Fresh Bread

Passion / Palm Sunday 2007

Passion / Palm Sunday

Cesar Chavez Day, March 31

Lectionary Texts:  Luke 19:28-40 (Palms);  Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 (Palms);

Isaiah 50:4-9a (Passion);  Psalm 31:9-16 (Passion);  Philippians 2:5-11;

Luke 22:14-23:56.

Bread Words

                                                                                        

It is the Lenten journey itself that inspires the shape of the bread for this Palm / Passion Sunday; it is a large and un-lovely footprint.  In the centuries since Jesus first walked the inexorable path to Jerusalem, followers of Christ's way have struggled to determine what it means to follow in his footsteps.  We resist.  The requirements are costly.  To surrender human will to obey Love's commandment was difficult two thousand years ago.  Letting go of our fears, as well as our security blankets, is no less difficult in 2007.  But the way is clear. 

The imprint of Christ's footsteps is deep, but sometimes we get lost because we cast our eyes downward, looking for where the next footstep will lead.  In order to "see" the way, we must keep our heads up, our eyes wide open to the kin-dom all around us.  With a kind of "global" vision, it is possible to see everything clearly:  our immediate surroundings, the destination ahead, and the path that Jesus has set before us.  All around is the LOVE that sustains, something not seen with our eyes alone.

On this particular Palm / Passion Sunday, it is important to recognize the life path of a modern saint on the anniversary of his birth, March 31.  Cesar Chavez was a man of humble origins who dedicated his existence to the nonviolent struggle for justice for farm workers.  On this occasion, I think of the feet of the farm workers in the fields; the feet of the picketers outside markets during the grape boycotts; the feet of marchers who peacefully demonstrated in the streets; and the feet of the precinct workers who encouraged people to participate in the democratic process.  On this Palm/ Passion Sunday, it is appropriate to recall one of the most often quoted statements attributed to Cesar Chavez:  "When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us.  So it is how we use our lives that determines what kind of (wo)men we are."  Cesar Chavez recognized there was never a time when it would be acceptable to rest upon past accomplishments.  The path of faith was always ahead.  Cesar Chavez never relented.  His footsteps are an inspiration. 

Looking at the image of the footprint-shaped bread, I would not be enticed to eat it...let alone to want to bake it.  Imagery aside, the recipe for this bread is delicious.  It is a variation on the instructions for Hot Cross Buns from Celebration Breads:  Recipes, Tales, and Traditions by Betsy Oppenneer.  Out of respect for Ms. Oppenneer (and for any who may read this blog), I will give the recipe precisely as it is written in the book, but I will put my variations in parentheses.  The method will be hers, not mine, down to the instructions for the shaping of the bread.  The shaping and baking will depart from Ms. Oppenneer's recipe for the buns.

1 scant tablespoon or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (about 110-degrees F)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed  [organic cane sugar] 

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

[2 cups white whole wheat flour and

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour]      

1 cup currents  [omitted]

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel  [orange peel]

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast in the water to soften.  Heat the milk to 110-degrees F and add it to the yeast along with the butter, brown sugar, and eggs.  Whisk the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, and 2 cups of the flour together and add it to the yeast mixture.  Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.  Add the currants and lemon zest and stir to combine.  Gradually add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.  Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.  Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil.  Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Deflate the dough and place it on a well-greased baking sheet.  Shape the dough into an elongated, triangular shape.  Use kitchen shears to make 4 cuts in the side opposite the narrowist angle, creating five "toes." 

Let the shaped dough rise in a warm location, away from drafts, for another 45 - 60 minutes.  (I usually let the dough rise in the  oven.  An oven with a pilot light is just the right environment for the rising bread dough.)

Bake at 375-degrees for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let the bread cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

The bread tastes so much better than it looks!  And the Hot Cross Buns made with this recipe are outstanding, especially because of the currants and the citrus-flavored frosting piped in cross-shape on top of the buns.  The buns made from this Betsy Oppenneer recipe are better than any others I've eaten.  The Celebration Breads book is an inspiring resource.

Though it has nothing to do with the Lenten journey, there has been another inspiration for making a footprint-shaped bread.  In our front yard, there is a huge, barren footprint at the end of the left leg of a larger-than-life sculpture of a "fallen woman."  Actually, the barren area is a heel and ankle print because the woman is much too large to "stand" flat on her feet.  This public art piece has been at home in our front yard for several years since our daughter-in-law created it.  Surrounded by grass and dry leaves, the institutional-green figure has been an object of curiosity and humor (as well as derision) since the day she was installed.  But one morning, the left foot was gone.  My first thought was to realize that she was an amputee, a casualty of having lived boldly for art's sake, without the protection of locked gates or high walls.  I felt violated.  But I instantly imagined how terrifying it must be for soldiers in Iraq to have limbs disappear in a violent burst of some well-concealed explosive device.  We have not lost hope that whomever removed the huge green foot from our yard will one day restore the integrity of the fallen woman.  And we do not cease to pray on behalf of the soldiers--and the civilians--in Iraq.  May there be no more lost limbs.  May there be no more casualties....    

