Weapons notwithstanding, surely the most unfortunate invention of the modern age is the bread machine. Created for people who want to enjoy the aroma and texture of "fresh" bread, it also denies them the greater pleasures of baking the bread and activating the gluten. There is nothing more elemental than bread in the sustenance of our existence, and the preparation and consuming of bread is present throughout all history, transcending all cultures.
Bread is a sacramental feature in most religions, possibly because ancient civilizations acknowledged the annual dying of some gods so that the earth would bear grain and fruit and people would not starve. In Judaism, challah (twisted egg bread) is broken over prayers and before the Shabbat meal. During Passover, flat bread is eaten to symbolize the urgency of the flight from Egypt, when there was no time for bread to rise.
In Christianity's sacrament of Holy Communion, bread symbolizes the body of Christ, in accordance with the text of The Last Supper. Also, in the New Testament, Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the bread of life." Greek Orthodox followers make prosphora (from the Greek word for "offering") for the sacrament. This bread, baked in small loaves, is embossed with seals that represent the body or the nature of Christ.
It was an ancient Muslim tradition never to sell bread, because bread was considered a gift from Allah. Indeed, people of many faiths still give bread to the poor and bereaved. I live a few miles from St. Joseph's Seminary and Abbey, where the monks bake 1,750 loaves of bread each week to feed the poor in the New Orleans area.
Bread is such a powerful archetype that it has become a pervasive metaphor throughout our language. The phrases "break bread together," "stand in the bread line," "bread and water," and "daily bread" conjure up common images to people of diverse geographies and cultures.
A lot goes into the production of a loaf of bread. Someone has to grow and harvest the grain, the hops, and the olives or other crops from which oil is derived, and someone has to process these products for consumption. Although flat breads and other non-yeast breads are delicious, when we think of homemade bread, we generally think of rising dough. And this is what so many people find daunting. To make yeast bread requires time, effort, and physical work.
For dough to rise successfully, it must contain gluten. Gluten (a French word, from the Latin "glu") is activated by kneading, which expands the dough's proteins, speeding up the rate at which the molecules collide. The dough then forms a mass and becomes elastic. It then traps gas and rises over time. Kneading can be a brief process, such as the kneading that is necessary to make pizza dough, or it can be a lengthy activity, which puts stress on the wrists and forearm muscles.
The correct way to knead dough is to roll it into a ball, then flatten the ball, fold it over a couple of times, and put pressure on it with the heel of the hand. By repeating this process multiple times, you create an elastic ball of dough that responds favorably to flattening, rolling, and rising. Experience teaches you when your dough is ready.
Usually, dough has to rise for one to two hours before it can be baked. The best place to put rising dough is in an oven that has been set to 200 degrees and then turned off. Cover the dough with a dishtowel and leave for the required amount of time. I am always pleased when I return to the dough and see how much it has expanded. Sometimes, extra kneading is necessary before shaping the bread into loaves. When the bread is in the oven, the aroma permeates the house, and is irresistible to most people.
I like to make bread containing a lot of herbs — some combination of basil, rosemary, oregano and thyme — the herbs and the baking grain create a tantalizing fragrance. Herbed bread is a wonderful accompaniment to almost any meal. I also like to make honey breads and breads that contain cheese or some other savory ingredient. French bread is rather a chore to make, but the results are sublime. And you can't go wrong with either a plain white loaf or a simple whole wheat bread.
If you don't have time to spend kneading and waiting, it's always fun to make muffins, cornbread, soda bread, or pizza dough. These breads take almost no time, but add so much to the meal.
The act of making bread is one that simultaneously promotes patience, nurturance, aesthetic pleasure, and appetite. There is a meditative quality to the kneading of dough, and a sacramental aspect in the breaking of bread, regardless of one's spiritual orientation. But the multi-layered pleasures of baking bread are available only to those who are willing to commit to the time and muscle required for the preparation of the dough. For those bakers, the rewards are always worth the effort.
© 2003, All Rights Reserved
Bio:
Diane E. Dees is a psychotherapist and writer in Covington, Louisiana. Her short stories, essays and political commentary have appeared in many publications. Diane and her husband, Orvin, are the webmasters of princesscafe.com, the world's only virtual rock and roll restaurant. Diane's blog can be read at dedspace.blogspot.com.
Diane can be reached at: dianedees@charter.net
Artist:
Phillis Yes' website may be seen at: www.yes@lclark.edu/~yes.
Phillis can be reached at: yes@lclark.edu |
