They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship; to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
GO HOME! THEN GO OUT!
Bread ministry participants meet once a month in an individual’s home (rotating home), bringing all the supplies they need to make two loaves of bread. While preparing the bread, everyone can engage in conversation and fellowship. As the bread bakes, the group can gather for Bible study and prayer.
Once made, place bread into new brown paper bags with a card inside. (A white paper bag or clear plastic one could also work.) The next step of going out is to give the bread to people likely to be encouraged by it. For example, a neighbor who is experiencing illness or limited mobility, a family somehow connected to the corps, a small shelter or domestic violence safehouse, etc. You may do this in groups, pairs or individually. Consider adding a note.
Meeting in each other’s homes will bring the group closer together — it is a moving out of the corps and into each others’ spaces and hearts. From there, the group is encouraged to keep going out — into the larger community. It is always a possibility to do this once and invite participants to consider how often they want to repeat the experience. In some locations, people will prefer to do it quarterly or bi-weekly, instead of monthly. In some locations, the best setup will be to use a corps kitchen or chipping in to create a baker’s supply pantry. Use your discernment, but don’t let challenges become barriers. The advantages of gathering regularly are the opportunity to really get to know each other as a group and developing a habit of seeing the people in your vicinity who could use encouragement.
Honey Oat Quick Bread
no yeast, no knead
Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats, divided
1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 scant cup low fat plain yogurt (not Greek yogurt)
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey, divided
3/4 cup low fat milk
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously grease a 9X5 inch loafpan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats in the pan. Tip the pan back and forth to coat the sides and bottom with oats.
2. In large bowl, stir together white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, use a fork to beat 1 cup oats, yogurt, egg, oil, and 1/4 cup honey until well blended. Stir in milk. Gently stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until thoroughly incorporated, but not overmixed (excess mixing can cause toughening). Pour the batter into the pan, spreading evenly to the edges.
4. Bake the loaf in the center of the oven until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 45 minutes (beginning checking at 30 minutes). Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. While the bread is still warm, gently brush the top of the loaf with 1 tablespoon of honey. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon oats. Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.
Easy Peasy French Bread
Easy Peasy French Bread
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast ( 2 small packets)
3 1/2–4 1/2 cups flour
Directions
1. Combine the water, honey, salt and yeast in a glass bowl. Let sit for 5-10 mins. until there’s some bubbling, foam stuff on the top.
2. Next, add a bunch of flour. I used just regular white organic flour. You want your dough to be sticking to itself, not your fingers. So keep adding flour and keep kneading until that happens.
3. Form the dough into a loaf shape. Cover with a towel and let sit on the counter for 20 mins. This is the time to set the oven to 400 degrees. (First picture is before the rise, second is after)
Artisan Bread
Please note: This recipe involves several long periods of waiting, so it might be best if the host does the prep work early on, or if the recipe is saved for gatherings in which you have a greater amount of time to dedicate to baking.
Ingredients
1⅓ cups warm water (320ml) at 100-110 ̊F
2 ¼ teaspoons granulated yeast*
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt or 1 teaspoon regular salt.
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup (130g) whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh finely chopped herbs (optional)
2⅔ (330g) cups all-purpose flour
Notes from the Baker
*The small yeast packets from the grocery store work fine, but I prefer the yeast that you can purchase in bulk at the big box stores like Sam’s, Costco, etc. It’s much cheaper than buying yeast in small packets and it’s professional grade. I keep a small jarful in the refrigerator and freeze the rest. I’ve kept it in the freezer for up to a year and it will keep well in the refrigerator for several months.
*** I use warm tap water. It should feel fairly warm to the touch, but not so hot you need to pull your handback.
**** Don’t worry about the depth or width of the pot. As long as it will hold 3-4 quarts, you’ll be fine. If it’s a deep pot, your bread will be smaller and taller. If the pot is shallower and has a larger circumference, the finished loaf will be larger and not as tall.
***** If using a pot with a handle, be sure it’s oven-safe to 400 ̊F.
I like to slice the bread then place it in a zip lock bag. You can pull out a few slices at a time or, for a wonderful dinner bread, place the whole loaf back into the same pot you used to bake it. Cover the pot and warm in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 ̊f. The bread will be wonderful crisp on the outside with a soft and chewy center.
—Major Jacqulyn Reckline
Directions:
1. Add warm water*** to a large bowl. Stir in yeast and sugar and let sit for 4-5 minutes till mixture begins to bubble a bit and get foamy.
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon. (A Danish whisk works wonderful for mixing this dough and can be purchased online very inexpensively.) Stir vigorously until all flour is incorporated. This will only take a minute or two.
3. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. (It could take a little longer if your kitchen is cooler.)
4. While the dough is rising, take a 3-4 quart pot**** (with or without a handle******) and place on top of a piece of parchment paper. Trace a circle, slightly bigger than the bottom of the pot. Cut out circle and set aside.
5. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 2 teaspoons of flour. Spread it out with your fingers if needed. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle another teaspoon of flour over the paper. This will keep your bread from sticking to the pan and parchment paper. Set pot aside aside.
6. Place ¼ cup flour on a dinner plate. Spread with your fingers to cover surface of plate with flour.
7. After dough has risen and collapsed, dump it out onto the floured plate. Flip several times to thoroughly coat dough with flour.
8. Shape into a smooth, flat ball by stretching the surface of the dough and tucking it underneath with the palms of your hands, rotating a quarter of a turn as you go. Dust with more flour from the plate as needed to prevent stickiness, but don’t try to use a lot of extra flour into the dough.
9. Preheat oven to 400 ̊F.
10. Transfer the ball of dough to the prepared pot and cover with lid. Let it rest for 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size.
11. Remove cover and sprinkle top of dough lightly with flour.
12. With a sharp knife make parallel cuts, 1½ inches apart across the top of the loaf. You can also cut an x (or just make little random cuts with a kitchen shears all over the top of the bread for a fun whimsical look.)
13. Place pot in oven with cover on. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove cover and continue baking another 15-25 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.
14. Allow to cool on a cooling rack, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove bread by inverting onto a cooling rack. (If bread sticks to pan at edges, use a sharp knife to loosen any areas that are stuck.) Cool bread, right side up.
