Making Pretzels

Overview
People use plants for food. This lesson provides students with a first-hand
experience about a familiar food (pretzels) that is made from wheat grains.

Suggested Grade Level

PreK - 1

Estimated Time
60 minutes

Objectives
Students will be able to:

1. describe an example of how people use plants for food.

2. demonstrate that plants provide food products by grinding wheat seeds into
flour and using the flour to make pretzels.

Materials
1. Half pound of wheat seeds (often called wheat berries) from a health food
store or bulk food department of the supermarket. (If unavailable, use the
amount of whole wheat flour listed in the recipe and explain how wheat is
ground into flour.)
2. Other ingredients listed in the recipe on page T-4.
3. Electric coffee grinder, hand cranked meat grinder, food processor (metal
blade), or mortar and pestle, measuring cups, large mixing bowl, long
handled wooded spoon, clean table to roll out dough, 2 baking sheets, and
access to a baking oven.
4. Stalk of wheat from a florist or craft store (optional)
5. Activity Sheet A

Background
Although most young children can recognize a plant’s roots, stems, leaves,
flower buds, fruits, and seeds, they may not understand the function of all these
parts. Likewise, few children can identify the plant sources of common foods,
fibers, and building materials.

Children usually define plant parts according to their shape and position rather
than their function. Emphasize that people eat many different parts of plants.

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Making Pretzels-Grades PreK-1: T-1
You can either accept the way children classify foods or explain the scientific
classification. For example, many children will call potatoes “roots” because
they grow underground, although potatoes are really underground stems that
store food.

The following are examples of foods that are seeds: barley, buckwheat, corn,
popcorn, oats, rice, wheat, peas, chick peas, lentils, dried beans, peanuts,
soybeans, almonds, chestnuts, coconuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios,
cashews, walnuts, sesame, sunflower, anise, caraway, dill, nutmeg, peppercorns,
cacao (cocoa, chocolate), carob, coffee, vanilla.

Activity
1. Read the following story:

We Eat Wheat

In the fall, a farmer planted wheat seeds. (Pass one wheat seed to each child.)
All winter, the seeds lay in the ground. During the winter and spring, rain fell
and soaked into the ground. When the weather got warmer, the seeds spouted
and wheat plants began to grow. (Show picture 1. T-5) More rain fell, and the
roots of the young wheat plants grew into the ground. Water went into the roots
and up the wheat plants’ stem into the green leaves. Air went into tiny openings
in the leaves. The wheat plants did something that we can’t do. With the water,
the air, and the energy from sunlight, the plants made food that they used to help
them grow taller and taller. (Show picture 2. T-5)

In the summer, the wheat plants used some of their food to make seeds like the
ones in your hands. Then the wheat plant looked like this. (Show picture 3. T-5,
or a wheat stalk with ripe grain.) Look carefully. How many seeds would you
guess are on one plant? Measure half a teaspoon of wheat seeds to show about
how many wheat seeds are in one head of wheat.

The farmer cut down the ripe wheat plants with a big machine called a combine.
(Show picture 4. T-5) The wheat seeds were knocked off the plants and stored in
big tower called a grain elevator. A train pulled a clean freight car in front of the
grain elevator and the wheat seeds were sent down a chute into the freight car.
The train took the wheat to the factory. At the factory, a machine ground the
wheat seeds very finely into flour. The flour was put in bags and taken to
grocery stores.

What might happen next? (We could buy the flour.)

What could we make with the flour? (Pancakes, pizza crust, bagels, cake, bread,
pretzels.)

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Making Pretzels-Grades PreK-1: T-2
2. Tell the students that they will use flour and other ingredients to make
pretzels. While the pretzels bake, the class can continue to make up the story
about wheat. Place the wheat seeds in the grinder and give everyone a turn
grinding them to make flour. Use the freshly ground flour and additional
flour to make pretzels.

3. While the students are eating their pretzels, ask them to complete the story
about the wheat plant. One variation might be as follows: Our teacher went
to the grocery store and bought a bag of flour. The flour came from wheat
seeds that a farmer grew. We mixed the flour that we ground ourselves with
the flour from the store. We measured some flour and mixed it some other
ingredients. We kneaded the dough and rolled it into ropes. Each of us made
a pretzel from a piece of the dough. We baked the pretzels and ate them.
They tasted good. We were eating the seeds of the wheat plant. The food the
wheat plants made and stored in their seeds are food for us. When we ate the
pretzels, the wheat became part of us!

4. The students could draw pictures and write stories to explain how they
ground the wheat seeds and baked pretzels.

5. Students may use Activity Sheet A to tell stories about making pretzels
and/or color and cut out to make sequencing cards.

Adapted from Project LEAP: Learning about Ecology, Animals, and Plants, College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

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Making Pretzels-Grades PreK-1: T-3
 Soft Pretzels

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 cups whole-wheat flour
2 packages active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 2/3 cups very warm water (120°to 130°)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey or sugar
2 tablespoons poppy or sesame seeds

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
3. Stir together 2 cups all-purpose and 2 cups whole wheat flour, yeast, and
salt.
4. Add water, vegetable oil, and honey, and beat 3 to 4 minutes with spoon.
5. Add 2 cups whole-wheat flour and enough additional all-purpose flour to
make a soft yet manageable dough. Knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth,
adding more flour if necessary.
6. Divide dough into 24 equal portions and roll each into a 15-inch rope
with slightly tapered ends. (See illustration below)
7. Roll lightly in seeds and shape into a pretzel and pinch ends to top to keep
together.
8. Place on greased baking sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Yield: 24 pretzels

From Patricia F. Thonney and Carol A. Bisogni, “Now You’re Cooking.” Ithaca: Division of Nutritional
Sciences, Cornell University, 1988. Reprinted with permission.

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Making Pretzels-Grades PreK-1: T-4
 Making Pretzels

Stages in the Growth of Wheat

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Making Pretzels-Grades PreK-1: T-5
 Making Pretzels

Stages in the Growth of Wheat

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Making Pretzels-Grades PreK-1: T-6
Making Pretzels Activity Sheet A

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Making Pretzels-Grades PreK-1: S-1