Category: Bread baking

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Easy Communion Bread – 4 Recipes

Learning to Make Communion Bread is Easy

Easy Communion Bread? Yes, it is easy. Today, I will share recipes I have collected over the years. It all started with Campaigns Northwest 1979 and a special sister, Madge. I was blessed to be a part of Campaigns Northwest. Little did I know that this would be a life-changing experience for me!  I worked in West Seattle, Washington for 3 weeks.

After our mission was over I stayed an extra day to spend time with a couple of the ladies from the church. One was Madge Boubonik (I am sure the spelling is butchered). I remember this day very well. I was so excited. Madge and I walked around her sunny yard with flowers growing and some rhubarb too! We talked and visited but I was there for a purpose.

Madge made the communion bread for the church and she had agreed to teach me how to make it! I was very excited to spend the day with her. She treated this with great respect and thoughtfulness. She used olive oil because she felt that was most likely what was used in making unleaved bread. I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with her and that was almost 40 years ago. I  never saw her after this day but she lives on in my memory and I hope to walk in heaven with her one day.

Aberdeen Washington

In 2011 we moved from Spanaway to Aberdeen, Washington to work with the Aberdeen Church of Christ. We hosted a VBS day which was about the Tabernacle. We had loaves of unleavened bread leftover from that day. One of the ladies asked if we could use that for communion and so we did. Our son James started making it for the church after that. He was 11 years old. He enjoyed making the bread and helping to fix communion each Sunday.

Today I am sharing three recipes * that have been used in various places I have worshipped (from homes to buildings to church camps). The first one is the one our family has used for many years. I am not sure it is the original one I received from Madge, if not it is very similar.

Our Family Communion Bread
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup olive oil
1 cup of water
pinch of salt

Mix the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients and knead a little until it easily forms a ball to roll out. I roll mine out into about 6-inch circles. This recipe makes about 16 small loaves! You may want to half the recipe. Bake at 350° for 10 – 15 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom. I usually do mine by smell 🙂

Our family recipe

Delano Bay Christian Camp Communion Bread
1-quart whipping cream
¾ lb. of butter
5 cups flour

Mix ingredients and divide into 4 sections and roll them about 1 inch thick each. Poke holes in batter with a fork, and bake at 325° until no longer doughy. This makes a big batch of communion bread. Enough for 100 campers at least.

Susan’s Unleaved Bread
1 cup all-purpose flour ( use ½ whole wheat)
1 Tablespoon sugar (brown or honey)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup of warm water

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in 2 Tablespoons olive oil and ¼ cup warm water, Knead. Roll into a circle. Next, you prick with a fork and fry in a nonstick pan until both sides are light brown.

Communion Bread
Communion bread

*A Fourth ADDED (3/15/2020) Lee’s Communion Bread

Here is a fourth recipe I received from my friend Lee. With her notes.

1 cup of unleavened flour (all-purpose)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons cold water

Preheat oven to 400°. Be sure to wash and dry your hands first. This is holy bread. Use clean utensils and a mixing bowl to mix the ingredients. Gently knead the dough and roll out flat to about 1/16 inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter or other round object cut out circles of bread. Lay on an ungreased cookie sheet and score with a fork or rolling piercing tool. This represents the body of Christ. Bake for about 20 minutes. They should not be sticky or brown. Let them cool completely. Store in an airtight container and they can be kept in the freezer.

Please send me your communion bread recipes and I will update this collection as time allows.

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18 Midwives and Potato Bread

What do 18 midwives and potato bread have in common? Stay with me now.

Through my childbearing years, I had at least 18 midwives. There are many reasons I chose to have my children with midwives. The main one is that I believe childbirth is a natural process and not an illness. I appreciate the respect that midwives bring to their profession as well as to their patients.

There is no way that I could have had any better care. My midwives gave me personal and professional care. I have had Certified Nurse Midwives, Licensed Midwives, and Professional Midwives (some call lay midwives). My husband also delivered 4 of our children.