 

2nd Sunday in Lent

2nd Sunday in Lent

Lectionary Texts:  Genesis 15:1-12,17-18;  Psalm 27;

Philippians 3:17-4:1;  Luke 13:31-35

Bread Words

"He brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.'  Then he said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.' "  (Genesis 15:5)

It is awe-inspiring to acknowledge that the metaphorical stars in Abram's vision were the same stars he saw in the night sky when he was awake.  Blazing brightly in distant constellations, the stars visible to Abram are visible to us in the 21st-century.  It is no less amazing to recognize that we are the metaphorical stars of the vision.  We are the descendants of Abram (whether or not he would want to claim us). 

Though much knowledge has been gained about the true nature of stars since the time of Abram, it is convenient to represent the celestial bodies with a pentacle.  For this bread, I created a pattern from newspaper and cut the star shape from the bread.  The result was a rather flat loaf with the advantage of having cut-away wedges of warm bread for immediate consumption.  The bread could also be pushed and pulled into the shape of a star using the pattern as a guide.

The dough is a simple one made with whole wheat, milk, and honey and flavored with an herbal almond tea infusion.

1 1/2 cups milk, heated

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup whole wheat flour

4-4 1/2 cups unbleached flour

4 Tablespoons olive oil

4 Tablespoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

(Herbal tea of choice for flavor)

Pour half of the heated milk into a large mixing bowl and let it cool sufficiently for the yeast to be dissolved.  To the remainder of the warm milk, steep the herbal tea. (I used two sachets of Celestial Seasonings Almond Sunset.)  Add the whole wheat flour to the dissolved yeast and stir for about two minutes.  Let the yeast mixture stand for a few minutes while the herbal tea is steeping in the other portion of milk.  Remove the tea sachets and gently squeeze out the milk; add the honey, olive oil, and salt to the tea-flavored milk and stir to dissolve the honey.  Add the flavored milk mixture to the yeast mixture.  Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, scraping the bowl thoroughly.  Knead the dough for about 8 minutes.  Grease the mixing dough with olive oil.  Place the dough in the bowl, turning the dough over to cover the entire surface with oil.  Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.

While the dough was rising, I decided to look up the words for the hymn that had been singing in my mind, "The God of Abraham Praise."  According to The New Century Hymnal (The Pilgrim Press, 1995), "the twelfth-century scholar Moses Maimonides drew up the tirteen articles of the Hebrew creed, which were subsequently cast in metrical form (the Yigdal)."  The versification is attributed to Daniel ben Judah, circa 1400, and the tune, LEONI, is a traditional Yigdal melody adapted by Meyer Lyon in 1770.  This translation is reportedly a collaboration between Rabbi Max Landsberg and a Unitarian minister, Newton Mann, in 1884.  To follow are three verses in English:

The God of Abraham praise, all praises to God's name,

who was and is and is to be, fore'er the same!

The one eternal God, before what now appears;

the First, the Last:  beyond all thought through timeless years!

God's spirit freely flows, high surging where it will;

God spoke of old in prophet's word; that word speaks still.

Established is God's law, and changeless it shall stand,

deep written on the human heart, in every land.

God has eternal life implanted in the soul;

God's love shall be our strength and stay, while ages roll.

All praise the living God!  Extol that hallowed name,

          who was, and is, and ever shall be still the same!

After the dough has risen, remove from the bowl and pat it out on the baking sheet which has been well-greased.  Shape the dough as you prefer.  The images to follow reflect the "cut-out" technique.

Let the dough rise in a warm place for about one hour, and then bake at 375-degrees for about 45 minutes.  Let the bread remain on the baking sheet for about five minutes after removal from the oven.  Transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool thoroughly.

   

When we eat the bread, we are reminded that we are the stars and that our faith shines forth through us.  Even as the celestial stars shine down on ALL of God's creation, we remember that God's love endures and embraces our flawed humanity.  May we revel in the wonder of that LOVE!

