Braiding Bread

A while ago I found this lovely post at Good (Cheap) Eats, with an embedded tutorial video.  Sometimes these things are strange (not this site personally - but in general), but this was short and easy to follow - perfectly helpful!
I've made Challah Bread before and even attempted to braid the loaves, but they often come out lopsided and strange looking.  Which doesn't impact the taste at all, but I like pretty bread. :-)
So I decided to try this new recipe and follow the video directions and see how it would come out.

 Here is the bread prior to baking.

The braiding wasn't difficult and it seemed to come out pretty even.  I brushed the top with a egg white wash prior to baking.

Here is the finished bread.

Given that egg bread is pretty dense and has a fair amount of sugar in it, I categorize this as a 'sweet' bread.  I cut this round into quarters and then sliced it to make french toast for dinner one night.  Marvelous!

Blessings on the journey,

Are you flour?

Are you flour?

I know... weird question huh?  I was refilling my smaller kitchen canister from my big flour bucket and suddenly thought about some scripture I had read during my morning bible study time.  It was Luke 13:20-21
          Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 
        It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds
        of flour until it worked all through the dough.”


This was Jesus speaking (that is why I put it in red), and he was trying to make a point (obviously!).  As I was filling my canister with flour I thought about it and had one of those 'ah-ha!' moments.  Jesus is the yeast to my flour.  He works in me to make me into something else...something bigger, better and more useful than I am by myself. 

By His work in my life I can do things I would NEVER be able to do on my own. Sometimes I work  in ways that are lopsided or even fail to rise to an opportunity He puts before me.  But He never gives up on me... He'll keep kneading me and reshaping me until I am what He has planned for me. 

60lbs of flour is a LOT of flour people. 
My big buckets hold about 25lbs each and it takes me quite a while to work through one bucket, even with all the baking I do here.  So if I'm 60lbs of flour... I have quite of bit of work to do for the kingdom.  And that makes me smile! 

What will you be?  Artisan braided bread?  Gooey sweet pastry? A fancy cake? The possibilities are limitless.... God is so imaginative and creative!  He has something special in mind for each of us and I pray that I will be all that He has designed me to become.  Useful for His purpose and to add something to the enjoyment of life for others as well.


Blessings on the journey~