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!