1st Sunday in Lent

1st Sunday in Lent

Lectionary Texts:  Deuteronomy 26:1-11;  Psalm 91:1-2,9-16; 

Romans 10:8b-13;  Luke 4:1-13

Bread Words

Transfiguration Sunday

Transfiguration Sunday / Amazing Grace Sunday

Lectionary Texts:  Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99;

     2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)

Bread Words

"Two hundred years ago, British parliamentarian William Wilberforce and his group of friends profoundly changed the political and social climate of their time by taking on the slave trade. Wilberforce was a convert of the religious revivals that transformed 18th-century England. His life and his vocation as a Member of Parliament were profoundly changed by his newfound faith; he became a force for moral politics. His mentor, John Newton, worked in the slave trade before he became a minister, and became well known for writing the beloved hymn 'Amazing Grace.' Later, Newton used his influence as a religious leader to lead the battle against slavery. In light of his efforts, we can read his immortal words, 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me,' not merely as a testimony of private guilt and piety, but also as a turning away from the sin of trafficking in human flesh. His conversion produced a social and political transformation as well as a personal one."  (From "Time for the New Abolitionists" by Jim Wallis at  www.sojo.net )

There are many who believe that slavery ended more than a century ago.  To raise awareness of the ways 27-million men, women, and children around the world are enslaved today, February 18 has been designated "Amazing Grace Sunday."  A new abolitionist movement is being launched.  Inspired by the life and work of William Wilberforce, the movement is called the "Amazing Change Campaign."  As Wilberforce recognized two centuries ago, the abolition of slavery requires the reformation of society.  On "Amazing Grace Sunday," thousands of church congregations will be singing the familiar hymn, praying for global transformation.

It is the second stanza of "Amazing Grace" linked with a portion of the passage from 2 Corinthians which has inspired the shape of the Communion bread for this Sunday:

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

and grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

the hour I first believed!

"Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.  We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God."  (2 Corinthians 4:1-2)

"Grace" and "transformation" are difficult ideas to depict.  But nearly every culture recognizes the association of the heart-shape with concepts of Love.  The Communion bread is composed of four, distinctly flavored heart-shapes joined together to make a four-sided figure.  Each heart could be baked separately with satisfactory (and tasty) integrity.  But when the four hearts are linked together, they are transformed into a larger (and much more mysterious) loaf of bread.

(The technique for this bread is complicated by making four different--if simple--fillings for each of the four hearts.  Also, there are two separate doughs made to create light and dark breads.  The bread shape is just as effective if made with a single dough, without any fillings.)

The same amounts and techniques are used for both the light and the darker doughs.  I used two medium-sized bowls and measured the ingredients for each bread at the same time.  Mixing and kneading the unbleached and the whole wheat bread doughs sequentially does not adversely effect the outcome.  The following amounts are half the quantity required for a "whole" loaf if you decide to jettison the light/dark feature:

1 cup milk, warmed

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 3/4 - 3 cups unbleached flour or whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoons salt

Sprinkle the dry yeast over the surface of the warm milk (which has cooled sufficiently for the yeast to tolerate).  Mix in about 1 1/2 cups flour and stir for about 2 minutes;  let the mixtures stand for about 30 minutes.  Add the honey, oil, and salt with sufficient flour to make a stiff dough.  Turn one of the doughs out onto a well-floured surface, thoroughly scraping the bowl, and knead the dough for about 8 minutes. (Sing "Amazing Grace" and pray for global abolition and reformation.)  Repeat with the other dough mixture.  Return the doughs to the bowls which have been well-oiled.  Let the doughs rise for at least one hour.  (I usually place the dough in the cool oven while it's rising.)

If you decide to make fillings for each of the four hearts, use four small cups and measure 1 Tablespoon of softened butter and 1 Tablespoon of organic sugar into each container.  A variety of flavors could be added to each of the four cups.  The four flavors I used were: cocoa powder (1 Tablespoon); cinnamon (1 teaspoon); orange peel ( 1 1/2 teaspoon); and chili (2 teaspoons of Pico de Gallo--a mixture of salt and chili powders).  Mix the flavorings with the butter and sugar to make a spreadable paste and set them aside until the dough has risen.  (The amounts of the flavored pastes may seem stingy, but resist the temptation to use more!  The excess filling will ooze out and burn onto the bottom of the bread.)

Deflate the doughs and then divide each dough into two portions.  If you want to have "filled" hearts, roll each portion into a rectangle about 6-inches x 14-inches.  Spread the paste in a 4-inch width over (almost) the entire length of the dough.  Roll the dough jelly-roll style from the long side and then roll the resulting rope to a length of about 24-inches.  Form the rope into a heart-shape on a large, well-buttered baking sheet.  The point of the heart should "point" to the edge of the pan. Repeat the process with the other three portions of dough, creating a ring of hearts.

Now twist the "arms" of the hearts to join them into a single "loaf."  The bread shown is rather "floppy" and it might break too readily to be satisfactory for Communion.  The dough can easily be manipulated to make a "tighter" bread if desired.  Let the shaped dough rise for about 45 minutes.

