the way it is. But, you can use whatever food color you want or are happy with.
Another thing I did was to use a reduced fat milk. And while I generally prefer a whole wheat bread, I really wanted these colors to pop. Especially since natural colors can be a little less vibrant than the other kind.
I will say that this bread does take a bit of hands on time. That’s because you have to mix the colors into the dough one-by-one. But, it’s pretty easy to do - so don’t let that make you shy away!
My favorite thing about this bread? I mean, duh. Probably that it’s rainbow! It makes for some pretty epic looking sandwiches or breakfast toast too.
TheSkinnyFork.com Kid-friendly and parent approved, this rainbow bread is made with ALL NATURAL colorings and makes for the most amazing looking sandwiches you've ever comr across. Prep Time: 2 Hours & 30 Minutes • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 1 Slice • Calories: 153 • Fat: 3 g • Saturated Fat: 1 g • Carb: 28 g • Fiber: 1 g • Protein:4 g • Sugar: 4 g • Sodium: 135 mg
• 1 C. Reduced Fat Milk
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 3 C. All-Purpose Flour
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar
• 2 1/4 Tsp. Active Dry Yeast
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• All-Natural Powder Food Coloring
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 C. milk and the 1 egg yolk.
Place the bowl into the microwave for 25-30 seconds; set aside.
In a large bowl, or the base of a stand mixer, whisk together the 3 C. flour, 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar, and the 2 1/4 Tsp. active dry yeast.
Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture along with the 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tsp. salt; stir to combine.
Knead the dough by hand (for 10 minutes) or use the hook attachment on a stand mixer to knead (for about 5 minutes.)
Once done, divide the dough evenly into 5 pieces and place them into their own small bowls; cover with a tea towel.
Remove one of the dough pieces at a time and color accordingly as you desire with the food coloring.
Cover again with the tea towel and allow the dough to rise until about doubled (this takes about an hour and a half.)
Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough and remove one color at a time to lay out on a lightly floured surface.
Roll each out into about an 8x4” rectangle and layer over one another in your desired color order.
Lightly coat the inside of a 9x5” loaf pan with non-stick baking spray and/or a piece of parchment paper.
Roll the dough up tightly from the short end into a loaf and place into the prepared loaf pan.
Cover again with a tea towel and let rise again until doubled (about an hour.)
Once the bread has risen, heat the oven to 375 degrees F. and uncover the dough.
Place in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked through completely.
When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing into 12 pieces.
Step-by-Step Photos:
Nutritional Claims: Low Fat • Low Sodium • Low Potassium • Kidney Friendly • Vegetarian • Pescatarian • Peanut Free • Tree Nut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Red Meat Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free • Kosher