Three of our children were born in freestanding birth centers, seven at home, and one in the hospital. My children have weighed from 8 lbs. 5oz  to 10 lbs. 4 oz. My children were born in West Virginia, Oregon, Washington, and Oklahoma. So there you have the stats! I have been blessed tremendously to have 11 healthy children. I praise God for the blessing of being called mom!

Seattle Home Maternity

So what do midwifery and food have in common? More than you think! Midwives encourage good nutrition but that is not the connection. In 1986 I had two wonderful midwives in Seattle, Washington, Suzy, and Marge, founders of Seattle Midwifery School and Seattle Home Maternity. They were so warm and welcoming when I came for my appointments.

On at least one occasion, they fixed me a cup of hot tea and gave a slice of onion potato bread. This was such a hospitable and lovely thing that it has long stayed in my memory even though it was 30 years ago. After trying for years to recreate that bread and I finally have something I think resembles that wonderful bread. Below I want to share that recipe with you.

Onion Potato Bread
Onion Potato Bread

Using my Charlie starter found here:  http://www.redaredding.com/making-sourdough-starter/

Potato Onion Herb Bread

Charlie starter 1 cup

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups of warm water

6 cups of flour  2 whole wheat, 4 all-purpose unbleached

1 cup potato flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 thyme powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 cup of finely chopped onions

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and as you start to add the flour mix in the herbs and seasonings. Add the chopped onions last. On a floured surface knead your dough a bit until it is not sticky and it feels springy.  Shape into two loaves. I like round ones even though they do not rise high. Let them rise on an oiled baking sheet or loaf pan, oil the tops of the dough.

The rising will take several hours. Possibly 3-4+ hours it can vary. Your dough will not completely double. You might want to let it rise in your oven or on your stovetop free from drafts. I leave mine uncovered. Bake 350° for 30-35 minutes and test for doneness. I will be honest I have baked for so long I can smell when most things are about done. I still set the timer and check on it after about 30 minutes. You can also use the thermometer. When your bread is done it will be golden brown and reach 190° in the center. Thumping it will produce a sort of hollow sound. This makes two round loaves.

This bread takes a while but it is so worth waiting for!

Thanks for reading my story!

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Skillet Pizza Crusts

Skillet Pizza Crusts

In the early 1990’s I started making skillet pizza crusts. They became a favorite and a part of my “once a month cooking” recipes. This is a nice thing to do with a group or your family because you can talk and visit as you work together to chop the veggies or just make your own pizza. When I am ready to assemble I preheat the oven, chop some veggies, set out a jar of pizza or pasta sauce, and set out the pepperoni and cheese. You CAN make them all yourself if you wish but it is more fun to let each person make their own. Call the group in a few at a time to assemble their pizza just the way they like it.  If you have a large group you may want to use parchment paper on your baking sheet and write each person’s name on it so that their pizzas do not get mixed up. My baking sheets hold 4 on each one. I can usually bake on both racks. They each take 10-15 minutes to bake. I bake them until the cheese is melted.

Here is my recipe for Skillet Pizza Crusts. I usually get 10 individual crusts from each recipe.

3 packages or Tablespoons of yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

3/4 cup of water (105°-115°)

3 cups all-purpose flour ( I like to use a mixture of wheat and white)

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of additional water

2 Tablespoons oil

cooking spray

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a 2 cup measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Combine the yeast mixture, flour, and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn your dough to grease the top. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down and knead lightly. Divide your dough into small pieces. I usually just pinch off a small blob of dough (my grandma used to “pinch” biscuits as she called it). I roll these out one at a time and use a small saucer as a pattern to cut around. This will make the crusts a bit more uniform. They will still change shape a bit but no problem they taste great. I cook them on the stove in my iron skillet medium heat, 1-2 minutes on each side. When they slightly start to brown I flip them and cook the other side.  Cool on wire racks and then either freeze them or use them.

To assemble pizzas:

Preheat oven 350 °. Put the crusts on a baking sheet. Spread each crust with sauce. Put on toppings and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, usually 10-15 minutes.

Some of our favorite toppings:

Artichokes – canned, chopped

Green onions chopped

Mushrooms fresh or canned

Spinach fresh is best

Bell peppers – we especially like the colored ones

Pepperoni

Mozzarella cheese

You may wish to make your pizza a Hawaiian, veggie, or sausage or whatever your favorite may be.

