Today is the feast day of Saint Anthony of the Desert, an early ascetic in the early Church and one of the Desert Fathers. Two years ago, when I was beginning my mission to make every day the best it could be, I somehow discovered this saint day and decided to do something special. An Internet search led me to a recipe for Saint Anthony of the Desert soup that had been published in Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette's From a Monastery Kitchen. I decided to not only make the soup, but to make a very simple wheat bread from scratch (my recipe was from another source) to pair with it. The barley-based soup was a hit with the whole family and Brother Victor-Antoine's recipes have been a part of our lives ever since. I've sent his books to friends and extended family and our immediate family depends heavily on his recipes during Lent.
The bread, as I recall, did not turn out as well. It initially did not rise. My friend, Nicole, had her mom (an experienced bread baker) on the phone advising us. It turned out that the water I added to the yeast had been too hot. We made another yeast mixture, added it to the dough, and amazingly it did rise this time. Unfortunately, due to the delay, the bread did not finish baking until about 9:30 pm--well after dinner and well after the girls' bedtime. However, my husband enjoyed the late night, fresh out of the oven bread.
This year, I am making the soup again and I am even attempting bread from scratch again. Clare has been wanting to make bread and I have been promising her for weeks that we would do it. I decided today was the day. The girls measured out the flour and salt. I nervously added the warm water with honey to the yeast, hoping the temperature was right. We let our stand mixer do all the work of kneading (yes, I know that is cheating, but if you have a stand mixer, why not use it). And now we wait to see if this dough will rise.
The bread, as I recall, did not turn out as well. It initially did not rise. My friend, Nicole, had her mom (an experienced bread baker) on the phone advising us. It turned out that the water I added to the yeast had been too hot. We made another yeast mixture, added it to the dough, and amazingly it did rise this time. Unfortunately, due to the delay, the bread did not finish baking until about 9:30 pm--well after dinner and well after the girls' bedtime. However, my husband enjoyed the late night, fresh out of the oven bread.
This year, I am making the soup again and I am even attempting bread from scratch again. Clare has been wanting to make bread and I have been promising her for weeks that we would do it. I decided today was the day. The girls measured out the flour and salt. I nervously added the warm water with honey to the yeast, hoping the temperature was right. We let our stand mixer do all the work of kneading (yes, I know that is cheating, but if you have a stand mixer, why not use it). And now we wait to see if this dough will rise.
RSS Feed
