the daily bread
WHY BREAD?
We live in a culture that's afraid to eat bread. Carbs are the enemy. Despite our deepest desire for a flaky exterior and warm fluffy interior of a slice of fresh bread, we resist. We may do it in private but when the waiter asks the dinner party if they want fresh bread, no one wants to be the one to speak up and say "ME! Yes, Please."
Isn't faith kind of the same? We live in a culture that has made self a god. To be the faithful follower of Jesus is about as unpopular as being the carb consumer. We may follow Jesus in our homes or the safe environment of our local churches, but do we take that faith to the street? Does that side of us bubble into every aspect of our lives or are there bread eating portions of our life we keep concealed?
Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry," John 6:35. When Jesus modeled for us the perfect formula for prayer, he said "Give us today our daily bread," Matthew 6:11. At the last supper, "as they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, 'Take this and eat it, for this is my body.' " Matthew 26:26.
When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness waiting on God's direction and plan for their lives, he fed them with bread from heaven, manna.
As we wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise to us of the new Garden, to restore Eden... as we live... between Edens, We should seek daily bread and that daily bread is Jesus. He is our portion.
492
Mentions
word
of god
Eternal
Life
Bread as abundance
There's a whole generation of people who are rising up (no pun intended) and breaking the antibread march to embrace the art and heart of bread making. Yes, you can drive to the store or a local bakery and pick up a fresh loaf and have your appetite satisfied. Or, you can embark on a journey that soul satisfies by learning the slow and simple process of the art.
Sourdough bread making is just that, an art. You have to care for a starter, feeding and watering it. The slow process of daily nourishing your starter can be a lot like your faith journey. As you wait to watch your starter grow, you can think about the need to feed and water your faith with the true source of nourishment if you want the kind of spiritual life that bubbles over. The anticipation for a healthy starter that will yield a fresh baked loaf of bread can be much like the anticipation for a faith that yields a healthy outlook and abundance of life that has nothing to do with what this world promises you.
Seeing the starter yield a dough and watching it rise to double in size can be alot like what God wants to do in your heart. He wants to be the starter that activates your life to one of faith and service. When the bread is baked and the crust is golden, the breaking of that bread can be alot like how God wants to use your life.
The only way to truly find yourself is to truly die to self. To allow yourself to be broken so that you can expereince the greatness and closeness of God. Love and life are best lived by being broken and given out like bread.
Remember the Bible is God's living word. Time spent in the Bible is like time spent in His presence. Every minute we spend should leave us better than when we started. We should approach the scripture with the hope that it will change us, making us a little bit more like Jesus each day. A little more like bread.
TRENDING BREAD
THE STARTER
WHAT YOU NEED
Flour (bread flour recommended)
Water (filtered not tap)
A Jar (with a loose fitting lid)
A Wooden Spoon
Honey
The First STep
The first step of the starter is to mix 1 cup of flour with 3/4 cup of warm, filtered water and one drop of honey in a clean jar. Stir generously until it forms a paste like consistency using a wooden spoon (do not use metal). Loosely cover the jar so it is not airtight and store in a warm place (optimal temperature recommended 75-84 degrees F). Mark on your jar where your starter line is.
The Feedings
Each day, your starter will require a fresh feeding. Before you begin measure out 1/2 cup of your existing starter and discard to a jar that you store in the fridge. Daily discard can be used to make a variety of recipes. Once you've discarded, feed your starter 1/2 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of warm tap water and a drop of honey. Mix and cover. Repeat this step every 24 hours until your starter bubbles and doubles in size. Your starter is ready for bread making when it has doubled in size.
What is it?
A sourdough starter is an essential component to the process. The starter is the leavening agent that makes the bread rise. It is what sets your bread apart because it is not bought off of a shelf. It is cultivated by your own hands using flour and water. It is alive with naturally occurring yeast and bacteria.
Starter is alive and requires feeding and cultivation to keep it active. A healthy sour dough starter can live for many years and give life to endless loaves of bread.
A starter is like the foundation of the bread and each starter is unique to its owner.
There's no perfect way to do this, just a lot of trial and error, stirring and waiting until you see it bubble and rise.
An abundant starter would be like forgetting everything you know about quick bread or quick baking and seeking stillness and waiting for the starter to ripen.
A starter can last decades if not a century if it is fed properly. Think of this as something you can pass down to the generations like the Israelites passed on their jar of manna.
as remembrance
Moses said, “This is God’s command: ‘Keep a two-quart jar of it for future generations so they can see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness after I brought you out of Egypt.’”
Exodus 16:32
Sourdough Bread Loaf
1 cup of active starter
1 1/4 cup of warm filtered water
3 cups of bread flour
1 tsp of salt
Day 1: Combine 1 cup of active starter with 1 1/4 cup of warm water and wisk until you have a milky consistency.
Add 3 cups of flour to the starter and water and mix. Once it starts to combine, knead the dough by hand.
Cover the dough with a wet dish towel in the bowl and let sit on the counter for one hour.
Add the tsp. of salt and knead it into the dough, then replace on the counter, covered in the towel. Set
a timer for 30 minute intervals to perform 4 stretch and folds of the dough where you grab dough, stretch
it and fold it in on itself. After performing 4 stretch and folds, cover and place on the counter for 2
hours then lightly flour dust a surface and knead and shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a floured
bowl and cover with plastic wrap and store over night in the fridge.
Day 2: Preheat your oven with a dutch oven inside to 500 degrees F. While the oven is preheating, remove
the dough from the fridge and dump it on a floured surface. Lightly dust the top and score the bread. Add the
loaf to a preheated dutch oven with parchment paper under. Drop in 4-5 ice cubes with the loaf, cover and reduce
the temperature to 450 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes covered, then reduce the temperature to 400 and
bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Let cool for one hour before cutting.
BREAK BREAD
OUr Father,
Who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
give us this day,
our daily bread.
As you journey through The Wilderness, consider bread making as a
part of your process. The Israelites waited forty years for the
fulfillment of God's promises because of their disobedience.
As you wait on your starter to mature, your bread to rise and bake,
consider your own heart. Is it in a wilderness of your own making?
Are you breaking like bread so that God can remold and reshape you
to prepare you for your own promised land?
Don't be afraid of the bread, it's all part of the journey of learning
to lean and depend on Him for daily provision.
How will you live?
Between Edens
