The Reverend Zoë King TSSF Rectorial Benefice of Barry.
Coming together to make bread – a time to reflect.
Bread comes in all forms, quite simply a staple of life and for Christians it also has the link to the body of Christ and the sacrament of the Eucharist.
I like making bread. As a child my brother and I would make bread with our father and it is something I enjoy doing and sharing with others. Breaking bread at an altar and breaking bread at a table are both sacramental acts of love and fellowship.
For a number of years, I have made the harvest loaf – enjoying shaping a wheat sheaf and last October we, as a Ministry Area, ran a harvest loaf making session which was great fun. People from across our different churches came together – slightly disbelieving that they could create one each. They all had a go – every sheaf was fabulous though some of our harvest mice ranged from teeny tiny vole to full on guinea pig.
Knowing how much people seemed to enjoy that, and wanting to do something a little different to raise money for the UNHCR, I investigated and found a recipe for a Ukrainian Paska loaf, a bread made around Easter time.
About 25 people came together. Each person found themselves with a soft, sticky dough and the room quickly filled with the sounds of laughter and the smell of yeast. The dough needed time to rest and in that time we as a community gathered for the bread of life, as Fr Chris led us in a Eucharist for peace. After the time spent in prayer and a cup of tea, we went back to make the traditional Ukrainian paska loaf shape.
Making bread takes time, it can’t be rushed – in a world when we often find ourselves rushing, bread making gives time for reflection, chatting and simply slowing down. In the room you could hear three generations chatting, laughing and enjoying time together.
The loaf is a rich not everyday sort of bread. Having made Jewish Chollah, I found it very similar in taste and texture, and again very similar to brioche. There are far more simple things that unite us than separate us.
- The views expressed by columnists of this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Glamorgan Star, its employees, or proprietors.
🌟 This article first appeared in the printed edition of the Glamorgan Star on 05.05.22
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