Bread Baking

My plans changed this afternoon. I was supposed to be weeding at St. John Cantius. Then, rain. Now I am home baking.

I am trying several new recipes today. The first is Beautiful Burger Buns from King Arthur Flour. Arthur uses buns for all of his sandwiches. He always liked Cub Foods buns, but since they closed it has been an endless search for the right buns. This is the second time I am making some for him from scratch. My previous buns were too small. So far I have not liked the dough. I used the amount of water called for for humid days since it is raining, and the dough was very hard to knead. It certainly did not feel soft, as the recipe indicated it should. The dough seems to be rising well. I'll reserve final judgement until they are baked and tasted.

The second recipe I am making is Wild Rice Bread, a recipe I picked up from Swany White Flour in Freeport when we stopped there on the way back from Parkers Prairie. My mom and dad used to buy a great homemade wild rice bread at the Farmers' Market in White Bear Lake, and I would love to make something similar. Swany Mills has wild rice flour, so I bought a bag. So far the bread dough has worked very well. I got a phone call while I was waiting for the dough to rest. That may have played a part in the easy kneading. I did not have to add any flour while I did the kneading. No sticking. I could see little flicks of black in the dough, and it felt grainy, or sandy, as I kneaded. I hope that means it is full of fiber! It, too, seems to be rising well. I will see if this recipe is a keeper after tasting.

I have been busy sewing baptismal garments for St. John Cantius and St. Anthony's. Then two weeks ago I purchased several fat quarters at a garage sale, both to match those I already had, and some new ones. Since then I have sewn several cosmetic bags, which I will donate to the St. Marcellus Mission Group at Holy Spirit for their craft sale. The first two were thrilling to complete because I was learning the patterns and methods. The next several, not as fun. My sewing room looks like a disaster with all of the scraps, as well. I am pleased in that I was able to cut interfacing for four more of the wallets out of the fusible fleece interfacing scraps left over from the bags. The fusible fleece is really slick to use. No sewing required, and it is a bit stiffer than the old interfacing scraps I have lying around.

I leave with a quote from Blessed Pope Paul VI,  which I think is so appropriate for our time.

     "Live for the Church, work for the Church, bring sacrifices for the Church, stand faithfully to the Church in spite of all the storms that shake the Church from the outside and the inside. Then you will truly love the Church. And your apostolic activity will become fruitful for the Kingdom of God."

     Addressed to the Schoenstatt family in 1972.