Bake the bread at 375-degrees for 35-45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let the bread rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool.  I readily admit my bias, but when the bread is pulled apart and the fillings are revealed, my consciousness is expanded.   I imagine the sources of the flavorings. I think of the workers who grew them and who processed them. I hope that the workers are treated fairly, but recognize the sad realities of our global economy...May the "Amazing Change Campaign" meet with success!

   

   

             

6th Sunday after the Epiphany

Valentine's Day (February 14)

Lectionary Texts:  Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1;

1 Cointhians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26

Bread Words

"Thus says the Lord:  Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord.  They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes.  They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.  Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.  The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse--who can understand it?  I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings."  (Jeremiah 17:5-10)

The "heart" language in this passage as well as Valentine's Day approaching make "heart" imagery irresistably obvious as the shape for Communion bread this Sunday.  Though there are many who would question the appropriateness of associating the celebration of mischievous match-making by Cupid (Eros) with the above passage from Jeremiah, one might be equally confounded by why the feast day of a 3rd Century Christian martyr would be celebrated commercially with hearts, chocolates, and roses.  "In any case, the Valentine whose name is oddly commemorated was apparently a Christian priest in Rome who assisted martyrs during the persecution under Emperor Claudius II.  He was arrested and sent before the prefect of Rome.  When he refused to renounce his faith he was beaten and beheaded.  Thus by offering his heart, he proved himself a true devotee of the God of Love."   (From  All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time by Robert Ellsberg)

Bread and chocolate.  They go together as sweetly as Valentines and chocolate bonbons.  There is a chocolate filling baked into this Communion bread which is not evident until the bread is broken.  To complement the sweet filling, a sweet-ish bread dough made with unbleached flour is used to create the heart-shaped loaf.  The double spiral shape of this particular heart is inspired by an ornament made by Hmong hill tribe women from Thailand.  The point of the heart represents those of us who are present, here and now.  The spiral from one half of the heart recognizes the gifts bequeathed to us by our ancestors;  the spiral spinning forth into the other half acknowledges the legacy and hopes we imagine for future generations.  This ancient symbol of the Hmong enriches immeasurably the significance of the flat, commercialism of Valentine's Day.

(The pictures of the "innards" of this bread look fairly disgusting during the preparation, but it creates a lovely surprise when the bread is broken and it tastes better than you think Communion bread should taste.)

Sweet Communion Bread

1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated

2 teaspoons dry yeast

5 - 5 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 cups organic sugar

1/4 softened butter

1 teaspoon salt

Pour the heated milk into a large mixing bowl.  When the milk is sufficiently cooled, sprinkle the dry yeast over the surface and allow it to dissolve for a few minutes.  Add 2 cups of unbleached flour;  stir for at least two minutes and then let the mixture stand for 10 minutes (or for as much time as you can afford).  Add the sugar, butter, 3 cups of unbleached flour, and salt.  Mix to make a very stiff dough and then turn out onto a well-floured surface, scraping the bowl thoroughly.  Knead the dough for about 8 minutes.  (Recognize your inheritance from your parents, grandparents, the past generations who have influenced your life.  Take a very deep breath.  Imagine the kin-dom into which you hope future generations will live.)  Place the dough back into the bowl which has been well-greased.  Let the dough rise for at least an hour.

Mix together the following ingredients for the filling:  !/4 cup softened butter, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and 1/4 cup organic sugar.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto the well-floured surface.  Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 10-inches x 20-inches.  Spread the chocolate filling onto the dough:

Roll up the dough from the long edge to create a log which needs to be eased into an even longer rope, about 30-inches long.  Place the extended rope onto a well-greased baking pan.  Form the rope into a heart-shape formed by the double spirals folding into each other from the point at the base.

   

Let the dough rise for at least an hour.

 

Bake at 375-degrees for about 45-minutes.

Let the bread cool for about 5-minutes prior to removing to a cooling rack.

This is how the chocolate spiral looks when the bread is broken.  Trust me.  The bread TASTES so much better than it looks. 

