Making Bread Lyrics
A mother makes bread from flour, salt, yeast and water, mixes and kneads the dough, and bakes the loaves until the bread is done.
Making Bread
"The farmer and the miller
Have worked," the mother said,
"And got the flour ready,
So I will make the bread."
She scooped from out the barrel
The flour white as snow,
And in her sieve she put it
And shook it to and fro.
Then in the pan of flour
A little salt she threw;
A cup of yeast she added,
And poured in water, too.
To mix them all together
She stirred with busy might,
Then covered it and left it
Until the bread was light.
More flour then she sifted
And kneaded well the dough,
And in the waiting oven
The loaves of bread did go.
The mother watched the baking,
And turned the loaves, each one,
Until at last, rejoicing,
She said, "My bread is done!"
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/making-bread/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Action Songs
- Written by
- Emilie Poulsson
- Tune
- Finger play, spoken or sung
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| She scooped from out the barrel | Cup your hands together to make the scoop. |
| And in her sieve she put it | Interlace your fingers, palms up, thumbs touching, to make the sieve. |
| A little salt she threw | Rub your thumb and fingertips together over an imaginary pan. |
| She stirred with busy might | Hold your fingers together and stir in a circle. |
| And kneaded well the dough | Move your fists up and down as if kneading. |
What Does Making Bread Mean?
The poem follows bread from flour to the finished loaf. The mother begins by noting that the farmer and the miller have done their work, then scoops white flour from a barrel and shakes it through a sieve. In the pan she adds salt, a cup of yeast and water, and stirs it all. Then she covers the dough and leaves it until the bread was light, which means until it has risen.
After that she sifts more flour, kneads the dough, bakes the loaves in the oven, turns each one while she watches, and says, "My bread is done!" Each step has its own hand motion, so children can mime a whole baking day.
History and Origin
Emilie Poulsson wrote the words, and the poem is printed in her book Finger Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten (1889) with music by C. C. Roeske. The book gives a hand movement for each step, such as cupped hands for the scoop and fists moving up and down for kneading.
Because it has a named author, it is a poem rather than a folk rhyme. It has three verses of eight lines each, twenty-four lines in all.
Learning Activities
- Bake bread: make a simple dough together and watch it rise.
- Field to table: trace the path of bread from the field to the farmer, the miller and the baker.
- Sift and scoop: scoop and sift flour or sand with a spoon and a sieve.
- Act it out: do all the hand motions while an adult reads, one step to a line.