Fresh Bread

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.