Bread of Life
I am not sure what it is about the turn of seasons, but for me with the change in temperature and the falling of the leaves spur in me a desire for warm comforting smells emanating from my kitchen.
I think that there can be no better smell than the yeasty aroma of a loaf of homemade bread filling my home.
The aroma begins with the first pouring of the warm water over the dry yeast and the tiny little microbes or whatever they are spring into action. The little bubbles signaling to me that a mysterious process is taking place. The scent lifts from my mixer bowl and fills the kitchen.
As the bread proofs in a warm oven it grows, and grows and again the heady aroma fills the air.
The feel of the dough in my hands as I form it into loaves, it is soft, firm, pliable, elastic and again fragrant.
This beginning perfume is only intensified as it is altered by the heat of my oven. The raw yeast smell transforms into a full and fragrant fall bouquet. The smell of the homemade bread laden with cinnamon and raisins permeates every inch of my home.
The mouth salivates with anticipation for the first slice toasted and slathered with butter.
It lingers in the air for almost a full 24 hours, for the next day the house is still lightly holding on to the process.
Yes I know it takes a bit of time, yes I know it takes a bit of effort. But for me the smell, the taste, the knowledge that the process of making homemade bread has not changes for thousands of years somehow connects me to something ancient.
The tools I use may be a bit different but the yeast, the flour, all the steps from the blooming of the yeast to the loaves cooling on a rack are basically the same as they were thousands of years ago. I find that such a comfort.
A little flour, a little yeast and little kneading, let it sit for an hour and punch it down.
Turn out on to a floured surface and form a rectangle
Sprinkle generously with lots of cinnamon sugar and raisins
Into the over for 30 or so minutes and
Cooling on a rack
Sliced it up
I think that there can be no better smell than the yeasty aroma of a loaf of homemade bread filling my home.
The aroma begins with the first pouring of the warm water over the dry yeast and the tiny little microbes or whatever they are spring into action. The little bubbles signaling to me that a mysterious process is taking place. The scent lifts from my mixer bowl and fills the kitchen.
As the bread proofs in a warm oven it grows, and grows and again the heady aroma fills the air.
The feel of the dough in my hands as I form it into loaves, it is soft, firm, pliable, elastic and again fragrant.
This beginning perfume is only intensified as it is altered by the heat of my oven. The raw yeast smell transforms into a full and fragrant fall bouquet. The smell of the homemade bread laden with cinnamon and raisins permeates every inch of my home.
The mouth salivates with anticipation for the first slice toasted and slathered with butter.
It lingers in the air for almost a full 24 hours, for the next day the house is still lightly holding on to the process.
Yes I know it takes a bit of time, yes I know it takes a bit of effort. But for me the smell, the taste, the knowledge that the process of making homemade bread has not changes for thousands of years somehow connects me to something ancient.
The tools I use may be a bit different but the yeast, the flour, all the steps from the blooming of the yeast to the loaves cooling on a rack are basically the same as they were thousands of years ago. I find that such a comfort.
A little flour, a little yeast and little kneading, let it sit for an hour and punch it down.
Turn out on to a floured surface and form a rectangle
Sprinkle generously with lots of cinnamon sugar and raisins
Roll and tuck, press and form into loaves
Into the pans for the second proofing
One hour later
Proofed and ready to bake, I love how it rises up and billows in a perfect rounded top, it reminds me of a plump pudgy cheek, you can decide which kind of cheek
Into the over for 30 or so minutes and
Cooling on a rack
Sliced it up
Into the toaster
As I sat on my living room sofa and breathed in the aroma of the bread baking filling my house the word of My Savior come to my mind.
JN 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry,
As I was surrounded by the amazing fragrance, as we broke the bread and shared it together during our evening meal these word for me we re-defined a bit more.
I know of many wonderful aromas, I know of many mouth watering and delicious delicacies, but as the fragrance of the bread filled the air around me I could understand more clearly why Jesus would use this particular analogy.
I know you can’t smell it, but I wanted to share a bit of the process and maybe just maybe your home will be vicariously filled with this amazing fragrance of the bread of life.
Enjoy!
Blessings
Robin
Comments
I'll be right over!
Kathleen