This blackberry and bay crostata recipe is a wonderful project to tackle with children, offering plenty of fun, age-appropriate tasks that will get them excited about baking. It’s a fantastic way to create delicious memories together in the kitchen.
Kids can start by helping with the jam. They can wash the blackberries and help measure out the sugar. Older children can squeeze the lemon juice. The maceration step is a great science lesson in disguise, as they can watch the sugar draw the juices out of the fruit over the course of an hour.
Making the pastry offers plenty of hands-on fun. Little hands are great at helping to mix the dry ingredients or pressing the button on the electric mixer (with supervision). The best part for them will be the final brief knead, where they can get their hands into the soft, pliable dough.
The assembly stage is where their creativity can shine. They can help roll out the dough for the base and press it into the tin. When it comes to the lattice, you can create a simplified version. Let them lay the strips of dough across the top in any pattern they like—a simple grid, a sunburst, or even abstract art. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be fun.
Finally, they can help with the final touch: brushing the pastry with milk. Giving a child a pastry brush and a small bowl of milk is a recipe for focused joy. The pride they will feel when they see (and taste) the beautiful tart they helped to create is the sweetest reward of all.