I took a break from my blog during Eastertide (and a little time more) both for the sake of Sabbath rest, but also to celebrate a whole bunch of weddings. I'm finally back and so eager to share the recipe that has grounded me from Easter up until now. I made this olive oil sourdough on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and as the communion loaf for a wedding last week. It is sweet, rich, and a tender reminder of the dearness of a community that holds you near.

guest post: the kingdom of god is like sourdough

Today's guest post comes from another dear friend named Lindsay, though not that same Lindsay as last week. She shares the importance of Jesus embodied metaphor for the kingdom of God and the ways it teaches us to work, wait, witness, and wonder.

lenten bread, faithKendall VandersliceMarch 31, 2017sourdough, kingdom of God, lentComment

excusing the things i don't want to do

I realized last week how often I use the excuse of "I'm too busy" to avoid doing things I just don't want to do. Fasting is meant to strip away the tasks that we use to fill our time and excuse ourselves from the things we don't want to do. But Isaiah 58 tells us that if our fasting doesn't then lead us to see and address the needs of the oppressed around us, then we are doing it seriously wrong.

lenten bread, faithKendall VandersliceMarch 29, 2017feelings, sourdough, starter, feed, social justice, fasting Comment

spelt sourdough and how stretching builds strength

Spelt is one of the oldest varieties of wheat, nearly 9,000 years old! It's low gluten content has caused it to rise in popularity over the past few years, but while it has great flavor it is a bit trickier to bake with. It requires extra stretching and folding to build sufficient strength in the dough.

lenten bread, faithKendall VandersliceMarch 27, 2017spelt, sourdough, recipe, stretch and fold Comments

oven spring and a final show of love

In the last moments before Jesus died, He commanded his followers to continue showing radical love. He looked Judas in the face, right before Judas would betray him, to remind him of Jesus' deep love. This love didn't save Jesus' from being betrayed, but it is the legacy He commanded his followers to continue in. In the last moments before the yeasts die, they have the option of leaving behind a beautiful, open loaf, or a dense sticky one. When a baker creates the right environment, they choose the route of beauty.

lenten bread, faithKendall VandersliceMarch 22, 2017sourdough, breadmaking, oven springComment

shaping dough, or why gluten is like a toddler

I like to tell people that gluten is like a toddler. It will behave with enough rest and when it thinks an idea is its own. Shaping has to occur in stages in order to build the strength and tension necessary to form a nice loaf. As I shape, I am grateful for the patience of all those who have formed me. Who allow me to slowly shift into the directions that I need to go.

lenten bread, faithKendall VandersliceMarch 17, 2017bread, shaping, sourdough, glutenComment

whole wheat sourdough, fermentation, and the places that flavor you

The most complex, nuanced loaves of bread develop through a series of fermentations. Each stage pulls something new out of the dough, evoking sweetness, nuttiness, sourness, and more. But the first phase of fermentation sets the stage for everything to come. It reminds me of the importance of the communities that flavor me, and that everything develops out of the very first community where I met God.

lenten bread, faithKendall VandersliceMarch 15, 2017fermentation, recipe, sourdough, whole wheat, whole grainComment

letting go (and some troubleshooting tips)

I love being in control. I love precision and formula. I love knowing that if I mix together specific ingredients in a specific way I will get the result I desire. But unlike the rest of baking, bread is more art than science. It requires the baker to read and to listen, to react according to the dough's needs. Ironically, it is the tactile practice of making bread that I turn to when life feels out of control. Perhaps because it is the very form through which I've learned to release control.