Is there anything more tantalizing than the smell of bread baking? Am I the only person who doesn't wait for it to cool before slicing into a warm loaf and experiencing a few moments of total bliss as I savor those first bites? Pictured above is my first attempt with Cinnamon Swirl Bread. As I type this blogpost, I have another loaf rising.
One of my Christmas presents this year was a Cuisinart Convection Breadmaker. Yes, I know. For some of you, that represents cheating, and I will admit there is a lot of satisfaction to be had from kneading until you can't knead anymore. :) But, whether I'm doing it the hard way or just following the precise instructions and pushing the Start button, the final product is still wonderful and very satisfying.
I catch myself laughing out loud whenever I recall the time I tried to make homemade cinnamon rolls in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. Something about the high altitude made that dough rise and rise and rise. I started with a recipe for 24 rolls, but I ended up giving rolls to everyone in our building. I caught just a glimpse of what the disciples must have seen during the "Feeding of the 5000" event.
Speaking of Ecuador, one of my favorite treats while living there was the presence of "Panaderias" (bread stores) on every block. I quickly learned the morning schedule for the one just a few steps from our house in Quito, and several times a week I was there to get Pan de Agua (literally, water bread -- crusty on the outside, soft and delicious inside) and Pan Integral (similar to our wheat/multigrain breads here in the States) fresh from the oven. A special benefit of those breads was the fact that no preservatives were added, thus the need to buy it fresh and often. The loaves were small and inexpensive, so there were no worries about blowing the budget -- just "the diet." :)
Did you know that the word "bread" is found 360 times in the Bible -- 280 in the Old Testament and 80 in the New Testament? Many of those times it refers to all foods in general and not just the mixture of flour/grains, water, and yeast. From this we can surmise that the making and eating of bread goes back for thousands of years. Bread represented a way to sustain life. It even fell from heaven for years in the form of manna when there was no time for daily baking by the Israelite women.
A part of the Lord's Prayer instructs us to pray: "Give us this day our daily bread." Matthew 6:11 Maybe the Ecuadorians "get this" better than we do when they go to the bread stores and get just enough for that day, recognizing that piling up or hoarding more will do no good because it will just spoil and ruin. It takes a strong element of trust to believe that what a person needs for tomorrow will be there, and for them, it is also an economic necessity because many of them only make a day's wage -- working one day at a time as work becomes available. How many times do we project far into the future when we give God our grocery list of prayer requests? How much different it would feel to merely ask God to provide whatever we need for the current day, knowing that "whatever we need" could well include healing or friendship or encouragement or guidance, rather than just physical food?
Jesus goes even further in John 6:35: "Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." In every area of our lives, He is the ultimate and supreme Need-Meeter. What a delectable, savory, tantalizing and amazing Truth that is!!
My next loaf of Cinnamon Swirl Bread is about to go into the oven. If you leave right now, you can arrive in time to watch the butter melt on a warm slice. Come join me for some "bread, glorious bread."
I'm one of those people who feels the need to do it the old-fashioned way, mixing and kneading and shaping. Isn't it wonderful that the Bread of Life finds all of us where we are and meets our different needs?! Beautiful post, as always!
ReplyDeleteLinda has used her bread maker on and off over the years for the very same reasons you describe above. What keeps us from using it more, are also what you describe above...the panaderias within a few yards of our house. Good, fresh bread everyday! Thanks for another good post. If I could get there for a slice of the swirl coming out of the oven,I'd be there!
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