5th Sunday after the Epiphany

5th Sunday after the Epiphany

Lectionary Texts:  Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13);  Psalm 138;

1 Corinthians 15:1-11;  Luke 5:1-11

Bread Words

"Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake;  the fisherman had gone out of them and were washing their nets.  He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore.  Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.  When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.'  Simon answered, 'Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing.  Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.'  When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to dome and help them.  And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!'  For he and all that were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken;  and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid;  from now on you will be catching people.'  When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him."  (Luke 5:1-11)

It is this passage from Luke which has inspired the fish-shape for the bread.  Reflecting upon this image and the Gospel passage also raises the question of how it is that the shape of a fish on a bumper sticker or a car magnet has come to identify the car's occupants as "Christians."  The stylized fish shapes seen on bumper stickers frequently have Greek letters filling the outline.  This should not be mistaken for an ecumenical gesture of the Greek Orthodox Church.  The symbol with the Greek letters actually dates from the second century when Saint Clement of Alexandria suggested that Christians be identified by a seal, such as the form of the fish.  In fact, those letters (Iota-Chi-Theta-Upsilon-Sigma) are the Greek word for "fish," pronounced   ichthys.  One of the reasons why the fish symbol with the Greek letters had been popularized in the twentieth century is because of the acrostic made with the letters:

       Iesous = Jesus

       Christos=Christ

       Theou = of God

       Yiou  =  Son

       Soter = Saviour

As with most symbols appropriated by Christians, there is fish imagery in pre-Christian pagan rituals as well as in other cultures.  I won't go there.  But it is impossible for me to ignore the humor of the contemporary co-optation of the fish symbol by the anti-Creationists:  large fish with wide-open mouth and Greek-style letters spelling "Darwin" chasing a smaller fish, chasing a smaller fish, chasing a smaller fish, chasing a smaller fish......But the Communion bread is close-mouthed.

The bread dough for the fish-shaped bread is the same, simple whole wheat bread that has been used frequently for Fresh Bread.  The only variation is the addition of dill seed.  Dill goes well with fish.

1 cup milk

1/2 cup boiling water

2 teaspoons dry yeast

3-3 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

Add the boiling water to the milk in a large mixing bowl.  Test to make sure that the liquid is not too hot and then sprinkle the yeast over the liquid to allow it to dissolve.  Add 2 cups of unbleached flour and mix for 2 minutes.  Allow the mixture to stand for a few minutes.

Add the honey, olive oil, sea salt, and whole wheat flour and mix well.  Add sufficient unbleached flour to make a stiff dough.  Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, thoroughly scraping the bowl, and knead for about 8 minutes.  (Be amazed that Christians must continue to be fishers-of-humans.  As powerful as Jesus' message was more than 2000 years ago, humans continue to hunger for his assurance of forgiveness and enduring LOVE.  This fish bread is a sign and symbol of that LOVE, of a new way of being.)  Place the dough back into the bowl which has been well-greased with olive oil.  Turn the dough so that all surfaces are oiled.  Let the dough rise for at least one hour.

Deflate the dough and then form into a rope about 3 1/2 feel long.  On a well-buttered baking sheet, shape into a fish, twisting the ends once to create a tail.

   

      

Let the dough rise for about an hour.

Bake at 375-degrees for about 40 minutes.

Let the bread cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a cooling rack.  Yum.  Take it in.  Be the bread.

 

4th Sunday after Epiphany

4th Sunday after the Epiphany

Feast of Saint Brigid of Ireland (February 1)

Lectionary Texts:  Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30

Bread Words

The 1st of February is the feast day of Saint Brigid of Ireland, a nun and the Abbess of Kildare during the fifth century.  "As best as can be discerned through the mists of legend, it is believed that Brigid was born into slavery and was later converted to Christianity by St. Patrick sometime in her childhood.  She was granted her freedom when it proved impossible to curb her enthusiasm for giving alms;  it seems she would otherwise have imporveished her master through such unauthorized largesse.  The themes of generosity and compassion are the feature of miracles without number.  Brigid's only desire was 'to satisfy the poor, to expel every hardship, to spare every miserable man.'...Many of her marvels have a particularly maternal character, reflecting her propensity to nourish and give succor...'Once a leprous woman asking for milk, there being none at hand she gave her cold water, but the water was turned into milk, and when she had drunk it the woman was healed.' " (From All Saints:  Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time  by Robert Ellsberg)

The Irish are renowned for their story-telling.  The Celtic tales had been passed from generation to generation in the oral tradition centuries before the birth of Jesus.  In fifth century Ireland, the parables and miracles of Jesus must have resonated with the Irish people accustomed to reveling in the heroic and mythic lore of the Celts.  Another Celtic tradition employed to interpret Christianity to the Irish people was the use of straw-plaiting to create the shape of the St. Brigit's Cross.  According to Nigel Pennick, "there are a number of prescriptions that must be observed in making St. Bridget's Crosses.  They must be made on St. Bridgit's Eve, after sunset on the last day of January.  St. Bridget's Day marks the commencement of the pastoral year.  Rushes must be pulled up, not cut, and the weaving must be done sunwise, from left to right.  There are a number of patterns for St. Bridget's Crosses, but the most common is in the form of four equal arms, set on the edge."  (From The Celtic Cross: An Illustrated History and Celebration )

The shape for the Communion bread is based on another traditional configuration of the St. Brigit's Cross as illustrated in Pennick's book.  The bread dough is a simple one made with milk, honey, butter, and whole wheat.

