Dear friends,
You may be asking, "What do relationships and baking bread have in common?"
A lot actually.
And now we are going to share our insight on the links between the two and to top it all off, we are going to give you a fantastic bread recipe so you can make your own at home!
Before we get started, let me give you a background. Our dear friend, Vanessa-Jane (aka Aness), was over the other day for some quality time with us before she makes her move to University in the UK. She is a dear friend to us and we will miss her tons. We were fortunate to try out a new bread recipe when she came to see us before she left, and one of the things we talked about while we were baking was relationships. Now, raise your hand if you are in or have ever been in a relationship. Good... I thought so.
So here we go... relationships and baking bread.
1) You have to be prepared - You can't bake bread unless you are ready. You need to have all the right ingredients (more later) and equipment. If you are missing one thing (like an oven), it ultimately affects the outcome and you end up with a less than optimal piece of bread. Same thing with relationships. You have to be ready. If you are missing something, like your heart that was broken from a past relationship, how can you be ready to give it again? You're missing an important part for your recipe, how can the outcome be good?
2) You need the right ingredients - Substituting baking soda for baking powder is not suitable, neither is using margarine instead of butter. It just doesn't taste quite right. With relationships its similar. When you have two people who are not quite right for each other but are searching for fulfillment, it doesn't end well. It's like people who are in love with the idea of being in love. Not the right ingredients.
3) You have to be patient - Bread making requires patience. You have to wait for the yeast to proof. You have to wait for the dough to rise. You have to wait for the bread to bake. Waiting is vital. Bread and love cannot be rushed. Love means that when one person is not ready the other person has to wait and reassure that person that they will always be there for them, or have the courage to admit that it's got to end. Even if the ingredients are perfect, if the timing is off, it still doesn't make a good piece of bread. Also, patience is also needed when you are in those times when you are utterly annoyed with your loved one's various bad habits.
4) You have to work - Have you ever kneaded bread? It can be a bit tiring on the hands. Labor is necessary for a good dough. Love requires work as well. It doesn't just magically happen. Ask any couple that has been married for 30 years. It requires work and struggle and all that good, but hard stuff. Of course the good thing is that when you are kneading dough and you have another person with you, you can share the labor. It's always easier when you have someone to share the labor with.
Labor of love.
Ok, so enough with the talk... here is the recipe :-)
Taken from Allrecipes.com
Amish White Bread Recipe (no I'm not Amish)
Ingredients
2 cups of warm water (110 F/45 C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
1) In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the water and stir in the yeast. Whisk and then set aside allow it to proof until it becomes creamy and foamy.
2) Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time.
3) Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth (this will take some work).
4) Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn the dough to coat. Cover it with a damp cloth and allow it to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
5) Punch dough down. Knead again for a few minutes and divide in half.
6) Shape into loaves and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes then bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
Love,
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