Watching the Dough Rise

“No flour, no yeast, can’t help you today!” shouted the store keeper. Not a big surprise really, everyone is looking for flour and for yeast for the long siege.

I love cooking and recently getting into baking in a BIG way. Making bread and specially healthier bread is my challenge. Besides, working with dough is so therapeutic and would keep my mind focused for a long while. Making bread is simple, really, you prepare the dry ingrediencies, prepare the wet ingredients, fuss around with the proper hydration, preheat your oven to 450 and set for 30 mins. Voila . . .

Cooking and baking is something I do alone, no one questions my steps, no one supervises, correcting me. As the aroma of flour, butter and yeast starts its chemical reaction filled the air, you know very well, something magical, wonderful is about to happen!

Not everything in life is like so, so magical, so appreciative and so wonderful.

You do the preparation, cultivation, giving all your love, you waited, you waited and you waited some more for the dough to rise. Some of your best effort may or may not make it to the oven. It is hard to not come to the conclusion that “what for!” or just simply “I don’t care!” “I ain’t going to do no more!”

“All things work together for good, for those who love Him and are call according to His purpose.” Remember, it is a journey, you may not know what “it is for” nor “does it matter at all”, You may even ask yourself the same question over and over again “What am I doing that for?” I am reminded of the beautiful song “In His Time”, it may not be the temperature and the timer I am familiar with, but “He will make all things beautiful in His time . . .”

Sharing with you from my kitchen in a COVID-19, -8C winter morning.

Peace be with you, Shalom