Bread

I love to bake bread. So, a while ago, I started baking bread for our church. It's used for the Eucharist (aka Communion). I pretty proud of it, even though I shouldn't be, but everyone likes it. So tonight I am working on two batches for Sunday. We are going to celebrate our Liturgy in the morning and on Sunday evening (aka Monday morning) we'll celebrate our Christmas Liturgy. Our Liturgical calendar is based on the "Old Calendar" (Julian) which falls 13 days behind the "New Calendar" (Gregorian).

Back to the Bread . . . Most bread recipes include sugar (for the yeast to eat), oil (I'm not sure why), and some have warmed milk (another one I'm not sure of). In our traditions, the bread that will become the Host should be as pure and simple as possible. This means that it can only contain flour, salt, yeast and water. This was kind of difficult at first. Most of the proper church recipes are dry or hard or really flat tasting. So, this was officially the first recipe I have ever created. It's definitely not fool-proof though. I am pretty much the only one who can use this recipe. (That's not a good thing.) It's not that the recipe is fussy it's just getting the right balance which changes with the weather. I guess it's a learned technique. Ben and I watch a lot of Alton Brown on "Good Eats."

Well, here's the recipe and technique. Let me know what you think.

3 1/4 C Bread Flour (keep extra around)
2 teas. instant yeast
1 teas. Kosher Salt
2 cups hot water

1) Prepare the Yeast

To prepare the yeast, you need to bloom* it in hot water. I use hot tap water. It's not quite as hot as my faucet will go but just about. I put about 1/4 C in a small bowl or cup along with the yeast. Set the rest of the water aside. I let this set about 10 minutes. (A note: Usually, the hotter the water, the quicker the bread will rise. However, if the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.)

2) Prepare the Flour

I use a Kitchen Aid, with the hook attachment, to mix my bread. So, in the mixer bowl, add the flour and the salt. Mix this for just a moment.

3) The Bread

When the yeast has bloomed*, add the yeast-water to the flour-salt mixture while the mixer is on low speed. If there is still yeast in the 'cup', use some of the extra water to 'rinse' out the cup into the mixer(which is still going at this point). You will want to watch your bread as it comes together. Stream in the extra water until the bread flour has all been combined into the dough. You will want to err on the side of slightly too much water. You can now use extra flour, added slowly, to 'soak up' some of the water. You will want to keep your dough in the mixer to knead it. (This method takes less human muscle. ;) ) You can add small amounts of flour to make sure the dough does not stick to the bowl, especially at the bottom of the bowl. You will know if you have added to much flour because the ball of dough will have a 'foot' slapping around in the bowl. I usually knead the dough in the mixer for about 10 minutes. I then take it out and knead for a few moments. For church, I split the dough into five rounds and then put them into individual sandwich zip-top baggies. If you aren't using the bread for religious purposes, then I would split the dough in two and put each half into individual gallon size bags. Make sure, when sealing the zip-top baggies, to leave plenty of air in them. This will give the bread more room to rise. (A note: I like to let my bread rise while I am running my portable dishwasher. The top of the dishwasher is the perfect warm spot for bread rising.)

4) The second Knead

After about an hour or after the dough has at least doubled in size, I knead the dough for a second time. I only knead it for about 5 min or so per loaf. I like to make sure the loafs are semi-round. For loaf pans, make your dough cylindrical. Then place the bread on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet or in your loaf pans. If you choose to use loaf pans, I would line them with a piece of parchment on at least 3 long sides(2 sides and a bottom). Let these loaves rise for about 10 minutes.

5) Stamping

If using this recipe for religious purposes, you will want to stamp the bread shortly before it goes into the oven. I usually hold my floured, plastic stamp down for about 20 seconds.

6) Bake

Bake your bread at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. You will want to start checking after 25 minutes. I don't think that it will need more that 40 minutes. To test the doneness, tap the top of each loaf with your fingers or the back of a spoon. The loaves should sound hollow.

7) Cooling

It's important to let your bread cool fully before consuming. Do not pack it up until it has cooled, as well.


Well, there it is. If you try it out, let me know. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks for reading.