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup boiling water

2 teaspoons dry yeast

3-3 1/2 cups unbleached flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup butter

1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Pouring the boiling water into the milk in a large mixing bowl should make the liquid just the right temperature for dissolving the yeast.  Stir in 2 cups of the unbleached flour and then let it stand for a few minutes.  Add the honey, butter, whole wheat flour, salt and enough unbleached flour to make a stiff dough.  Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes.  Return the dough to the bowl which has been well-greased with more butter or with olive oil.  Let the dough rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Deflate the dough and separate into 7 pieces.  With the smallest (There will be a smallest piece.  It's very HARD to divide anything into 7 equal pieces.) piece, divide it into four portions.

Roll out the six large portions into ropes about 16-inches long.  Each rope represents a bundle of rushes used to create the plaited St. Brigit's Cross.  Weave the ropes together on a well-greased baking sheet, attempting to create symmetrical arms radiating from the center.

Roll the four small portions into thin ropes representing the grasses used to wrap the bundled ends of the arms of the "cross."  Rolling the dough to a length of about 9-inches allows you to wrap the dough arms twice, and that feels right.  Let the dough rise for about an hour.  Bake at 375-degrees.  Let the bread cool for 5-minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

It's a MIRACLE!  The bread tastes like LOVE.  And when we eat the bread, we partake of the miracle and we become the LOVE.  May we live this week in the generous spirit of Saint Brigit!

3rd Sunday after the Epiphany

3rd Sunday after the Epiphany / Jubilee Sunday

Lectionary Texts:  Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-6,8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

Bread Words

The method for creating Communion bread on this Jubilee Sunday is a RADICAL departure from all of the bread baking practices I have ever known....and loved!  It was while listening to "Good Food" on KCRW 89.9 that I was introduced to this phenomenal technique.  Evan Kleiman was interviewing Mark Bittman, The Minimalist chef from The New York Times.  He was fairly raving about the virtues of a "no-knead" bread, something in which I have had ZERO interest.  Kneading bread is an activity that satisfies me.  When I knead bread, I think of my grandmothers through my skin, muscle and bones.  As I knead bread dough, I imagine bread makers all over the world who must work much harder than I do to feed their families.  With the "no-knead" technique set aside, what intrigued me about the "minimalist" bread concept were the claims that Mark Bittman made about the quality of the resulting loaf. 

As soon as I could, I went to The New York Times Website and found the November 8, 2006, article titled, "The Secret of Great Bread:  Let Time Do the Work."  Because I have trusted other Mark Bittman recipes, I was prepared for conversion;  but it was this sentence that convinced me that I had to try the recipe as soon as possible:  "What makes (this) process revolutionary is the resulting combination of great crumb, lightness, incredible flavor--long fermentation gives you that--and an enviable, crackling crust, the feature of bread that most frequently separates the amateurs from the pros."  Having made hundreds of loaves of bread and having tried various techniques to create the home-version of a steam-injected oven to achieve that "crackling crust," I "needed" to try this method described by its creator, Jim Lahey, as so "surprisingly simple--I think a 4-year old could master it."

I read the recipe over and over....incredulous at the unconventional process.  Then I plunged in.  I am going to quote the recipe precisely as it was printed in The New York Times article, but I will intersperse photos of the process.

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time:  About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

* * * * * * * * * * * *

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1.  In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt.  Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended;  dough will be shaggy and sticky.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2.  Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it;  sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

 

3.  Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.  Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.  Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.  When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

   

 

4.  At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees.  Put a 6-to-8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) in oven as it heats.  When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.  Slide you hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up;  it may look like a mess, but that is O.K.  Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed;  it will straighten out as it bakes.  Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.  Cool on a rack.

Yield:  One 1 1/2 pound loaf.

 

Though no further instruction is required, I will add some of the details that would have reassured me prior to trying the recipe for the first time.  Unlike most homemade breads, this bread is best if served after it has cooled to room temperature.  For this reason and for ease in calculating the preparation time, it was simplest to begin the bread-making 24 hours prior to when it would be served.

One of the assumptions I made prior to making the bread was that I have more than one 8-quart Dutch oven, cast iron pot, etc. in which the bread could be baked.  Just before I needed to pre-heat the pan in the oven, I realized that the only 8-quart utensils in my possession were stainless steel stock pots (not one of the listed options in Mark Bittman's article).  But as can be seen in the photos, that's what I had to use.....and they worked!

