A Favorite Memory from Author Marianne Evans!

Author Marianne Evans

In the Baking of the Bread

Is there a more beautiful aroma than that of baking bread? For me, when wisps of onion-zested steam carry through the kitchen, I know I’m home—not just in a logistical sense, but in an emotional sense that stems straight from the heart.

I follow in the footsteps of my grandmother and my mother. I bake onion bread. Upon removal from the oven, those golden brown loaves laid out on a cooling rack fill the atmosphere with a promise of nourishment. But that's the end result. Let's take a look at the bigger picture...the process.

Creating bread is hard work. It also requires patience. The kneading, the rising, none of it can be rushed. Perhaps that's why baking bread has always been such a treasured tradition in my family - especially for me, my mom, and the woman who began it all, my grandmother. Conversations are shared while finger-pushes and palm-presses stretch and form the dough. We laugh, sigh, rejoice and sometimes even cry as we wait for the bread to rise, or bake. She did the same with her mom. I’ve done the same with my son and my daughter.

Old family stories are shared time and time again. ‘Remember when grandma used to make six loaves from one batch?’ ‘Remember the first time we let Dan’s wife in on the recipe and had her help us bake it?’ ‘Remember shipping a loaf to the kids when they lived in Virginia?’

Many of the same remarks come to pass with each session: ‘Be sure to give the second rise enough time.’ ‘Be sure the yeast, sugar and warm water have been given enough time to activate.’ And then there’s my favorite: ‘Get in there and work the dough! Don’t be afraid to get your fingers gooey!’

Family moments are shared across generations, over a recipe that’s family owned, protected and beloved. I savor the continuity of the bread-making process just as much as I love that taste of the freshly toasted, hand-made treat. It’s the passing on of tradition – not just when you make the bread, but when you share your heart, and life, with those you love.

And the time spent? It’s so worth it – on a number of levels.

PURCHASE LINKS:

http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/devotion-softcover

http://www.amazon.com/Devotion-Marianne-Evans/dp/1611161649/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357833027&sr=8-1&keywords=devotion+marianne+evans

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devotion-marianne-evans/1111297628?ean=9781611161649

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