by The Amazing Significance of Bread in the Bible
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. John 6:32
Bread is pretty amazing in the Bible too. It is mentioned at least 492 times in the Bible beginning in Genesis and continuing right through Revelation with a variety of meanings and symbolism. And, it had so much importance that we still celebrate it today in both Jewish and Christian faiths.
When we pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” we are reminded that God — Jehovah Jireh — has already promised to provide what you need, day in and day out, without fail. He is always faithful.
In the book of Exodus the Israelites had to rush out of Egypt with no time to let their bread dough rise?
“So the people picked up their bread dough before it had risen and carried it on their shoulders in bowls, wrapped up in their clothes.” Exodus 12:34 The Jewish people still use unleavened bread to celebrate Passover and their rescue from Pharaoh. Christians use bread too in celebrating holy communion or eucharist.
“Jesus told them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never become hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never become thirsty.” John 6:35
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which translates as the House of Bread. In Hebrew alphanumerically, it also means nativity, the occasion of a person’s birth. So, the place of Jesus’ nativity is in the House of Bread. It is a place of life.
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Two bread recipes, and the thing I like about both of these is they are so easy. No kneading or fooling around. Mix, rise, bake. Anyone can make these recipes and they are impressive for a gathering and cheaper than buying specialty breads.
Sally Lunn Bread
If you google Sally Lunn Bread recipes you will come up with slightly different ones. This is the one I use but find the one you like best. You will need a bowl, large spoon and a tube pan.
1 cup lukewarm milk (I use almond or coconut milk)
1 package of yeast
1/2 cup soft butter or oil
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
Greased tube pan
Preheat over to 350. Heat milk to just lukewarm. Mix the yeast in the milk and let it stand five minutes. Mix in butter or oil, sugar, salt and three eggs. Gradually add in the flour, batter will be stiff. Leave in bowl until double in size. You can cover the bowl with a towel if you wish. Then when it’s double the size spoon into a greased tube pan and let rise again until double in size. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes but check the bread at 40 minutes. Oven temperatures run differently. Let cool and turn out into platter.
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Irish Soda Bread
4 cups (510 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1¾ cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg and buttermilk. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Mixture will be sticky. Grease a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet (or other similarly sized vessel) with softened butter. Set aside.
- Lightly flour your hands and sprinkle a little flour over the sticky dough ball. Use your hands to scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl and to quickly shape the mass into a ball, kneading lightly if necessary. Transfer to prepared skillet. Sprinkle with a teensy bit more flour. Use a sharp knife to make an X across the top of the dough ball. Place in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven, transfer to cooling rack, and let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
- To store Irish soda bread, tuck it into an airtight bag (such as a ziplock) or an airtight vessel. You can store it at room temperature for about 3-4 days or freeze it for up to 2-3 months.
Here is another recipe for Irish soda bread
Follow instructions above.