Another detail about the baking which worried me was that there was no mention of the pans being greased, though there was assurance that the bread wouldn't stick.  Admittedly, I did use a generous amount of corn meal (on the towel and on the surface of the bread).  Maybe it's not required, but the toasted cornmeal tastes great and it adds a desireable texture to the finished loaf.  While the first loaf baked, I was imagining a gorgeous, golden glob of bread stuck to the sides and bottom of the stock pot.  At the end of the 50-minute baking time, I removed the pot from the hot oven and was amazed that the size of the loaf had not changed appreciably.  I giggled the pan slightly.  To my complete amazement, the loaf shifted easily in the bottom of the pan.  NO STICKING!

After removing the bread from the pan, we cut into the first loaf almost immediately.  This was a mistake.  The texture of the bread was much too moist to tolerate slicing or breaking right out of the oven.  Waiting at least one hour does the bread justice.  It's all the things Mark Bittman promised it could be.  To appreciate this recipe more fully, I suggest that you read the entire text in The New York Times as well as listening to the January 13th "Good Food" interview in the KCRW archives.  One of the possibilities Mark Bittman mentioned in the interview eith Evan Kleiman was using 1/4 rye flour in the recipes to create an exceptionally easy and flavorful rye bread.  I haven't tried it yet;  but when I do, I think I will add caraway or dill seeds to the mix.

It was puzzling to me why I had made the decision to make this unconventional bread for Communion.  There is nothing about the ingredients or about the shape of the bread which really fit the images derived from the Lectionary texts, unless it might be something about the LAW (the recipe) being obeyed, fulfilled.  But this is Jubilee Sunday.  And this crazy bread has everything to do with Jubilee.

There is absolutely nothing about the Jubilee concept  that makes sense within the paradigm of fairness and justice which is second-nature to me.  Prior to being exposed to the Biblical concept of Jubiliee, I had always thought that Jubilee meant a kind of special celebration.  It was not until I encountered the idea of cyclical debt-forgiveness and re-distribution of wealth as described in the Hebrew Bible that I began to recognize the potential for transformation in the practice of Jubilee.  The benefit of debt-forgiveness by the wealthy nations and institutions to the impoverished and deprived is not something that can be demonstrated by economists' spread sheets.  Debt-forgiveness on a scale that matters is an act of good faith.  The gesture defies conventions.  And so does this wacky recipe for No-Knead Bread.  The techniques are contrary to--and defiantly simpler than--conventional bread-making practices.  But the results are extraordinary!  It's the PERFECT bread for Jubilee Sunday.

2nd Sunday after the Epiphany

2nd Sunday after the Epiphany / Martin Luther King Day 

14 January 2007

Bread Words

Lectionary Texts:  Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10;

1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11

 

One of the benefits of using the Lectionary texts as the basis for liturgy is that all of the passages will be re-visited every three years.  With each cyclical encounter, a different part of the texts will emerge as significant.  This week when I read the Gospel passage from John, it was this verse describing the Wedding at Cana that captured my interest: "When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom."  (John 2:9)  After initially recalling the scene from "Zorba, the Greek" when the character played by Anthony Quinn substituted wine for the water in the urns at the hillside monastery, I recognized this passage is one example of Jesus having first revealed the miraculous to those who were marginalized by the dominant society, of how Jesus brought signs of hope to the poor and disenfranchised.  On this Sunday when Martin Luther King Day is observed, it is important to recognize the ways in which the ministry of the young African-American pastor from Georgia mirrors the ministry of the young prophet from Nazareth.

The shape of the bread for Communion is inspired by the stories of how Martin Luther King, Jr. commited his life to breaking the chains of bondage binding African-Americans to the reality of separate-and-unequal status while also whacking away at the arrogant supremacy of the dominant white class.  Black and white.  Yellow and brown.  We need each other!  If one among us is demeaned or harmed, each of us suffers.  "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses." (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)  There's not one word about the color of our skin.  Not one word about our gender or sexual orientation.  Each one has special worth and value.  But as long as humans subscribe to the notion of the "other," we are bound by the chains of our predjudices.  Our potentials are doomed.

And so, the Communion bread for this week is formed into a chain, a chain symbolizing the bondage to which we subscribe and submit.  Racism.  Sexism.  Classism.  It's a chain made just like the one made with a crochet hook--very strong and enduring--but one that will be unravelled with the steady perseverance of committed Christians willing to pull at the vulnerable strand until it is broken and cast off. 

The bread dough is made from a simple recipe, divided into two different colored portions which are twisted together to make the chain.  If it seems too complicated to make the bread from a single recipe, the shape can be readily created from two separate bread recipes, one for white bread and one for dark bread.  The reason that I prefer to make the two shades of bread from a single recipe is because the bread will properly bake at the same temperature.