If you have leftover crusts freeze them. They are great to use for tostadas, or just with melted cheese. Either way, they are economical to make and a lot of fun and they disappear rather quickly!

Let me know if you have any questions! Happy Cooking!

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Making Sourdough Starter, Charlie is his name!

Welcome to the adventure of sourdough baking!

I would like to say from the start that this is not one of my quick fifteen minute recipes but one I enjoy tremendously and puts me in touch with roots.

Several years ago my family spent an amazing weekend in Hacker Valley, West Virginia with an amazing lady we call Nanny Pugh. She is a gracious hostess and I learned so much from spending that weekend with her on her farm way out in the hills of West Virginia. While there she made some wonderful bread for us as well as a lot of fresh food from her garden! She taught me to make “Charlie” and how to feed him and make bread with him. I am going to share that recipe with you today. First I will share the starter recipe and then a scrumptious bread recipe.

Charlie Sourdough Starter

To make your starter…

3 packages of yeast or 3 Tablespoons

1/2 cup warm water 105°-115°

1 cup warm water

2/3 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons of instant potato flakes

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water (105°-115°)  and then “feed” it with 1 cup of warm water, 2/3 cup sugar, and 3 Tablespoons of potato flakes

Let this mixture set out all day then refrigerate it for 2-5 days. Take it out and feed it again with the same ingredients: warm water, 2/3 cup sugar, and 3 Tablespoons of potato flakes. Let it set out all day or all night. Now remove 1 cup of the starter and maker your first Charlie bread or shape it into rolls.

Charlie Bread Recipe

1 cup of Charlie starter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups warm water

6 cups flour

So take your starter and mix it with the sugar, oil, salt and warm water and then I add 6 cups of flour ( I usually use 4 cups unbleached and 2 cups whole wheat). Mix well and then pour the mixture into a greased bowl and don’t forget to oil the top of the dough or it will be a bit tough (don’t ask how I know this) and let it set out all night covered with a clean cloth. Divide the dough into two parts and knead it a bit, maybe 10 times at most, on a floured surface. Put each part into a greased pan. I like to shape some of mine into round loaves and some regular loaves. Brush lightly with oil and let rise on the counter top uncovered (or lightly covered with plastic wrap if you must) for 7-8 hours (mine doesn’t always take that long) or until it has risen and ready to bake. Bake 325° for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with butter. Within 10 minutes remove the bread from the pan to prevent sweating. Place on a cooling rack.

Helpful hints:

Let Charlie breathe. Keep him in a plastic bowl with holes punched in the lid or covered with plastic wrap with holes. Do not put anything on top of it or Charlie will die.

Do not stir with a metal spoon. Use wood or plastic.

If your starter gets too full or you want to share, pour out 1 cup of Charlie into another plastic bowl. Feed both Charlies on the same day and pass one on to your friend. At least 1 to 2 cups of Charlie must be kept in order to keep him alive.

Bread can be baked any day as long as 1 cup of Charlie has been allowed to set at room temperature for 8 hours before mixing.

To see my original article I wrote about my visit to Hacker Valley, West Virginia visit my reddingmountain.com blog

April 17, 2017 UPDATE: I cheated and this is the result! On Sunday morning early I wanted to make some rolls. I decided to take “Charlie” from the fridge and feed him.  I then took one cup full of Charlie and mixed up rolls and shaped them. I put them in the pan and let them rise while I was at church. When I came home I could tell they were ready to bake so I baked them and they were great! So if you need to speed up the process this might work for you!

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Gluten-free Cornbread

This cornbread is soft and tasty!

Gluten-free Cornbread

1 cup of corn meal

1 cup of Pamela’s gluten-free biscuit and scone mix ( I have also used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free baking mix)

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

1 ¼ cups of milk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix the dry ingredients together first and then top it with the eggs, milk, and oil and stir it together until blended. Don’t overmix. Pour into a hot oiled iron skillet or an oiled 8-inch square baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until done. Makes about 9 large servings.