Bread and spreading friendship

Psalms 61, 62, 68

Genesis 42:1-17

1 Corinthians 5:1-8

Mark 3:19b-35

1 Corinthians 5:1-8

This does not sound like the bread (recipe below) that I make but more like a sour dough type where it is essential to have a previously made starter fermented from flour and water rather than the modern little balls of yeast that I buy in large quantities at the grocery store. Some of the starter is added to the bread dough and the rest carries on living and growing. Bad starter, or yeast, will give bad bread.

It reminds me of a "friendship cake" starter that went the rounds in Denton. Denton is a village in Northampton. At the time it had a population of about 600 people. Somebody was given a helping of starter for a cake mix. The instructions were to make the cake and then give away 3 lots of starter taken from the dough whilst mixing the cake. The problem was that in such a small community even if one kept one of the starter mixes for another cake for your own family you ran out of friends with whom to share the starter. friends almost became non- friends. Diffidently one would inquire if a friend had already received the cake and rejoice if they had not. Soon there was hardly a household in the little place that was not having friendship cake for their afternoon treat on a daily basis. It even sustained one at elevenses with our morning coffee. Yes that starter worked through the whole village.

I suppose we need to be careful about what we share. last week I visited Denton. I saw friends who I had not seen since 1992 and one who I had kept in contact with. God puts in our way people who are just in our lives whether we see them or not but when we do meet up the time is precious. This brings me to Jesus' comments in Mark 3:34, 35, the end of today's gospel but I shall not go there.

³⁴Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Note: I could not find the copyright information for this photograph but the original can be seen on

http://www.northantsvillages.org.uk/denton/ where there are more photographs and information about the village

Bread

3.5 cups flour I usually use wholewheat but best result is 3 wholewheat, 0.5 white

1 tps dried yeast

1/3 cup oil ( I like sunflower but any is OK, sunflower is sometimes difficult to find in USA but not in Europe)

tepid water to mix ( just right to your finger- neither too hot or too cold)

Put the flour and yeast into a bowl and mix. Make a well in the centre and add about 1 cup of water and the oil. Stir until the liquid is absorbed. add more water slowly, stirring well to absorb it before yo add more. When everything comes together in a nice ball you have finished adding water. If it is sticky you can add more flour if you like. I usually do not, David does. A damp dough gives a crusty bread.

Leave in the bowl until it has risen a bit- how much depends on how quickly you want to cook it. Bread is very forgiving. In Houston I just left the bowl on the countertop, whatever the time of year. In Brussels I have to put it near a radiator.

Heat the oven to 400 deg F, maybe 425 or 200/210 deg C

Place the mix the dough. If you like to get your hands floury then knead it on a floured table, if not or you are in a hurry turn it over and bash down with a wooden spoon whilst it is still in the bowl. Grease either a backing tray or a 1lb loaf pan. Place the dough on the tray or in the loaf pan. Bake about 40 minutes