Our family used to belong to a vibrant church in Houston, TX. Unbelievably, they accepted me into the Chancel Choir. I had no business singing with that group, but they were (and still are) a church that extends grace and I accepted it for that season.
One of the traditions of the choir was to steal away for a yearly retreat. Marty Shroff, a godly woman and amazing cook, baked bread for communion. As she (and a few other helpers) kneaded the dough, they prayed over each choir member by name.
I kept her recipe. Besides the yummy goodness of homemade bread, I still imagine her praying and kneading, kneading and praying. Now when I make the bread, I pray over family members, neighbors, and friends as I knead.
If you have children, let the children do the kneading and praying. Guide them to pray for family members, neighbors, and friends by name. Consider other variations of prayer: praying for the lost, praying for the sick, praying for missionaries, or if you are really brave, confess your sins to each other. Maybe even give a loaf away to one of the people you prayed for.
Enjoy!
Redeemer Bread
3/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup bran cereal (All-Bran)
2 cups boiling water
2 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (110-115 degrees)
2 eggs
7 1/2 – 8 1/2 cups of flour
Mix oil, sugar, salt and cereal in a large mixing bowl. Pour boiling water over, let cool. Soften yeast in lukewarm water. When bran mixture has cooled to lukewarm, add eggs, softened yeast, and flour. Turn out on floured surface. Knead 8-10 minutes, drawing in more flour as needed to keep it from being sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Let rise until double in size (about 1 1/4 hours). Punch down. Knead 2 minutes, and shape into loaves or rolls. Let rise in greased pans (9x5x3-inch pans for loaves) until double in size (about 45 minutes). Preheat oven to 350. Bake about 30 minutes for loaves, 12-15 minutes for rolls. Makes 3 loaves or 2 loaves and 1 dozen rolls.