White and Tan Bread

1 3/4 cups milk, heated

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

2 cups unbleached flour

Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the warmed milk.  Let the yeast dissolve and then stir in the unbleached flour.  Stir for two minutes.  Divide the mixture into two equal portions, about 1 3/4 cups each. 

In one bowl, add:

1/4 cup honey

2 Tablespoons softened butter

2 cups unbleached flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix the ingredients and then turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead for about five minutes.  Place in a greased bowl and let rise for an hour.

To the other bowl, add:

1/4 cup molasses

1 ounce of dark chocolate

2 Tablespoons softened butter

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups of whole wheat flour

Mix together and then turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead for five minutes.  Place in a greased bowl and let the dough rise for an hour.

Deflate each of the doughs and then roll each dough into a rope about 5 feet long.  Twist the two ropes together.  On a well-greased baking sheet, shape the twisted ropes into a simple chain, leaving both ends free.  So that the loop in the chain would remain "open" during the rising and baking process, I placed a small, greased ceramic cup in the loop;  I don't think the result is effective and I will skip that detail the next time I make this bread.  (Rather than wasting more words attempting to describe how to loop the dough, the pictures below will be more instructive.)

Let the shaped dough rise for about one hour.  Bake at 375-degrees for 25-35 minutes.  Let the bread remain on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.  Though there isn't much difference between the dark and the light doughs on the outside crust, the two kinds of dough can be distinguished--but they are inseparable. 

       

Baptism of Jesus / Ordination

Baptism of Jesus / Ordination     7 January 2007

Bread Words

Lectionary Texts:  Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17,21-22

"Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Child, the Beloved;  with you I am well pleased."              (Luke 3:21-22.)

It is this ritual of baptism performed by his cousin, John, that marks the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  "Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work."  (Luke 3:23)  In early Christian artworks depicting this baptism, John is frequently portrayed streaming water from a shell over Jesus' head.  This is a likely explanation for the association of the shell image with the baptism ritual.

Another kind of spiritual practice associated with the shell image is the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (The Way of Saint James, Field of Stars) in northern Spain.  The remains of the Apostle James are said to be buried at the Santiago de Compostela.  There are a number of pre-Christian legends about the pilgrimage which embrace the symbolism of the shell--a pagan fertility ritual and a Celtic death journey are examples.  For modern-day sojourners who may walk El Camino for weeks as a spiritual quest, the scallop shell has become a token signifying the successful completion of their trek to the Atlantic coast of Spain.  Whether or not sojourners on a faith journey ever visit the Continent or ever set foot on El Camino, the scallop shell has come to be symbolic of spiritual seeking.

Because of the associations with baptism and spiritual seeking, the scallop shell seems like a fitting shape for the Communion bread for the Baptism of Jesus Sunday when a member of the congregation will be Ordained as an Elder.  On the occasion of Ordination, the faith community embraces the unique gifts and graces of the new elder and pledges to support her special ministry.  As the Communion table is approached on this day (which also celebrates Jesus' Epiphany), there will be a Great Thankgiving for ALL the gifts we bring for God's glory.

The bread dough is slightly sweet, and it is flavored with Chai tea.  The formation of the bread will be made easier with the use of kitchen shears to create a shell-shape.

(Not-quite) Whole Wheat Bread

3 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 3/4 cups warmed milk

3 Chai tea bags

1/2 cup organic sugar

3 Tablespoons softened butter

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

Warm the milk to almost scalding.  Let the tea bags steep in the warmed milk for about five minutes.  Pour the tea-flavored milk into a large mixing bowl.  After the milk has cooled sufficiently, sprinkle the dry yeast over the surface to dissolve.  Add 3 cups of the unbleached flour and stir for about two minutes.  Let the sponge sit for about five minutes.

Add the sugar, butter, salt, and some of the whole wheat flour.  Mix well and then add more whole wheat flour to make a very stiff dough.  Turn the dough out on a floured surface, thoroughly scraping the bowl.  Knead the dough, utilizing the remaining flours, for about 8 minutes.  (Singing "We Three Kings" provides a perfect meter for kneading the bread....and it helps me to get my annual quota of the one carol which seems to get short shrift at church.)  Place the dough back in the bowl which has been well-greased; turn the dough to grease the entire surface.  Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 75 minutes.

Punch the dough down and pat it out on a floured surface into a circular shape about 12-inches in diameter and 1 1/2-inches thick.  Place the dough on a well-greased baking sheet.  Using kitchen shears, cut the base of the scallop-shell shape and the fan-shape radiating from the base.

To create the ridge-effect on the body of the shell, either use a knife or the kitchen shears to cut seven "rays" in the bread.  Let the bread rise for about one hour and then bake at 375-degrees for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown.  After removing the pan from the oven, let the bread sit on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  M-m-m-m...the flavor is indescribable.